SIVA CYANOUROPTERA, Modgs.
Blue-winged Siva.

Siva eyanouroptera, Hodg. Ind. Rev. 1838, p. 88.—Gray, List. of Spec. and Draw. of Mamm. and Birds pres. to Brit.
Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 95.

Letothrix cyanouroptera, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 269.—Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc.
Calcutta, p. 99.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., tom. i. p. 332.—-Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus.
Kast Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 366.

Hemiparus cyanouropterus, Hodgs. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. x. p. 25.

loropus cyanouropterus, Hodgs. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xiii. p. 937.

——— (Swwa) cyanouropterus, Hodgs. in Gray’s Zool. Misc., 1844, p. 84.

Lewothrix lepida, McClell. in Proc. Zool. Soc., part vii. p. 162.

 

Tue Blue-winged Siva recommends itself to our notice by the neatness and elegance of its contour, and the
delicacy of its pretty markings. Blue is a colour rarely found among the smaller Indian birds ; and as there
is no other species of the genus Svva similarly coloured, it cannot well be mistaken. Although tolerably
abundant in our collections, it is more rare than Stva strigula. Both species inhabit the same countries—
Nepaul and Bhotan. Mr. Blyth states that Capt. Tickell found it about the sides of Mooleit ; it is also said
to be found in Assam. I have not yet, however, seen any examples from that country, but, among the draw-
ings preserved at the India Museum, there is a figure of this species said to have been taken from a speci-
men obtained there.

Crown of the head and nape greyish blue, striated with bluish white; all the upper surface, wing and tail-
coverts fawn-colour ; spurious wing blue, margined on the outer edge and tipped with white ; primaries deep
blue on their outer webs, brownish black on the inner; outer webs of the secondaries dull greyish blue at
the base, and white to the tip; the inner webs black, bordered with white ; the two nearest the body fawn-
colour on the outer web, black on the inner, bordered all round with white; two centre tail-feathers slaty
brown, passing into black near the extremity, and narrowly fringed with white at the tip ; the two next are
blue on the outer and slaty brown on the inner webs, deepening into black near the extremity, and fringed with
white at the tip; the two next are similarly coloured, but have a large blotch of white on the tip of the
inner web, larger on the second than on the first ; the outer feather on each side is black on the outer web
to near the tip, which with the inner web is white ; lores, space over the eye, and all the under surface white
washed with vinaceous; irides dark brown ; bill orange-brown ; legs apparently light-yellowish brown,
although in Capt. Boys’s notes they were stated to be grey.

The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Rhododendron glaucum.

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