224 CORVID.E. 



divided. On the temples they are larger, and again on the 

 cheeks they increase in size, these also becoming more drop 

 shaped : they are largest on the upper part of the breast. 



On the back and chest these white pear-shaped marks are 

 surrounded by a darker brown zone, which melts as it were 

 in the general colour of the plumage. 



The thighs are dark brown in front and spotted behind, 

 like the rest of the plumage. The vent and under tail-co- 

 verts are pure white ; the upper tail-coverts pure black. The 

 wings are black, slightly reflecting blue, the lesser wing- 

 coverts with triangular spots, the larger the same, but with 

 much smaller spots. 



The larger quill-feathers have only a small triangular spot 

 from the sixth to the twelfth feather, towards the tip ; and 

 the black of the feathers becomes dusky at the tip. The 

 inner or under wing feathers have an oval white spot on the 

 inner web of the fifth to the eighth quill-feather. The under 

 wing coverts are dusky with triangular white spots on their 

 tips ; the tail is black with slight blue reflections and white 

 ends, narrow on the middle feather, but enlarging to nearly 

 one inch on the outer feather. 



The female differs very little from the male in colouring, 

 but there are varieties of the Nutcracker which are quite 

 white. 



