IRENA MELANOCHLAMYS, Sharpe.
Black-mantled Fairy Bluebird.
Irena melanochlamys, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, in. p. 266—id. Trans. Linn. Soc. new series, Zool. i. p. 352.—Tweedd.
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1879, p. 71.—Wardlaw Ramsay, Orn. Works o f Marquis o f Tweeddale, p. 649.
T h e present species is the representative in the island o f Basilan of Irena cyanogastra, Vigors, of Luzon aud
Panay; it differs, however, in having the back and mantle black instead o f deep blue.
All that is known of the present bird is contained in the bare record of its discovery by Dr. Steere in
Basilan, and that since then Mr. Alfred Everett has met with it in the same island, the latter gentleman
giving the colour of the iris as “ pure Indian red.”
The following is a transcript of the original description given by Mr. Sharpe
“ Adult male. Crown of head and nape glistening purplish cobalt, extending to the middle o f the hind n eck ;
sides of neck, mantle, and scapulars deep velvety b lack ; lower back and rump dull purplish cobalt, much
brighter on the upper tail-coverts; wings black, the lesser and median series purplish cobalt, the greater series
black, tipped with the same cobalt, the innermost, as well as the inner, secondaries externally of the same
colour; tail black, shaded with purple on the centre feathers and the outer webs of the oth ers; lores,
feathers above and round the eye, throat and fore neck deep velvety black, the rest of the under surface
dull purple, the under tail-coverts bright purplish co b a lt; under wing-coverts dull purple; bill black; legs
black; iris carmine. Total length 10 inches, culmen 1*05, wing 4 ’8, tail 4 -I , tarsus 0*7.”
The figures in the Plate represent a male bird in two different attitudes, a little less than the size of
life. They were drawn from the typical example kindly lent to me by Professor Steere during his visit to
England. [R . gg s.]