Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/445

 half an inch with black; legs and claws rather dusky. As this bird is probably a new species, the only one that was seen in Abyssinia, and most numerous about the Pass of Taranta, I have ventured to attach to it the above names. Its place in the system would probably be near to the black-winged.

No. 6. Coracias Bengalensis? junior?

Length about 11½ inches. Bill 1½ inch long from the gape to the tip, and blackish: crown of the head and back of the neck, brownish sea-green; front and chin dirty rufous white, extending as an eyebrow over the eyes, where the white becomes purer. At the gape of the bill are a few strong but rather short black bristles. Immediately from the under-eyelid springs a tuft of long rufous feathers which cover the ears. The cheeks, through some part of the neck and breast, are violet, with a narrow dash of white down the shafts, except on the breast, which has no white. The upper part of the back and scapulars are sometimes of a greyish chesnut, sometimes of a greenish olive, according to the light in which they are viewed. The lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail coverts, blue, with a mixture of green, principally inclining to the latter. The lesser wing coverts are of a fine deep rich blue, the greater greenish blue, varying in the light from one colour to the other. The exterior edges of the first primary quill are deep blue, but become greenish towards the tip: the rest are similar, except that their hues are of a light changeable blue on the outer edges, which fades almost into white on the inner edges. Below the blue, the inner and tips are of a dusky greenish brown, with a dull tinge of coppery gloss. The belly, sides, thighs, under tail, and wing coverts are blue green, as are also the bases of the quills: but for the rest of their length they are dusky black, down the shafts on both sides, as well as the tips; while their inner webs, for a considerable space below the light spot, are of a fine rich blue, thus reversing the order of the colours above. The tail, legs, and claws answer exactly to that described by Dr. Latham, in his Gen Syn. p. 410, Vol. I. except that the tail of his bird appears to have been slightly forked, instead of being equal. This is probably a young bird, and, as it comes nearest to the Bengal Roller of Latham, it is so considered. No. 7. Coracius afra? Var?

This Dr. Latham appears to have considered as a variety of Coracius afra, his African Roller, which I have not seen; but from his account of it, it must vary considerably. The bill is of a brownish horn colour, rather more than an inch and half long, very much and abruptly forked at the tip, and having the edges of each mandible narrowed in. Length of the bird about 12½ inches; the lower part of the neck, behind, the back, and part of the scapulars, reddish brown, with a tinge of olive green: the chin, front, and eye-brow white, as in No. 6; a small spot of white also on the back