CATERPILLAR-CATCHER. 
253 
portunity of verifying the fact by the same proof as 
we now advance for this species, namely, a young 
bird, in the season of moulting, and which is now 
before us, wherein about half the plumage of the 
male is intermixed with that of the female ; thus 
setting the question completely at rest. 
The male, in its perfect adult plumage, is really 
a beautiful bird ; it is entirely of a rich glossy blue- 
black, except the shoulder and lesser wing-covers, 
w T hich are of the most vivid crimson ; at the angle 
of the mouth there is a narrow marginal projecting 
skin, which in the living bird was probably red, 
and would thus bear an analogy to the lips of qua- 
drupeds. The feathers on the lower part of the 
back and rump are remarkably thick set, and feel 
prickly. 
The ground colour of the female, on the contrary, 
is brown, each feather above being crossed at the 
end with a black bar and a white one, the latter 
being external and wanting on the rump. The 
quills are nearly black, broadly edged, externally 
and internally, with clear and fine yellow ; the edges 
of their covers, but not the tips, being narrower. 
The tail is brownish-black, lighter on the middle 
feather, and the two external pairs are edged and 
tipt with yellow. The under plumage is white, 
with a crescent of black at the end of each feather ; 
inner wing-covers fine yellow ; bill and feet brown, 
or blackish. 
Total length, 8 ; bill, from the gape, T S T] ; wings, 
4 ; tail beyond, 2J ; from the base, 4 ; tarsus, j 7 0 . 
