20. AMABINA. 291 



Amadiua argus, Reichenb. Singv. p. So, Taf. xii. fio-. 108 (1861) : Gmii, 

 Hand-l. B. ii. p. 53, no. 6745 (1870). 



Adult male. Light ashy grey above, the upper tail-coverts ashy 

 grey, with white tips and a subtermiual blackish bar ; wing-coverts 

 like the back, the lesser coverts spotted with white at their ends, 

 the median and greater series barred with white, before which is a 

 subtermiual black bar; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills 

 brown, externally edged with ashy, the inner secondaries tipped 

 with white like the greater coverts; tail-feathers blackish, ashy 

 brown towards the base, all but the centre feathers tipped with 

 ,white, the outer one also edged with white externally ; head dull 

 scarlet as far as the nape ; sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, chin, 

 and upper tliroat also scarlet ; hinder ear-coverts light ashy ; lower 

 throat and sides of neck very pale ashy, with a few dusky cross 

 bars ; fore neck and breast ashy brown, barred with white, each 

 white bar fringed above and below with a narrow line of black ; 

 sides of body much more broadly barred with white and black, and 

 tinged with fawn-coloured bases to the feathers, especially in the 

 centre of the breast ; under tail-coverts white, with dusky bases ; 

 under wang-coverts and axillaries pale isabelline, with dusky bars 

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

 web: "bill dusky blue; feet dirty flesh- colour ; iris pale hazel; 

 skin round eye red " {F. Oates). Total length 5-2 inches, culmen 

 0-45, wing 2-9, tail 1-8, tarsus 0-65. 



Adult female. Differs from the male in wanting the red on the 

 face and throat, the head being brown, slightly washed with red ; 

 the throat whitish, with narrow cross bars. Total length 4-8 inches, 

 culmen 0-45, wing 2-9, tail 1-8, tarsus 0-65. 



Young. Differs from the female in being reddish brown under- 

 neath, with no white spots or bars, and having the upper surface 

 brown, barred with black, as in A. fasciata. This description is 

 taken from Mr. E. Oates's Tati specimen, which looks very much as 

 if it were the young of A. fasciata or of some kindred' form not 

 before known in South Africa. 



Hah. South Africa. 



«,6. $; c. c? ad. sk. South Africa. Sir A. Smith [C.]. 



d. cJ ad, sk. Griqualaud (T. C. Atmore). Sharpe Coll. 



e. c? ad. sk. Bloemfootein, Jime 18 [Dr. Shelley Coll. 



Exton). 

 /. Juv.sk. Tati River, Matabele-Land, W.E.& C.G. Oates, 



Oct. 1 {F. Oates). Esqrs. [P.]. 



g,h,i. J; k,l,m. 2 Makalaka Country (D/'.^rfliZ- Shelley Coll. 



ad. sk. shaw). 



n. J ad. sk. Damara-Land (C. J. Anders- Shelley Coll. 



soil). 

 0, p. c? $ ad. sk. Damara-Land (C. J. AX Sharpe Coll. 



q. 6 ad. sk. Otjimbiuque, Sept. 8' ( C. Sharpe Coll. 



J. A.). 

 r. cJ ad. sk. Otjimbinque, March 28 (C. Tweeddale Coll. 



J. A.). 



tj2 



