NILTAVA MACGREGORIA.
MacGregor’s Niltava.

Phenicura MacGregorie, Burt. in Proc. Zool. poc., Part HY. p. 159.

Niltava fulgwenter, Hodgs. Ind. Rev. 1837, p. 650, male.

Chaitaris auricularis, Hodges. MS.

Dinorpha auricularis, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xii. p. 940, female.

Leiothrix signata, M°Clell. in Proc. of Zool. Soc., vii. p. 162, female.

Niltava MacGregorii, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 264.—Cat. of Spec. and Draw. of Mamm. and Birds,
presented to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 91.

MacGregorie, Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 174.

 

 

Tue credit of first bringing this rare species under the notice of the scientific world is due to Staff-Surgeon
Burton, who, in the latter part of the year 1835, named it at one of the bimonthly meetings of the Zoological
Society of London, MacGrigorie, “in honour of the only daughter of Sir James MacGrigor, Bart., M.D.,
F.R.S., Director-General of the Army Medical Department.” The original specimen from which
Mr. Burton drew up his description forms part of the collection at Fort Pitt, Chatham ; and my figure is
taken from the same individual, which, with the kind and liberal permission of the authorities, I was
allowed to remove to London for illustration in this work: the figure of the female is from a specimen in
the British Museum, which formed part of the extensive and valuable collection sent to this country by
B. H. Hodgson, Esq.

The southern slopes of the Himalayas, and the countries of Assam and Nepaul, appear to constitute the
native habitat of this beautiful little species, the habits, manners and food of which are doubtless very similar
to those of the other members of the genus.

The male has the crown of the head, back of the neck, back, scapularies, wing-coverts, and the external
webs of the tail-feathers rich dark blue ; forehead, line over the eye, a mark on either side of the neck, and
the rump verditer-blue ; wings brown; inner webs of the tail-feathers black ; lores black ; throat black,
slightly glossed with blue ; breast bluish grey, becoming gradually paler until it is almost white on the under
tail-coverts ; bill blackish brown ; feet light brown.

The female has the forehead, cheeks, chin and throat sandy buff; all the upper surface brown, becoming
of a rufous hue on the tail; on either side of the neck a small liliaceous mark ; under surface tawny.

The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.