68 



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PALAEORNIS ECHO NEWTON. 



Palaeornis echo Newton, Ibis 1876, p. 284. 



Palaeornis eques Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XX, p. 442 (1891). 



DESCRIPTION of Male : Green, the occiput tinged with bluish ; a 

 narrow black stripe from the nostrils to the eyes; broad black 

 mandibular stripes passing down and across the sides of the neck 

 where they meet a pink collar, which is interrupted on the hind neck; under 

 wing-coverts yellowish green ; central tail feathers scarcely tinged with 

 bluish ; tail below dark yellowish grey ; upper mandible red, under mandible 

 almost black with only a brownish tinge in places. Iris yellow. Naked skin 

 round eyes orange. Wing 75 inches, tail 875 inches, bill 9 inches. The 

 female differs by the absence of the collar, no bluish tint on occiput, and the 

 bill entirely blackish. 



It differs from P. torquatus in the incomplete collar, darker green 

 colour and broader tail feathers. This bird is still found in the interior of 

 the island, but is rare and apparently on the verge of extinction. 

 Habitat : Mauritius. 



Three specimens at Tring, four in the British Museum. 



