NOVITATES ZOOLOOICAE XXIV. 1917. 



Beak. 



Like the feet, the beak is black, and in contour and measurements is 

 practically identical with that of the Common Wheatear. 



Bodily Condition. 



In the openmg pages of this paper I referred, in passing, to the decidedly 

 good condition of the body, the good tone of the muscles, and the presence of 

 fatty tissue in considerable amount, especially about the root of the neck and 

 upper part of the thorax. Here I may add that I examined all the viscera and 

 found them perfectly healthy except part of the brain, which was congested and 

 haemorrhagic as the result of the indented part of the skull pressing unduly on 

 its surface. The details regarding the injury to the skull showed that the vault 

 was deeply indented in the region of the right frontal bone, 3 mm. behind the 

 right orbital rim and 15 mm. lateral to the sagittal suture. The indentation 

 measured in its longest diameters 4' 5 mm. and was 2 mm. deep, and in outline 

 was triangular. It was surrounded by a considerable degree of subcranial 

 haemorrhage (see fig. 5, pi. I.). The gizzard was absolutely empty; the signifi- 

 cance of this condition I have dealt with fully on p. 3. 



The testes showed out very prominently ; both were equally developed, 

 moderately distended, and reddish in colour. They were about the size of small 

 garden-peas, the left approaching a globular outline, whOe the right was oval in 

 shape and situated at a higher level than its fellow. Microscopical examination 

 showed that spermatogenesis had commenced, but that semination had not 

 reached full activity. 



measurements. 



Total length of specimen from tip of beak to tip of tail, 15 cm. ; length of 

 right wing, measured from fold of carpal joint to tip of thii-d and longest primary, 

 8'4 cm. ; left wing, 8'3 cm. ; bastard primary, 2'1 cm. ; length from tip of wings 

 (folded) to tip of tail, 2 cm. ; length of tail, 6 cm. ; length of foot * less toes, 

 2'25 cm. ; toes : hind, 1 cm. (naU 4 mm., rest of toe 6 mm.) ; inner, 1 cm. ; middle, 

 1'4 cm. (naU 3 mm., rest of toe 1"1 cm.) ; outer, 9 cm. ; length of beak (culmen), 

 r2 cm. ; same as that of the Common Wheatear. Left testis, 5 mm. in length, 

 4 mm. in breadth ; right testis, 6 mm. in length, 4 mm. in breadth. 



Weight. 



After the feathers had been thoroughly dried, the bird weighed 4 drams 18 

 grains. This Wheatear, while reaching in total length that of the Common species, 

 is not so bulky, and so its weight, which is about 1 dram less, is not disproportion- 

 ately reduced. The ratio of its weight to that of an average well-nourished 

 Common Wheatear is about correct ; but I may point out that frequently 

 Common Wheatears arrive at light-stations in an extraordinarily obese con- 



• In the Common Wheatear the foot, leas the toes, measures on average 2'85 cm. ; the hind 

 toe rS cm., of which the nail measures 6 mm., the rest of the toe 7 mm. ; the inner toe 1 cm. ; the 

 mid-toe 1*5 cm., of which the nail measures 4 mm,, the rest of toe I'l cm. ; outer toe, 9 cm. 



