36 On a new Genus of the Fissirostral Tribe, [[Jan. 



With these preliminary remarks we shall proceed to characterise 

 the genus or sub-genus Raya, thus — 



Bill shaped as in Eurylaimus , but equal to the head, or longer, 

 and having the soft frontal zone more produced, and concealing the 

 nares ; orbits nude ; head large and crested ; gape very wide and 

 smooth ; wings scarcely exceeding the base of the tail, rather feeble ; 

 the third and fourth quills longest and equal; the first and second, 

 very slightly gradated ; the primaries plus the tertiaries by about half 

 an inch. 



Tarsi longer than central digit, slender, smooth, more or less plu- 

 mose; toes and nails as in Eurylaimus exactly, but the connexion 

 of the lateral fore toes reaching only to the centre of the second and 

 first phalanges respectively; tail elongated, firm, conspicuously and 

 equally gradated throughout ; tongue short, flat, triangular, sub- 

 fleshy ; the tip pointed, cartilaginous, and sub-bifid or sub-jagged. In 

 manners, and food assimilating with Troy on, and with Rucia (nobis). 



1st. Species. Sericeogula. Silken-throated Ray, nobis. Parrot- 

 green, changing into verditer blue below ; head and neck, superiorly, 

 black ; inferiorly, silken yellow ; a narrow band of the latter co- 

 lour circling round the brows, and bottom of the neck, so as to enclose 

 the black colour ; a blue spot on the crown, and top of the back, and 

 a yellow one behind each ear ; tail, and external edge of the pri- 

 maries blue ; wings and tail, internally, jet black ; orbitar skin yel- 

 low ; iris hoary brown ; bill lively green ; legs dull greenish or yel- 

 lowish ; crest vague ; tail considerably elongated, and wedged ; the 

 gradation equal, and complete ; tarsi plumed at top only ; 11 inches 

 long by 13 wide, and 2^ oz in weight ; bill \\ inch; tail 5| ; tarsus 



1 \ ; central toe j>> and nail «,; hind toe, j^? and nail j* g . Sexes 

 alike. 



2nd. Species. Rubropygia. Red-rumped Ray a, nobis. Structure 

 less typical ; colour slatey grey blue ; lower part of the back, tertia- 

 ries, and upper tail coverts, red ; wings, tail, tibiae, and a band from 

 the eyes to the nape, black; primaries with a blue speculum, and 

 blue tips ; the latter margined on the inner side with white ; rec- 

 trices, except the two central ones, broadly tipt with white ; head con- 

 spicuously crested ; tail shorter, and rather rounded than wedged ; 

 tarsi half plumed ; bill soft blue ; iris brown ; orbitar skin, orange ; 

 feet greenish ; size 7 to 7i inches by 10^ to 11 , and 1^ to 1J oz ; bill 



14 inch ; tail 3J ; tarsus 15 : central toe 11 ; hind toe j>. Sexes 

 16 ft 16 16 



alike. 



Nepal, May, 1836 



