126 u.s. national museum bulletin 223 



Food and Feeding Habits 



The gizzard of a strawtail collected at Maktau, Kenya, March 29, 

 1925, held about 50 small grass seeds, as did another specimen from 

 Iringa, Tanganyika. Other individuals were seen to pick up small 

 objects (probably seeds) from the ground in open grassy spots. 



Plumages and Molts 



Adult male in breeding plumage: Forehead, crown, upper part of 

 lores, and anterior part of occiput Pale Orange- Yellow to Buff- Yellow. 

 Lower part of lores, cheeks, auriculars, posterolateral portions of 

 occiput, chin, throat, breast, and upper back black with a slight gloss. 

 Upper mng-coverts dark Clove Brown to Fuscous, narrowly edged 

 externally with pale buffy brown. Remiges somewhat pale-dark Olive- 

 Brown to Clove Brown. Feathers of middle and lower back, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts dark Olive-Brown, broadly edged, and tipped with 

 ashy pale buffy brown. Four median rectrices pale Buff- Yellow 

 in color, very much elongated and very narrow, looking much 

 lilce long, thin straws. Other rectrices dark Olive-Brown narrowly 

 edged with paler brown. Abdomen, sides, flanks, under tail-coverts, 

 and thighs pale Buff- Yellow, becoming almost white medio ventrally. 

 Under wing-coverts pale Olive-Brown, narrowly edged and tipped with 

 paler brown. Bill and feet orange red. Iris brown. Wings 64-71 

 (68) mm. Tail 44-48 (45.5) mm. Long rectrices up to 190 mm. 

 Cuhnen 9-10 (9.7) mm. Tarsus 15-16.5 (16) mm. 



Adult male in nonbreeding plumage: Feathers of forehead, 

 lores, crown, occiput, and hind neck Ochraceous-Tawny with dusky 

 Fuscous shaft streaks. Hind neck slightly paler. Feathers of upper 

 back and the upper tail-coverts with median streaks broader and 

 much more pronounced, margins narrower and paler. Clay Color to 

 pale Clay Color. Rump and upper tail-coverts like top of head but 

 with lateral portions of feathers paler, less ochraceous. Inner sec- 

 ondaries Fuscous narrowly edged and tipped with pale Clay Color. 

 Outer secondaries and primaries Natal Brown to Olive-Brown. Pri- 

 maries basally edged with pale Clay Color on their inner webs. Rec- 

 trices Natal Brown to Olive-Brown, narrowly edged, when fresh, with 

 pale Clay Color. Lores, cheeks, and breast pale Cinnamon to pale 

 Tawny Olive. Chin more whitish. Feathers of sides and flanks pale 

 Tawny Olive with narrow ashy Natal Brown shaft streaks. Abdomen, 

 thighs, and under tail-coverts whitish tinged with Pale Ochraceous- 

 Salmon. Under wing-coverts dusky Tawny-Olive. Iris brown. Bill 

 pinkish, becoming dusky at tl e tip of the maxilla. Feet flesh color. 



Adult female: Similar to the nonbreeding male. 



Juvenal (sexes alike): Forehead, lores, crown, occiput, nape. 



