38. passer. 333 



19. Passer arcuatus. 



Le Moineau du Cap de Bonne Esperance, Briss. Orn. iii. p. 104, pi. 5. 



fig. 3 (17G0) ; Dauhent. PI. Enl. iv. pi. 230. fig. 1. 

 Le Croissant, Buff. Hist. Xat. Ois. iii. p. 501 (1775). 

 Loxia melanura, P. L. S. Mull. Syst. Xat., Anbang, p. 153 (177U) ; 



Cass. Proc. Philad. Acad. 1804, p. 263. 

 Crescent Finch, Lath. Gen. Syn.u. pt. i. p. 200 (1783). 

 Fringilla arcuata, Gm. Syst. Xat. i. p. 912 (1 788) ; Grill, Zool. Anteckn. 



p. 24 (1858). 

 Pyrgita arcuata, G'uv. Regne Anim. i. p. 385, note (1817) ; Brehm, 



Vog. Deutschl. p. 200, note (1831) ; Licht. Nommcl Av. Berol. 



p. 47 (1854). 

 Passer arcuatus, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 373 (1849) ; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. 



As. Soc. p. 119 (1849) ; Up. Consp. i.p. 510 (1860) ; Bocage,Jom. 



Lisb. i. p. 752 (1807) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 204 (1807) ; Ayrcs, 



Pois, 1809, p. 295; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 09(1871); Gu'rney 



in Anderss. B. Dam.-Ld. p. 185 (1872) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 80 ; 



Bocage, Cm. Angola, p. 303 (1881) ; Shelley, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 357 ; 



Holub Sf Von Pelz. Bettor. Orn. Suda.fr. p. 131 (1882) ; Salvin, 



Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 209 (1882) ; Butler, FeUden, $ Reid, Zool. 



1882, p. 301; Sharpe, cd. Bayard's B. S. Afr. pp. 478, 850 (18&4). 

 Passer melanurus, Gray, Hand-I. B. ii. p. 80, no. 7203 (1870). 



Adult male in breeding-plumage. General colour above rich cin- 

 namon, the hind neck and mantle being overshaded with ash}' ; the 

 scapulars, lower back, and rump clear bright cinnamon or chestnut ; 

 wing-coverts also cinnamon ; median series black tipped with white, 

 forming a wing-bar ; greater coverts blackish, externally ashy brown 

 and tipped with dull white, forming a second wing-bar ; bastard- 

 wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, fringed with paler brown, 

 the quills margined with light brown, fulvescent on the secondaries 

 and at about one third of the primaries from the tip, the latter 

 having also a pale brown mark near the base of the outer web ; 

 upper tail-coverts ashy brown ; tail-feathers blackish, margined with 

 pale rufous-brown ; crown of head, lores, feathers round the eye, 

 ear-coverts, cheeks, throat, and fore neck black ; a streak from 

 above the eye creamy white, like the sides of the neck and hinder 

 cheeks, forming a large patch ; breast, abdomen, and under tail- 

 coverts creamy white, the sides of the body and thighs ashy ; axil- 

 laries and under wing-coverts white, the latter with dusky bases; 

 quills dusky below, ashy fulvous along the edge of the inner web : 

 " bill black ; tarsi and feet dusky brown : iris dusky umber " ( T. 

 Ayrcs). Total length 5*8 inches, culmen - 55, wing 3*2, tail 2*4, 

 tarsus - 75. 



The winter plumage of the adult male does not differ materially 

 from the summer plumage, and the black on the head and throat is 

 only slightly obscured with brown ; there is more grey on the back 

 and mantle than in summer, and the white eyebrow and patch 

 behind the ear-coverts are somewhat tinged with buff. 



Adult female. Duller in colour than the male, and having the 

 cinnamon colour of the back less bright ; the mantle and upper back 

 brown ; the crown dusky blackish ; lores, sides of face, fore part of 



