Key to the Species.
a. Wing 4 inches or longer ................ N. grandis, p. 40.
b. Wing not much exceeding 3 inches or less.
a. Under wing-coverts and axillaries chestnut or buff ........................ N. Sundara, p. 41.
b. Under wing-coverts and axillaries white or ashy white ...................... N. macgrigoriæ, p. 42.
593. Niltava grandis. The Large Niltava.
The Large Fairy Blue-Chat, Jerd,; Margong, Lepch.
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Fig. 17. Bill of N. grandis.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, rump, upper tail-coverts, lesser and median wing-coverts, and a large patch on each side of the neck brilliant cobalt-blue; back and scapulars purplish blue; middle tail-feathers purplish blue, the others brown on the inner web and blue on the outer; greater coverts and quills black, narrowly edged with blue; feathers at base of upper mandible, lores, sides of the head, chin, throat, and upper breast black; lower breast dull blue; abdomen bluish ashy, the under tail-coverts fringed with whitish.
Female. Forehead, lores, round the eye, ear-cvcerts, and cheeks fulvous, with pale shafts; crown and nape ashy brown; a patch on each side of the neck bright blue; back and rump fulvous-brown; tail and wings dark brown, with the outer webs suffused with deep rufous; the whole lower plumage rich olive-brown, the feathers of the throat and breast with whitish shafts; the middle of the chin and throat clear buff, and of the abdomen ashy; under wing-coverts and axillaries buff.
The young nestling is dark brown, streaked with fulvous; wings and tail as in the female.
Iris deep brown; in the male the bill is black, the legs and feet black or very dark plumbeous; in the female the bill is brownish black, the legs, feet, and claws fleshy-pink (Hume & Davison).
