;vi I ■ t ' £ r !k; t a ;[h r e y i k o t r ii vH ,
/ Metltr Z /'k^KaZi!'
T a b . V I I I .
P H tENICORNI S b r e v i r o s t r i s ,
Ma sc . PhcBii. c a p ite , collo, n u ch a , dorso su p e rio ri, alis, re c tric ib u sq u e m ed iis s p le n d e n ti-n ig r is ;
corpore in fr a , dorso imo, p le r om a tum ap ic ib u s, fa s c ia , rem ig um , re c tr ic ib u sq u e la te ra lib u s
sp lendidc coc c in e is; ro stro b re v i, suh d eb ili.
Fcom.? f r o u t e , corpore in f r a , dorso imo, fa s c i a a la rum , re c tr ic ib u sq u e la te ra lib u s f av is ; capite ,
n u ch a , s ca piduribus, dorsoque su p e r io r i g r is e is j a lis re c tr ic ib u sq u e m ed iis n ig r is .
.Lo n g itu d o corporis, 81 u n c . ; ala:, 3 t ; r o s tr i,d s ', ta r s i, i ; caudce, 4.
T h is beautiful example o f the genus PhcEnicornis, to which we have given the name o f brc tiro stris, agrees very
closely in many respects with the P . fa m m c u s . It possesses, however, characters sufficiently well marked to
separate it from that sjiccles ; the first of which consists in the abbreviated size o f the beak, wliile the general
size of the body in both is the same ; the tail of P . brctiro stris is also considerably longer, producing a more
slender and graceful contour of figure; and the brilliant crimson of the male is much more intense. As is
usual with its allied congeners, tlie female o f this species jiresents a fine orange yellow where in the male it
is a brilliant s c a r le t; the black is also supplied by a grey with more o r less of an olii’c tinge.
As far as researches hai'e hitherto extended, we may venture to say th a t the P . breoirostris is, like the
P . princeps, peculiar to the range of the Himalaya mountains, as in all the various ornithological collections
from the other parts of India, which we have had an oiiportiniity o f inspecting, no example has been detected.
Mr. Shore informs us th a t it is found very generally spread over the hills, especially in the warmer places,
where it is sometimes seen in flocks. We have abundant testimony, on the other hand, th a t the P .fam m c u s
is not only extensively spread over continental India, hut is equally common in the adjacent islands.
The colour of the male is like tliat of P . p r in c ep s ■, the scarlet, however, is much more intense, and tlie
edges of the secondaries want the slight scarlet margiuation where it is found in the former bird.
The Plate represents tlie male and female o f the natural size.