OCR Text |
Show 602 MR. E. P. RAMSAY ON NEW SPECIES OF [Nov. 3, A narrow line down the centre of each feather on the top of the head and neck black ; line over the eye and just in front of it white, tinged with olive-green ; lower part of the ear-coverts black ; upper part immediately behind the eye centred with white and tinged slightly with olive-green ; sides of the lower part of the neck olive-green, each feather indistinctly marked with a white-brown spot. Whole of the under surface olive-green, being brightest on the flanks, each feather on the chest centred with a conspicuous and somewhat heart-shaped blotch of white, which on the abdomen and flanks becomes lanceolate in form, more acute on the feathers between the flanks and round the vent, which are nearly white, having a brownish crescentic mark near the margin; the spots on the abdomen are almost obsolete. Under tail-coverts olive-green, centred and broadly margined with white tinged with olive-green; the basal portion of all the feathers brown; under surface of the tail brown, with a tinge of bluish green in certain lights; all but the two centre tail-feathers tipped with white on both surfaces ; the under surface of the wings, inner webs of primaries, and secondaries dark brown, becoming almost white on the margins of the inner webs. The inner webs of primaries and secondaries, and the basal part of the inner webs of the tertiaries blackish brown on the upper surface; the margin of the wings and under wing-coverts white, with a somewhat crescent-shaped mark of dark brown, margined with green, in the centre ; the basal portion of the feathers dark brown. The narrow outer web of the primaries above bluish-green ; all the upper surface from the back of neck and mantle bright grass-green; on the tertiaries to approximate secondaries a small spot of white at the tips of the outer webs only; some of the lesser wing-coverts have also a similar spot in certain specimens ; and a few of the feathers between the shoulders have a bluish green tinge; two centre tail-feathers and the outer webs of all except the first feather on either side bright grass-green above; the lower portion of the outer web of the first tail-feather on either side tinged with green ; the inner webs of all the tail-feathers except the two centre ones blackish brown above, tinged with green near the shafts of the feathers, but becoming blackish brown near the tips, which end in a white marginal spot more largely developed on the inner webs and of greater extent on the outer feathers, diminishing into a narrow white line on those next the centre tail-feathers. Bill light horn-colour. Total length 10 to 11 inches; bill from forehead 1, from eye P 9 to 2, from nostril 0'6, from angle of the mouth 145, width at base 0-5 ; wing from flexure 5*5 ; tail 4*3; tarsi 1*6 to 1*8, of a dark bluish horn-colour. Claws light brown. The bill is of a pale brown, whilst on the margins and sides it is brownish or yellowish brown, about the base stiong and powerful. The feet and legs are blackish horn-brown in the dried skins. The sexes are alike in plumage. Some of m y specimens, apparently more adult and in full moult at the time they were shot, have dull brown instead of whitish spots on the black feathers on the head and face : these spots in young birds are washed with olive-green. |