163 
WHITE-BILLED NUT-CRACKER. 
Dertroides albirostris, Swains. 
Entirely black •, bill, whitish ; flank-feathers with a 
few white stripes. 
Tector alecto, Temm PL Col. PI. 446. 
This is the largest finch hitherto discovered, being 
fully as long as a starling, although not so bulky in 
the body. The whole plumage is entirely deep 
lamp-black; the feathers of the body, under the 
wings, being partly white. The bill is whitish, 
particularly hard, and advancing much on the front 
of the head, where it is swollen and elevated. The 
wings are short and round, reaching only to the 
base of the tail ; the latter being rather lengthened 
and much rounded. The first quill is somewhat 
spurious, being only half as long as the second ; this, 
again, is nearly equal to the third, fourth, fifth, and 
sixth, which are the longest ; in all this we find a 
passage between this and the next sub-family of 
PloceaTiw, or the weavers. The feet are large and 
strong, with the lateral and the hind toes equal ; thus 
preserving the analogy of the genus both to the 
Scansores and JRasores. 
