Among Mr. Hodgson’s Drawings in the British Museum I find a representation o f the nest of this
species ; it appears to be a neat, round, cup-shaped structure, apparently composed of grasses, lined with
vegetable fibres and similar materials, and ornamented externally with flat flakes o f white lichens. The
eggs are vinous red, speckled at the larger end with small dark brown spots.
The adult male has the entire head and crest deep glossy steel-green; upper surface white, with a fine
line of black down the shaft of each feath er; spurious wings and primaries black, narrowly edged externally
with wh ite ; secondaries black, broadly margined on both webs with white, the two inner ones white, with a
broad stripe of black down the centre, and a narrower one of the same hue along: the margin of the inner
web; tail white, the shafts of the two centre feathers black for more than one-third of their length from the
base; the remaining feathers have their shafts black throughout their entire length, and are also narrowly
margined with the same hue on their external webs; under surface white; eye very dark brown, surrounded
by a carunculated lash o f an azure-blue ; bill azure-blue, with the tip of the upper mandible black ; inside
o f the mouth olive-green; feet bluish black.
The adult female has the head and crest of the same colour as in the m ale; the whole of the upper surface,
wings and tail rich lively chestnut; the inner webs of the primaries brownish; chest clouded with grey;
abdomen and under tail-eoverts white.
Young birds have the crown o f the head and crest as in the adult; throat, breast, and back of the neck
dark g rey ; upper surface, wings and tail chestnut, with the exception of the inner webs of the primaries,
which are brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts buffy white.
For the details o f the soft parts I am indebted to Mr. Blyth of Calcutta, who kindly sent me a very pretty
drawing of them, from which the above description of their colours is taken.
The Plate represents adults of both sexes of the natural size, and a youthful bird in the distance.