It has not been possible as yet to determine how far the color extends beneath the feathers. However, the back of Archie's neck now has so few feathers that it is easily seen that the red of the two patches comes within about three eighths of an inch of meeting there (9 to 10 mm.) The slate color extends out under the feathers. Both lids are of that color, with the exception of white "bead" that borders them. The blue merges gradually into the slate as well as into the white. The red is rather sharply defined. There is a clear white as well as a bluish white. Hoffmann's description is defective: "naked patch of bluish gray back of eye, bordered above with white and ending in a red spot; sometimes concealed if the head feathers are not erected", if applied to "my" birds. "Bluish gray" may be passed over without argument, (although it does not describe what I think I see) because of unavoidable personal equation in naming colors; but the white border is simply not there and the patch is never entirely concealed. Further, the area shown is independent of crest's being erected. Fuertes' color portrait. (Skin patch) (See The Book of Birds, by Natl. Geog. Soc., p.45). This omits white entirely, misplaces the slaty blue (or bluish slate) and has too large an area of red (or orange) beginning too far forward. Furthermore, the patch does not make a marked angle with the upper mandible and the red occupies almost entirely the downwardly curved rear end." It should be broad there and not pointed, though part of the pointed appearance in the picture may be ascribed to foreshortening due to a portion of the patch's being on the back of the neck. Incidentally the size and placing of the eye constitute a gross libel on the bird. Mrs. Wheelock's description of skin patch. Mrs. Wheelock's description places the naked skin patch in front of the eye! The white is omitted entirely and the only colors are blue and orange. (Incidentally the rest of the description of the bird, which I am not dealing with at present, is correct in very few particulars. One instance, however: There are 6 not 4 white "thumb marks" on the tail feathers). Really 10 but 6 match conspicuous pattern. Some of the others wear off. (Fig. 3) Western Bird Guide. Colored illustration and description omit the skin patch entirely. (Incidentally the bird would be unrecognisable from either) Dawson on skin patch. (This and the foregoing are the only descriptions I have seen, as I have not looked up the literature extensively). On the whole, the most accurate description of the bird's plumage. Surprisingly good. As to skin patch: "A bare space around and behind eye (nearly meeting fellow on crown) blue, bluish white, changing posteriorly to livid orange." Crown is a distinct slip, as the place of near approach is at the nape of the neck (and possibly also partly at the occiput--to be looked up)." He overlooks the slate which almost encircles the eye and also the fact that the blue-white does give place to a clear white. almost directly back of the eye. The "livid" in livid orange is decidedly not present in my birds, if by livid he means a leaden hue. Orange may be correct, but it does not strike me as being red enough for Rhody, though too red for the youngsters. * mostly occupied.