About as big as a crow, its plumage exhibits the blended tints of chocolate-colour and grey, barred and pencilled with dark-brown or black, and spotted in places with white, that prevail in the two families just named.
The flowers are large, the standards white, pencilled and spotted with purple or violet, while the falls are veined with dark purple or purple-black on a yellowish ground, with a conspicuous dark blotch in the centre.
Both have pretty white flowers pencilled with purple, and are suitable for the rock garden in summer or for drooping over the edges of vases.
Not a winter passes without its appearing in some numbers, when its uncommon aspect, its large size, and beautifully pencilled plumage cause it to be regarded as a great prize by the lucky gun-bearer to whom it falls a victim.
