1843.] Mr. BlytKs Report for December Meeting, 1842. 961 



except that the under-parts are bright sea-green, and that there is 

 generally no trace of black on the centre of the crown. Length above 

 seven inches, the wing four inches and a quarter to four and a half; 

 bill to gape an inch and one-eighth. Crown dark rufous-brown, with 

 occasionally some black on its centre ; throat, sides of the head, and 

 neck all round, black; bend of the wing and upper tail coverts bright 

 verdigris-blue ; vent and under tail-coverts vermillion ; a large white 

 patch on the primaries ; the back a fine glossy dark green, and under- 

 parts lighter and more bluish green. Inhabits Assam, and the Malay 

 peninsula. 



P. rodogaster, Hodgson. I can only describe this from a wretched 

 bad specimen. Nearly allied to the last, and upper-parts much the 

 same, but less bright ; the second range of wing-coverts largely tipped 

 with white : a white transverse band also on the throat, and lower-parts 

 dull brown, mingled with green, though I can detect no appearance 

 of moulting. Perhaps only the young of the preceding species. Nepal. 



P. gigas, Temminck. The Society possesses a Himalayan example 

 of what appears to be the young of this species. Length about eight 

 inches and a half, of wing four inches and three-eighths, and bill to 

 gape an inch and three-sixteenths. Crown and lower ear -coverts dull 

 brown, the former black-centred; lores, upper ear-coverts and beyond 

 them, and another streak below the ear-coverts, black, occupying only 

 the tips of the feathers on the latter ; throat brown : rest of the upper- 

 parts uniform bright dark blue ; bases of the primaries white under- 

 neath, and under wing-coverts towards the axillaries the same : breast 

 and belly light blue, with a slight shade of green on the former and 

 of lilach on the latter, and all marked with imperfect black bands on 

 each feather, becoming entire on the sides of the breast and flanks.* 



P. coccinea, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 104. A gorgeous species, 

 scarcely yielding the palm of beauty to the lovely P. cyanura : wings 

 short, rounded as in that bird, and more bowed or hollowed. Forehead 

 and over the eyes black ; the crown, occiput, and nape, intense car- 

 mine; rest of the upper-parts fine dark glistening purple, with a 



* A specimen from Arracan is perhaps a female : the tail and its coverts are nearly 

 as bright blue as in the Himalayan specimen, and there is an admixture of this 

 colour on the interscapularies ; but the rest of the upper-parts, from the red occiput, 

 are dull greenish ; and the blue of the under-parts is also weaker. 



