PURPLE-HEADED OR SCALY GRAKLE. 141 
of the great Namaqua country ; hut they stay only 
a short time, and finally return to the warmer and 
more fruitful plains of Senegal, where, as Le Yail- 
lant with much reason conjectures, they probably 
breed. 
It is clear that this, in fact, is the Couigniop of 
the Ois. d'Afrique; hut it is very questionable whe- 
ther it is the Merula viridis Angolensis of Brisson, 
from which Linnaeus made his Turdus nitens. Bris- 
son, who was always remarkably exact, and whose 
descriptions moreover are original, says nothing of 
the peculiar frontal feathers, or of the black spots 
on the wings. In the short notice given by Dr. 
Leach of his Turdus splendcns, he is equally silent 
on the first of these characters, hut lays stress upon 
the second, that is, the black wing-spots ; not aware 
that no less than four species of these shining 
Grakles are thus marked. As it is quite impossible 
to determine any thing from such descriptions, we 
must leave them as they stand, contenting ourselves 
with pointing out those characters by which the 
species before us is truly distinguished, and which 
are condensed in the foregoing specific character. 
The size is that of the missel thrush, and the 
length almost ten inches. The whole plumage is rich 
and glossy ; varying somewhat in its shades, but still 
retaining the following decisive colours. The whole 
of the head, neck, breast, and under parts, from the 
chin to the tail-covers, are of a decided deep blue, 
tinged with purple or lake, particularly on the head, 
thighs, and under tail-covers, but without any green 
