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In the following descriptive notes I have therefore deemed it best to record the characters (generic 
as well as specific) with some minuteness of detail. 
The bill is somewhat shorter than the head, greatly compressed on the sides, and much arched 
above, the culmen having a convex or rounded aspect, with a uniform width of three eighths of an 
inch from above the nostrils to within half an inch of the tip, when it rapidly diminishes, terminating 
m a rounded point. Where it merges into the frontal shield, the culmen is five eighths of an inch in 
width. Gould has somewhat exaggerated in his drawings the angle of declination towards the corners 
of the mouth, also the serrated edge of the upper mandible. In this specimen there is only the 
slightest indication of pectination. The cuttiiig-edges of both mandibles are sharp to the touch. 
The horny covering of the bill rises on the forehead to a line with the posterior angle of the eye, 
forming a depressed frontal shield (not arched as in the drawing). Nostrils oval, placed in a depres- 
sion near the base of the bill, and forming an oblique opening, nearly twice as large as shown in 
Gould’s sketch of the head (Proc. Zool. Soc.). Wings short, rounded, and slightly concave ; ample in 
appearance, but useless for purposes of flight ; first quill shortest, second half an inch shorter than 
third ; third, fourth, and fifth longest and about equal ; sixth scarcely shorter than fifth. On 
examining the wing-feathers they are found to be feeble and pliant, the outer webs being almost 
as broad as the inner. The tail-feathers are likewise soft and pliant, with disunited filaments, 
much worn at the tips. The tarsi are long, strong, and well proportioned to the bird ; longer than 
the toes (exclusive of claws), rounded in form, and armed in front with fourteen more or less broad, 
regular, transverse scutellae, forming an effective shield ; on the middle toe there are twenty-three 
transverse scales, all very regular, but narrowed at the joints ; on the inner toe fifteen, and on the 
outer toe twenty-one. On the hind toe there are five scales. The claws are strong, thick, not much 
arched, rather sharp on the edges, but with blunted points, especially on the hind toe. The palate 
is deeply grooved. 
Head and upper part of neck very dark blue, changing according to the light into brownish 
black on the crown and nape, brighter on the cheeks and sides, and passing into dark purplish blue 
on the lower part of the neck ; the whole of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts rich olive-green, 
varied more or less, and particularly on the shoulders, with dull verditcr-green, the feathers shading 
off into that colour at the tips, the general olive hue, however, predominating towards the sides of 
the body ; fore neck, breast, sides of the body, and inner portion of flanks beautiful purplish blue ; 
the lengthened pectoral plumes which overlap the sides and the outer portion of flanks vivid purplish 
blue, mixed and varied, especially on the former, with verditer-green ; abdomen, thighs, and 
vent dull indigo or bluish black, more or less mixed with brown ; under tail-coverts pure white. 
The general upper surface of the wings is a rich mixture of blue and verditer-green, very difficult to 
express exactly in umrds, the combination having something of the effect, in certain lights, of lains 
lazuli. 
On a close examination of the larger coverts it is found that they are marked transversely with 
numerous delicate rays of a darker purplish blue, adding much to the beauty of the plumage. On 
the lesser coverts this rayed character, although present, is less conspicuous, and the olive hue is more 
pronounced, w'hile on the scapulars it becomes predominant, resembling the plumage of the back. 
The outer edges of the wings and the tertial plumes are very rich purplish blue or obscurely rayed with 
green. The outer primaries are blue on their outer webs, but this rapidly changes to dull sea-green, 
which colour prevails on both webs of the secondaries, only washed with a brighter tint on the outer 
vane. This colour deepens again into olive on the inner secondaries and their coverts, thus harmo- 
nizing with tlie plumage of the back. The under surface of the quills is uniform blackish brown, and 
the shafts are white towards the base ; the axillary plumes and the larger inner coverts are of the same 
colour, tipped on their outer aspect with blue, and the smaller coverts, which are of very soft texture, 
X 2 
