P 3 .IO N O F S -T.ALACOMA.:.
| | ■ (ihzre. s _Pl&teA),
A ves.— P late V . (M a le .)
P. capite supra pallide fusco-griseo, argenteo-griseo umbrato; gems albis postice fascid semilunari nigra
marginatis ; dorso humerisque nigro-yiridi-nitescentibus; alis striga longitudinali albet notatis ;
remigibus primariig brunneis, primo excepto, pogoniis internis fascia albd variegatis, rectricibus
duabus intermediis yiridi-nigris; lateralibus versus apicem plus minusve albis; rostro nigro; oculis
brunneis; pedibus flavis.
Longitudo, 8 unc.
Prionops Talacoma, Rep. of Exp., page 45, June, 1836.
Colour.—The upper part of the head light pearl-grey with a dusky shade;
the cheeks white, margined behind by a black crescent; the neck and the
under parts pure white; the back and the wings a glossy greenish black;
several of the shoulder feathers and secondary quill coverts nearly white, and
with the broad white edgings which occur upon the outer vanes of two or three
of the innermost secondary quill feathers, they form a continuous white stripe
along the wing. All the primary quill feathers, with the exception of the
first, have their inner vanes crossed by a broad white bar, that of the innermost
being much nearer to the extremity of the feather than the outermost
; the secondary quill feathers all broadly tipt with white. The two
middle tail feathers greenish black ; the two outermost of each side pure
white, or with only a slight greenish black spot at their bases. The intermediate
feathers greenish black towards quills, white towards tips. Bill
black; feet pale yellow, claws livid brown. Eyes dark brown, and surrounded
by a narrow membranous ring of a bright yellow colour.
F orm, &c®-Typical. The feathers of the forehead very rigid and wiry,
some erect, others directed forwards so as to conceal the nostrils ; emargina-
tion of bill very slight: wings when folded reach over nearly the first half of
the tail ; the fourth quill feather the longest, the third and fifth of equal
length, and a little shorter than the fourth; the second and eighth nearly
equal, and considerably shorter than the third ; the first not half the
length of the fourth. Tail even or very slightly rounded. Tarsi rather
long, covered in front by transverse plates, and behind by a continuous