UROCISSA CUCULLATA, Gould.
White-capped Blue Pie.

Psilorhinus flavirostris, Adams in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part xxvi. p. 479.
Urocissa flavirostris, Adams in ib., part xxvii. eels

 

I po assure my readers that I have no desire unnecessarily to increase the number of species of this or any
other group of birds; on the other hand, I shall never shrink from pointing out such species as I may see
reason to believe are distinct from those previously described, which may occur in any of the various forms
I have undertaken to investigate. It might be considered doubtful by many persons whether two birds
so closely allied, or resembling each other, as the U. occipitalis and U. cucullata are really different, but I
am satisfied that I am correct in so considering and publishing them. To what cause such slight differences
as they present are attributable is a question upon which zoologists will, I expect, be for a long time at
variance.

In the form and the tipping of the central and other tail-feathers, this species, which is one of the most
elegant and beautiful of the Urocisse, most nearly resembles the U. occipitalis; but it differs from that
bird in its bright yellow bill, and in the black cowl-like hood which occupies the crown of the head. — Its
shorter and less slender legs, and the lighter hue of the body, are also characters by which it may be dis-
tinguished from the yellow-billed species, to which the name of favirostris has been given. I wish it to be
understood that I am writing these remarks with abundant materials before me wherewith to institute com-
parison, namely, fully adult examples of all the known species of the genus, among which are particularly
fine specimens of the present bird, presented to me by Captain Michael Tweedie, of the Royal Artillery,
who killed them at Kooloo, a district which lies, I believe, a little to the north of Simla. Captain Tweedie
informs me that the bird inhabits the elevated forests of this part of India, and also the north-western
provinces, and that he believes it to be a migrant or summer visitant of those regions.

In a letter to Mr. Blyth, Lord Arthur Hay remarks, ‘‘It is very curious that, though the Red-billed Jay
is found alone at Simla, I should have procured only the Yellow-billed one after leaving Jummoo, and in
Cachemere.” On this passage, Mr. Blyth remarks, that by the red-billed bird his Lordship intended
U. occipitalis, and by the yellow-billed one, U. flavirostris ; but [have no doubt that his remark really has
reference to the bird here figured. Dr. Adams informs us that this species replaces the U. occipitalis in
the mountains of Cashmere, that it is often met with on the banks of the Jhelum, and that its habits are
similar to those of the other species. Capt. Strachey’s bird from Kamoan, referred to by Dr. Horsfield and
Mr. Moore, is probably identical with the present bird. .

Crown black, with a few of the posterior feathers margined at the tip with white; at the nape of the
neck a patch of white; cheeks, sides of the neck, throat, and breast black ; upper surface bluish brown ;
shoulders and outer webs of the primaries and secondaries fine blue, their inner webs brownish black ; all
the secondaries crescented with white at the tip; primaries margined obliquely with bluish white, and
with a narrow line of pure white at the tip, increasing in breadth But diminishing in length as the Hae heute
approach the body ; upper tail-coverts blue tipped with black, posterior to which is a fine iianeyctse line of
bluish white; two centre tail-feathers blue largely tipped with white; the next oe each side blue tipped
with white, and with a narrow band of black separating the two colours; the pemamidce ae largely tipped
with white, the two colours separated by a broad deep band of black, poy behind which is a
mark of bluish white, which becomes narrower, longer, and of a purer white as the feathers pects from
the centre; all the under surface creamy white, with a slight wash of blue; bill and legs rich lemon-
yellow. ; ; ee ae ; vie

The Plate represents the bird about three-fourths of the size of life. The plant is the Garcinia Man-

gostana.

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