PHYLLORNIS HARDWICKL 



Hardwick's Phyllornis. 



Chloropsis Hardwickii, Jard. and Selby, 111. Orn., vol. ii., Addenda, p. 1, note. — Jerd. in Madr. Journ. of Lit. and 

 Sci., vol. xiii. pt. ii. jp. 125. 



Phyllornis Hardwickii, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xi. p. 106, vol. xii. p. 955, vol. xiii. p. 392, vol. xiv. 

 p. 566, vol. xv. p. 40. — lb. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 212.— Gray and Mitch. 

 Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 124, Phyllornis, sp. 8. — Gray, Cat. of Spec, and Draw, of Mamm. and Birds 

 presented to Brit. Mus. by B. II. Hodgson, Esq., p. 60. — Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., vol. i. p. 396, 

 Phyllornis, sp. L— Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 258. 



Chloropsis curvirostris, Swains., Lard. Cab. Cycl. Anim. in Menag., part iii. p. 345. 



auriventris, Deless. Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 100.— lb. Mag. de Zool. 1840, Ois. pi. 17.— lb. Voy. dans llnde, 



torn. ii. p. 23. pi. 7. 



chrysog aster, M'Clell. in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part vii. p. 167. 



— cyanopterus, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc., 1844, p. 82. 



Boing-dan-thay of the Aracanese, Blyth. 



Few persons have been more ardently devoted to the investigation of natural history than the late 

 Major-General Thomas Hardwicke : not only did this veteran Indian officer amass vast stores of the animal 

 products of India, which he subsequently bequeathed to the British Museum, but there also will be found a 

 large number of drawings, both of quadrupeds and birds, presented by the same liberal hand to the great 

 national repository. It was in honour of this brother labourer in the field of science that Messrs. Jardine 

 and Selby named the bird here represented Hardivickii. From Swainson it received the name of 

 curvirostris — a most inappropriate appellation, since its bill is not more curved than that of the other 

 members of the genus ; the term cyanopterus was assigned to it by Mr. Hodgson ; while auriventris and 

 chrysogaster appear among the synonyms as having been given by Mr. M'Clelland and M. Delessert. Both 

 cyanopterus and auriventris would have been appropriate specific appellations, had not that of HardwicM, 

 by which it will always be known, been previously applied to it. 



The Phyllornis Hardwicki will rank as one of the finest members of the genus, as it is interesting not only 

 for its gay and fine colouring, but from the circumstance of its tints being so widely different from those of 

 any of its congeners as to render it at once distinguishable from all of them. It is confined, so far as I 

 can ascertain, to the countries of Nepaul, Bhotan, Assam, Sylhet, and Aracan. 



As will be seen on reference to the opposite Plate, the sexes present a marked difference in their colouring ; 

 it will be noticed also that the black gorget of the male extends further down than in any other species. 

 Other peculiarities in the colouring of this sex will also be apparent, such as the blue colouring of the wing, 

 the orange on the breast, &c. 



The male has the lores, sides of the face, chin, throat, front of the neck, and a large gorget-shaped mark 

 on the breast deep velvety black ; a broad moustache of azure-blue descending from the angle of the mouth 

 within the black ; all the upper surface, scapularies, and secondaries yellowish grass-green, the yellow tint 

 prevailing on the head and back of the neck ; shoulder glossy verditer blue ; greater wing-coverts and margins 

 of the primaries deep blue; inner webs of the primaries blackish brown ; tail deep blue ; under surface dull 

 orange ; bill black ; irides brown ; feet olive-grey. 



The general plumage of the female is grass-green, with a light-blue moustache at the angle of the lower 

 mandible; and the centre of the abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts orange. 



The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size, on the Epigynium acuminatum. 



