418 Mr. H. E. Strickland on some new 



second phalanx of the middle toe, their extremities reaching 

 about two-thirds the length of its third phalanx. The claws are 

 less curved than in M. magnum, that of the middle toe being 

 nearly straight. My specimen was brought from Malacca. 



The feathers of the crown and upper back are rufous brown, 

 margined with dusky ; rump, wings and tail ferruginous brown, 

 the last darkest. Lores white ; cheeks fuscous ; chin and throat 

 white, the feathers of the latter largely terminated with sooty 

 black. Lower parts dirty white ; sides and lower tail-covers pale 

 rufous brown. Beak and legs horn-coloured. 



Total length 6^ inches; beak to gape 1 inch, to front f of an 

 inch, breadth 4 lines, height 3 lines j wing 3^ inches ; medial 

 rectrices 2^ inches, external 2 inches 4 lines ; tarsus 1 inch 2 

 lines ; middle toe and claw 1 inch 2 Knes, hind ditto 10 lines, 

 lateral ditto 8i lines. 



FRINGILLID^, PLOCEINiE. 



Spermophaga margaritata, Strickl. [Plate X.] 



S. fronte, capite summo, nucha, dorso, alisque obscure ferrugineis, 

 unicoloribus ; primariis intus fuscis ; caudse tectricibus supemis, 

 rectricumque marginibus externis obscure vinaceo-rubris ; rectri- 

 cibus in reliqua parte nigris ; loris, superciliis, genis, gutture, pec- 

 toreque vinaceo-rubris ; partibus reliquis infernis nigerrimis, pec- 

 tus versus et ad latera maculis magnis rotundis caryophyllaceis 

 (binis in singulis pennis) punctatis. Rostrum nitide cyaneum, 

 pedes (exsiccati) albidi. 



This beautiful little bird was purchased at Cape Town, and 

 was said to have been brought from Madagascar. The beak is 

 less developed than in Spermophaga hamatma, Vieill., and the 

 first quill is barely one-third the length of the fourth, fifth and 

 sixth (which are equal), but in other respects it accurately accords 

 with the type of Spermophaga. The arrangements of its colours 

 show its afiinity to S. guttata , Vieill., and the peculiar blue colour 

 of the beak is common to both, as well as to S. hamatina, Vieill., 

 the specific distinctness of which from >Si. guttata is at present 

 undecided. 



Mr. G. R. Gray has changed Mr. Swainson's name Spermo- 

 phaga to Spermospiza, because the name Spermophagus is already 

 used in entomology ; but as I am by no means prepared to con- 

 cede that mere similarity affords a sufficient ground for cancelling 

 generic names, I have retained Mr. Swainson's appellation. 



The whole upper parts of this bird are rich ferruginous brown, 

 except the quills, which are dusky within ; the upper tail-covers 

 and outer margins of the rectrices dull vinous red, and their inner 

 webs and apical portions black. The circuit of the eyes, cheeks, 



