WARBLER. H7 



128.— SUPERB WARBLER — Pl. cvi. 



Sylvia cyanea, Ind. Orn. ii. 545. 



Motacilla cyanea, Gm. Lin. i. 991. Ellis's Narr. p. 22. Cook's last Voy. i. 109. 

 ■■ superba, Nat. Misc. pl. 10. 



Merion, Tern. Man. Ed. ii. Anal. p. lxviii. 



Superb Warbler, Gen. Syn. iv. 501. pl. 53. Phil. Bot. Bay, pl. p. 157— male. 159— 

 female. White's Journ. p. 256 — male and female. Shaw's Zool. x. 754. pl. 58. 



THE length of this beautiful Species is five inches and a half. 

 Bill black ; the feathers of the head long and silky, and for the most 

 part stand erect, as a crest ; from the forehead to the crown bright 

 blue; from thence to the nape black, and like velvet; through the 

 eyes, from the bill, a line of black ; under the eye a tuft of the same 

 rich blue feathers as on the crown; and on the ears a similar blue 

 patch, uniting with that under the eye, and continuing in a slender 

 line across the nape, of the texture of velvet, and the whole head 

 has a greater appearance of bulk than is natural ; chin and throat 

 deep blue, almost black, and like velvet; the hind part of the neck, 

 and upper parts of the body and tail deep blue black; under parts, 

 from the breast, pure white; wings dusky, the shafts of the quills 

 chestnut; tail two inches and a quarter long, and cuneiform, the two 

 outer feathers very short ; legs brown, claws black. The female is 

 brown above, and white beneath ; tail as in the male. 



Inhabits the most southern parts of New-Holland. Specimens, 

 answering to the above description, are in several Collections, but 

 they vary exceedingly, whether from age or sex cannot at present be 

 determined. 



A. — This Variety has the under parts of the body dusky ; shafts 

 of the quills nearly black, and instead of the blue transverse line at 

 the back of the head, a large triangular patch of fine blue, with the 

 point downwards. 



