974 Mr. BlytJis Report for December Meeting, 1842. [No. 143. 



scapularibus, caudaque metallice aureo-viridibus ; alts fuscis viridi 

 nitentibus ; subtus cana. Body three inches, tail two inches long :" 

 from Assam. I have seen a drawing of this bird, which pertains to 

 the present group, and is obviously distinct from all the others here 

 described. 



4. N. Nipalensis; Cin. Nipalensis, Hodgson, Ind. Rev. 1837, p. 

 273. Nearly allied to N. Gouldii figured in the * Century of Hima- 

 layan Birds/ but larger, with the dark scale-like feathers of the crown 

 continued down the back of the neck, and glossed with greenish, some- 

 times a little bronzed, instead of violet ; the same remark applies to the 

 tail and its coverts, and to the throat ; and there is also no red on the 

 smaller wing-coverts, while that of the back is darker and quite gloss- 

 less : middle of the breast tinged with flame-colour, of which there is 

 seldom more than a faint trace in N. Gouldii, and often not any, while 

 N. ignicauda has much more of it. The present species is remark- 

 able for the comparative length and looseness of the feathers of its hind- 

 neck, which have broad scale-like tips that, together with the crown, 

 occiput, throat, upper tail-coverts, long and tapering middle pair of tail- 

 feathers, and the outer margins of the other tail-feathers, are brilli- 

 antly glossy dark steel-green ; lores and ear-coverts black, the latter 

 glossed with purple; scapularies and margins of the wing-feathers 

 olive-green, as in N. ignicauda y which the breast and under-parts re- 

 semble except in having less flame-colour, which is more diffused ; yel- 

 low of the rump brighter than in most of the others : bill black, and 

 legs dusky-brown. Length five inches and three-quarters, of which the 

 middle tail-feathers measure two inches and five-eighths, and the bill 

 from forehead three-quarters of an inch ; wing two inches and one- 

 eighth ; and tarse nearly five-eighths of an inch. The female is rather 

 smaller, and uniform olive-green above, faintly tinged with rufous ; 

 below paler and yellower : tail shorter, with its middle pair of feathers 

 scarcely elongated beyond the rest. " The young males," according to 

 Mr. Hodgson, " are earthy-brown on all the glossed parts of the 

 mature males. So also in \_N. Goalpariensis~\, and (as I suspect,) in 

 all the gorgeous species." Habitat Nepal and Sikim : very abundant 

 about Darjeeling. 



5. A 7 . Gouldii; C. Gouldii, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 44; Gould's 

 Century, pi. LVI. Rather smaller than any of the preceding, with 



