270 
ALLEN ’s naturalist's LIBRARY. 
Adult Male. General colour abov'e brown, deepenini^ into 
black on the lower back, the rump and tail-coverts being black, 
with a puiplish or green gloss ; the scapulars pearly-grey, with 
very fine wavy lines of darker grey, the outer scapulars dark 
chestnut-brown, continuous with the d.ark outer webs of the 
innermost secondaries; the wing-coverts ashy-grey, more or 
less \TOshed with brown ; the greater coverts with a sub-terminal 
bar of white, the tips being black, and forming the upper bor- 
der to the wing-speculum; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and 
quills ashy-brown, externally more grey; the inner webs of 
the primaries conspicuously lighter and more ashy; the 
secondaries ashy-grey on the inner web, metallic-purple on the 
outer web, and tipped with white, before which is a sub-terminal 
bar of velvety-black ; the colour of the speculum varying 
according to the light, from rich purple to steel-blue or greenish- 
blue ; the inner secondaries pearly-grey, those adjoining the 
speculum being externally chestnut-brown ; centre tail-feathers 
recurved, black like the rump, the rest of the feathers white, 
with grey or brown centres, these dark centres gradually dis- 
appearing and only represented by ashy frecklings on the 
outer ones; head and neck all round metallic-green, chano-- 
ing into purple according to the light ; on the lower throat a 
narrow white band not completely joining on the nape ; fore- 
neck and chest deep chestnut, extending on to the sides of the 
neck and nearly meeting on the hind-neck ; remainder of under 
surface greyish-white, finely freckled with ashy vcrmiculntions, 
which are more distinct on the sides of the body; under win<T. 
coverts and axillaries w'hite ; under tail-coverts velvety-blaclT • 
bill olive-yellowish ; feet and toes orange ; iris dark brown! 
Total length, 22 inches; culmen, 2-4; wing, ii'o; tail 2'c '• 
tarsus, I ’8. > a a > 
Adalt Female.— Entirely different from the male, brown above 
with reddish margins and centres to the feathers, impartin'^ a 
narrowly streaked appearance to the head and neck .nncf a 
broadly streaked appearance to the back, but it must be 
noticed that great variation in these markings takes place • 
wing-coverts dark ashy-brown, the greater series and th ' 
secondaries banded with white, the former with a velvety-black 
tip and the latter with a sub-terminal black bar ; the speculum 
