142 PURPLE-HEADED OR SCALY GRAKLE. 
gloss. The blue of the head softens off on the nape, 
and more on the neck, to a rich yellowish metallic 
green, which spreads oyer the whole of the hack of 
the wings ; on the rump, this green becomes strongly 
tinged with blue, which finally has a purple tinge. 
The shoulder-covers are green-blue, precisely similar 
to the back of the neck and the rump ; this colour is 
defined at its outer margin, and does not blend into 
the green 'of the rest of the wings ; the feathers 
also, like those of the tail-covers, are scale-like, with 
well-defined margins. The tail is short, quite even, 
and coloured like the head, the lilac reflections 
being strongest on the middle pair of feathers ; there 
is a row of black velvety dots at the tips of the 
lesser covers, one on each feather, and the same on 
the greater covers ; these spots, in certain lights, 
seem encircled with a narrow blue ring ; under wing- 
eovers, purple. 
In regard to structure, the frontal feathers of 
this most splendid bird differ from all others of its 
genus we have hitherto seen ; they are very thickset 
and short, and fold over, as it were, the base of the 
bill, like those of the genus Ptilonorynchus. The 
wings reach to within three-quarters of an inch of 
the tail, and this latter is quite even. 
Total length, about 10 inches; bill, from the 
gape, 1 T S 5 ; ditto, from the front, T % ; wings, 6 ; 
tail, beyond, T 8 jj ; ditto, from the base, 2^ ; tarsus, 
1 j 1 ;,: hind toe and claw, nearly 1. 
