258 rLOCEiB.'E. 



Adult male in hrecding-plumage. General colour above brown, 

 mottled with blackish centres to the feathers, those of the mantle 

 with whit}' brown edges ; lesser wing-covcrts like the back, the 

 median and greater coverts margined with whity brown ; bastard- 

 wing and primar5--coverts uniform dark brown ; quills dark brown, 

 the primaries edged with olive-yellow, the secondaries with liglit 

 brown or whity brown ; upper tail-coverts like the back ; tail- 

 feathers dark brown, edged with lighter brown, and fringed with 

 white along the inner web ; crown of head rosy pink, as far as the 

 occiput, which is uniform brown like the nape and hind neck ; fore- 

 head, lores, eyelid, ear-coverts, fore part of cheeks, and throat dusky 

 black ; hinder cheeks, sides of neck, lower throat, and under surface 

 of body rosy pink ; the sides of body and flanks browner, the lower 

 flanks with dark brown centres to the feathers ; thighs light brown ; 

 under tail-coverts white, with a slight fulvous tinge ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries light fulvous, with a tinge of yellow near the 

 edge of the wing ; quills below dusky, ashy along the inner edge : 

 " bill scarlet, merging into vermilion at the base and at the corner 

 of the mouth ; legs and toes flesh-colour ; iris brown ; ring round 

 the eye reddish orange" {G.J. Andersson). Total length 4"3 inches, 

 culmen 0'5, wing 2'55, tail 1'5, tarsus 0'7. 



The rosy tint on the head and underparts is apparently the sign 

 of a very old male. Most of the males in breeding-plumage have 

 the head and chest light tawny or straw-colour. 



Adult female. Different from the male, and entirely lacking the 

 black face and straw-coloured or rosy head and neck ; the quills 

 and tail-feathers as in the male, the latter as weU as the primaries 

 having a distinct yellow edging ; crown of head uniform brown like 

 the hind neck ; above the eye a line of creamy white ; lores ashy ; 

 eyelid and feathers below the eye creamy white ; ear-coverts ashy ; 

 cheeks and under surface of body creamy white, the throat, breast, 

 and abdomen purer white ; lower throat, fore neck, and chest washed 

 with buff ; sides of upper breast ashy ; sides of body and flanks 

 brown, the latter streaked with dusky brown ; thighs white ; under 

 tail-coverts whitish ; under wing-coverts and axillaries isabelline. 

 Total length 4-2 inches, culmen 0-5, wing 2-45, tail 2-3, tarsus 0-G5. 



The adult male in winter plumage resembles the female, but has 

 the head more ashy brown, an ashy white eyebrow, the sides of the 

 face ashy, and the under surface of the body more ashy. 



Hah. The greater part of Africa. 



a. Var. mel. sk. Africa. Sharpe Coll. 



b, c. 2 ad. sk. Eurrichaine, Oct. 1836 {J. Gould Coll. 



Ven-eaiix). 

 flf, e. c? ad. sk. Transvaal (T. ^yres). Shelley Coll. 



/"-«'. S 2 ad. sk. Transvaal ( T. Aijres). Sharpe Coll. 



'7c. $ ad. sk. 1mvLS\Aii\{T. Ayres). J.H. Gurney, Esq. [P.]. 



/. J ad. sk. Potchefstroom, Dec. il,187G J. 11. Gurney, Esq. [P.]. 



(7*. Ayres). 

 m. $ ad. sk. Potchefstroom, Dec. 11,1876 Forbes Coll. 



{T. Ayrcs). 

 n. c? imm. sk. Omaruru, Daraara Land, Shelley CoU. 



Nov. 8 (A. Brickson). 



