11. CISTICOLA. 287 



feathers round the eye ; feathers over the eje fulveseeiit, but not 

 forming a very distinct eyebrow ; ear-coverts greyish brown, with 

 narrow whitish shaft-lines ; cheeks, throat, and underparts white, 

 the flanks somewhat washed with fulvous-grey, the sides of the 

 upper breast greyish brown ; thighs tawny buff : under wing-coverts 

 also pale tawny buff; lower surface of cpiills brown, the edge of the 

 inner web pale rufous ; bill brown, the lower mandible lighter ; feet 

 very light brown ; iris light hazel. Total length 5-G inches, culmen 

 0-55, wing 2-G, tail 2-7, tarsus 0-9. 



The description is taken from a specimen collected by Mr. T. E. 

 Buckley in Bamangwato on the 10th of June, 1873. 



The winter ph(ma()e is, as usual the case with these Warblers, 

 much more mealy in appearance, the feathers not being abraded, 

 but having broad fulvescent margins to the feathers ; the head is 

 always lighter, but the colour of the back varies from greyish to 

 fulvous-brown, the mesial black streaks, however, being always 

 distinct. In winter the breast and sides of the body are light tawny 

 buff, leaving the throat and centre of the belly more conspicuously 

 ■white. 



A series of male specimens obtained by Mr. Andersson give the 

 following measurements : — Total length 4'8-.5-3 inches, culmen O'o5- 

 0-6, wing 2-4-2-65, tail 2-5-2-75, tarsus 0-9-0-95. 



Females measure : — Total length 4-7-5-2 inches, culmen 0-5-0'55, 

 wing 2-1-2-15, tail 2-25-2-45, tarsus 0-85. 



The only character by which C. chiniana could ever be separated 

 from C. svhruficaj^nUa is by the larger bill, which measures 0"35 

 from the anterior dejiression of the nostril to the tip of the biU, 

 while C. suhriiJicapUJa has it 0'25. Intermediate specimens, how- 

 ever, are found which render it impossible to do more than consider 

 C. chiniana a race of the Cape bird. 



In Ireeding-plumafie the feathers become so abraded that the 

 ashy colour almost disappears from the mantle, the brown central 

 streaks are nearly obsolete, and the head becomes rufescent brown, 

 so that there is very little difference in the colour of head and back. 

 In this plumage it is C. proccra of Peters, the type of which I here- 

 with describe : — 



Adult (type of C procera). General colour above light brown, 

 a little washed with ashy on the back, with indistinct centres of 

 slightly darker brown : the wing decidedly more ashy : wing-coverts 

 light brown, margined with ashy, slightly tinged with rufous on the 

 greater series ; bastard-wing feathers brown, edged with dull whitish; 

 primary-coverts and quills brown, edged externally with very pale 

 rufous, lighter towards the end of the quills, and ashy on the outer 

 web of the inner secondaries ; upper tail-coverts light brown, edged 

 with ashy fulvous : tail-feathers light brown, barred across with 

 dusky under certain lights, all tipped with ashy fulvous, and having 

 a distinct subtcrminal bar of blackish brown, the tips to the outer 

 feathers whiter; crown of the head and nape dull rufous-brown, a little 

 clearer on the forehead ; lores and feathers round the eye yellowish 

 white ; car-coverts pale reddish, with whitish shaft-lines ; cheeks 



