2. COTILE. 103 



Adult. General colour above uniform brown, rather paler towards 

 the rump and upper tail-covcrts ; lesser wing-coverts UUc the back ; 

 median and greater coverts dark brown with lighter brown edges, 

 the innermost greater coverts lighter and more ashy towards the 

 tips ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills dark brown, the 

 inner secondaries edged with lighter brown ; tail-feathers dark brown; 

 lores dusky brown ; cheeks, throat, and breast brown, with a slight 

 hoary shade on the throat ; sides of the body brown like the breast ; 

 centre of abdomen, lower flanks, and under tail-covcrts white ; thighs 

 brown ; axillaries and under wing-coverts brown, the coverts near 

 the edge of the wing edged with whitish ; quills dusky below : 

 " biU and feet black ; iris dark hazel " {BucMey). Total length 4-8 

 inches, culmen 0-3, wing 4"15, tail 2-3, tarsus 0'45. 



Obs. In Capt. Shelley's collection is a specimen, killed by himself 

 in the Capo Colony, which has the whole under surface brown, 

 including the under tail-coverts. A similar specimen, but rather 

 darker on the lower parts, was obtained by Major Butler near 

 Newcastle in June, and Canon Tristram has another bird from the 

 Transvaal. I have been unable to account for these variations in 

 plumage, and am uncertain whether they are simply the very old 

 birds, or constitute a melanistic variety. The Natal bii'ds have more 

 white on the abdomen than those from the Cape ; and one from 

 the Zambesi has the white on the lower parts still more extended, 

 leading on towards C. minor of North-eastern Africa. 



Yoim;/. Differs from the adult in having sandy-rufous edges to 

 the feathers of the upper parts and in having the under surface 

 likewise washed with rufous. 



Jlah. South Africa, from the Cape Colony to Natal and the Trans- 

 vaal, extending to the Zambesi region. Of doubtful occurrence in 

 N.E. Africa, where it has probably been confounded with C. minor. 



a. Ad. sk. Shupanga, Zambesi, Sir J. Kirk [C.]. 



April 1882. 



b. Ad. sk. Natal. E. B. Sharps, Esq. 



c. Ad. ; d, e. Juv. sk. South Afi-ica (Layard). E,. B. Sharps, Esq. 



Subsp. a. Cotile minor. 



Cotvle minor, Cah. Mus. Hein. Th. i. p. 49 (18.50) ; Hengl. Orn. 

 N.O.-Afr. i. p. 166 (1869) ; Blanf. Geol. ^- Zool. Abyss, p. 350 

 (1870) ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 303 ; Shelley, B. Egypt, p. 124 

 (1872) ; Salmd. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. (2) i. p. 122 (1884). 



Cotyle httoralis, Hempr. S) Ehr. MSS. ; Licht. Konumcl. p. 01 (1854). 



Cotile minor. Gray, Hcmd-l. B. i. p. 74, no. 878 (1869). 



? Cotyle palustiis, pt., Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. i. p. 167 (1809). 



Adult. Similar to C. paludicola, but smaller ; the brown of the 

 throat extending on to the breast and having a mark of silvery grey 

 down the centre ; remainder of abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 white. Total length 4-5 inches, culmen 0-25, wing 3-9, tail 1-7, 

 tarsus 0'3. 



Young (one of the types of C. Httoralis, H. & E.). Very pale 



