5. LOCUSTELLA. 119 



obsolete ; wings brown, the outside webs edged with russet- 

 brown ; tail brown, the outside webs edged with russet-brown, 

 outside feathers with traces of pale tips ; chin, throat, and centre 

 of belly nearlj' white, shading inio pale ocliraceous brown on the 

 breast, Hanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts. Underparts more or 

 less streaked as hereafter described ; asillaries and under wing- 

 coverts pale chestnut ; inner margin ot quills pale brown. Bill typi- 

 cally Locustelline ; upper mandible dark brown, under mandible pale 

 horn-colour ; rictal bristles obsolete. Wings with the third primary 

 longest : second primary generally intermediate in length between 

 the tliird and fourth, in rare instanres between the fourth and fifth ; 

 bastard i)riniary very small, extending about as far as the primary- 

 coverts. Tail shorter than the wing, tlie outside feathers 0'6 to 0-7 

 inch shorter than the longest, and shorter than the under tail-coverts. 

 Legs, feet, and claws pale brown. Length of wii]g 2-2.5 to 2-0 inches, 

 tail 2-U to 1-G5, culmen U-o to 0-44, tf.rsus 0-78 to 0-7. 



It is not known that there is any difference in the plumage of the 

 sexes. After the autumn moult no important change of colour is 

 observable. Birds of the year have the whole of the underparts 

 suffused with greyish yellow. 



The dark-brown streaks in the centre of the feathers in the under- 

 pai'ts vary as follows : — 



L. macropus (Swinh.). — The type, in my collection, from Amoj', in 

 China (ilay 31), has no streaks whatever on the underparts, except 

 a few very obscure ones on the flauks, and the slightest possible 

 traces on the throat. 



L. mitmta (Swinh.). — The type, in my collection, from Amo}' and 

 a second skin from Canton agree in having the sides of the throat, 

 the breast, and flanks conspicuously streaked. In the Amoy skin, 

 which appears to be adidt, a few of the bas:il under tail-coverts are 

 also very obscurely streaked ; but in the Canton skin, which, from 

 the tint of ytdlow which pervades the underparts, I take to be a 

 bird of the year, the whole of the under tail-coverts are conspicu- 

 ously streaked. 



L. lanceolata (Temm.). — A skin, in my collection, from LakeEaieal, 

 which the yellowness of the underparts induces me to believe is that 

 of a bird of the year, has the throat and breast distinctly streaked, 

 and a few obscure streaks on the flanks and the basal under tail- 

 coverts. A skin from Lake Baical and another from Checfoo have 

 the whole of the underparts conspicuously streaked, except the chin, 

 the centre of the belly, and tlie longer under tail-coverts, and agree 

 with Meves's dcscrijjfion of skins from I^ake Ladoga. Two skins from 

 Lake Baical and one from Cheefoo have the whole of tlie under tail- 

 coverts as cons])icuously streaked as the throat, breast, and flauks, 

 and agree with descriptions of skins from Europe and Hume's de- 

 scriptions of skins from the South-Andaman Islands. 



The variation in size appears to be about the same in all these 

 forms. 



At present, with the scanty material at command, it seems im- 

 possible to determine which, if any, of these forms should be con- 

 sidered specific. I think that L. siraminca is unquestionably de- 



