swallow. ] 69 



an inch in width; the nostrils are small and oval-shaped. The 

 colour of the beak is black, the tongue and inside of the 

 mouth flesh-coloured, and the iris is dark chesnut. The 

 small slender legs and feet are entirely bare of feathers, their 

 upper surface covered with small scales, and the claws are 

 weak, thin, and pointed ; the legs are reddish grey, the claws 

 almost black, and the soles of the feet grey ; the tarsus is 

 five and a half lines long, the middle toe and claw seven and 

 a half lines, and the hinder toe and claw five lines. The 

 forehead and throat are reddish-brown ; the space between 

 the beak and eye and the region of the eyes are black. The 

 head, cheeks, and neck, as far as the breast, the back, 

 shoulders, and lesser wing coverts, are deep black, with blue 

 and violet reflections. The wing and tail-feathers black, with 

 bronze reflections and pale brown edges, particularly towards 

 the tips of the feathers. The middle tail-feathers are en- 

 tirely black, the others have a round white spot on their 

 inner web towards the tips ; these spots increase in length as 

 they approach the outer feathers, and form a bar of white 

 when the tail is spread out, but when closed they are not 

 perceptible. The breast, belly, and all the under parts to 

 the tail are white, more or less tinged with rufous, which 

 colour is strongest on the under wing-coverts, and terminates 

 on the edge of the wing in a border of black, brown, and 

 white. The wing and tail-feathers are dull black on the 

 under surface ; the white spots on the tail-feathers shine 

 through and appear like a band or chain of spots. All the 

 feathers of the back which reflect the blue tint are black 

 only on their tips and white towards the root, and it is in 

 consequence of this that the bird seems to have white spots 

 all over its body when the feathers are ruffled or displaced. 

 There is very little difference in the plumage between the 

 male and female ; but, when compared together, the female 

 appears the smallest on account of her shorter tail-feathers, 



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