Lecla7icher or Rainborv Bunling. 
63 
Apparently he is in perfect liealtli and doing well ; his 
plumage has become very tight and silken and the colouring has 
become much more intense. 
Beautiful as it is under the conditions of cage life it would 
be far more so in a garden aviary, where in flight and under 
the play of sunlight, its full beauty would be revealed, and one 
can only hope that the advent of this single specimen is but the 
precursor of many others, that this feast of beauty may be 
generally enjoyed. 
Desckiption. — Adnll male : Upper sin face a couibiiiatioii of tur- 
quoise— and cobaU-hlue, washed j^reeuish on the upper back ; lesser and 
)nedian coverts rich cobalt-blne ; greater and primary coverts dusky, witli 
their outer webs bluish-green, the primaries edged with hoary-whitish 
near the tips, inner secondaries edged yellowish at the tip ; tail feathers 
turquoise-blue, greenish under some conditions of lighting ; crown, delicate 
apple-green ; lores and a ring round the eyes rich golden-yellow ; ear- 
coverts and sides of neck rich cobalt-blue ; cheeks and entire undersurface 
golden-yellow, washed with intense orange on the throat and breast; beak, 
upper mandible brownish horn colour, lower mandible pale pinkish-horn 
colour ; legs and feet pale brownish ; iris rich brown. I<ength 5 inches, 
tail 2\. 
AdulL female : Very different from the male, the upper surface is dull 
olive greenish; rump bright olive-green; upper tail coverts blue; wings 
dull olive-green, with the wing-coverts shaded with blue, tail pale blue ; 
head yellowish olive-green ; lores, ring round eyes, cheeks and remainder 
of luider surface yellow ; ear-coverts dull blue ; sides and back of neck 
greyish-green. Total length 4| inches, tail 2 i-5th. 
Habitat. Mexico. 
Only six skins are in the Biitish Museum collection, 5 <J and I ?. 
Dr. Bowdler Sliarpe in the B. M. Cat., Vol. XII., enumerates the 
following species, of which I give the principal colourative features of the 
males. 
iiris : The well-known Nonpareil. Head pnrplish-blue ; upper back 
yellow; lower back and ujjper tail coverts vermilion; under surface 
bright vermilion. 
cyanea : The well-known Indigo. Upper and under surface bright blue. 
amana: Upper surface blue, mantle and upper back blackish; median- 
coverts white; foieneck, chest and sides of breast orange - rufous ; 
sides of body pale orange-rufous ; breast and abdomen white. 
losila : Upper surface bright blue; breast vermilion; abdomen and under 
tail -coverts salmon red. 
