Adult (sexes similar).—Above ashy gray; forehead, crown, and sides of face black; a wide white band over each eye, for the most part concealed; below white with a wide white pectoral band; abdomen and crissum washed with pale buff; feathers of thighs black, tipped with pale buff; axillars and wing-lining blackish brown edged with white; rectrices blackish brown, all but middle pair with wide white tips. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and nails black.
“Common throughout the islands. A very showy bird, constantly opening and closing its tail, and dancing about to show its feathers. Three male birds average 190 in length; wing, 87; tail, 110; culmen, 17; tarsus, 21; middle toe with claw, 18. Four females, length, 190; wing, 81; tail, 99; culmen, 17; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 18. Bill, legs, feet, and nails black.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
Two eggs collected by Steere in Marinduque, May 8, 1888, are described as follows:
“Shape ovate. Ground-color pale creamy white, with a rather wide zone round the middle composed of small blotches and spots of pale yellowish brown or lavender-gray; a few scattered spots of the same colors over the rest of the shell. Measurements 18 mm. by 14 mm.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
A set of three eggs, also collected in Marinduque by Steere, are said to be similar to the above but with the markings rather smaller. The measurements are 19 by 15.
“The two nests are of the usual cup-shaped type, constructed of tightly woven fiber and wide dead grass bound together with spiders’ webs, and neatly lined with fine grasses and black fiber.” (Grant and Whitehead.)
Genus XEOCEPHUS Bonaparte, 1854.
Eye surrounded by a wide fleshy wattle; depth of bill at nostril about two-thirds of its width; rictal bristles strong; first primary more than one-half of second and less than one-half of third; fourth, fifth, and sixth subequal; tarsus equal to exposed culmen; rectrices strongly graduated; color nearly uniform, bright reddish brown, or blue.