9. COSMETORNIS. 595 



9. COSMETORNIS. 



Type. 

 bBmeioplioriis, Gould [nee Ayass., nee Wa(/l.),Icon. Au. 



ii. pi. 3 (1838) 0. vexillariiis. 



Cosiuetornis, Grat/, List Gen. B. p. 8 (1840) C. vexillarius. 



The differences between Oosmetornis and Mmroclijjteryx, stated on 

 p. 520, are so important that these two genera cannot be united into 

 one. 



Range. Tropical Africa. 



1. Cosmetornis vexillarius. 



Semeioplioriis vexillarius, Gould, Icon. Ao. ii. pi. 3 (1838) ; Hartl. 



Arch.f. Naturg. xxxiii. p. 10 (1867) ; id. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 821. 

 Cosiuetornis vexillarius, Hartl. Ibis, 1862, p. 143 (S. Africa) ; Sol. 



Ibis, 1864, p. 114; Kirk, ibid. p. 323 (Zambesi) ; Finsch c^- Hartl. 



Vdi/. O.-Afr. p. 129 (1870) ; Skarpe, ed. Lai/ard's B. S. A.fr. p. 89 



(187-5); Bocacje, Orn. Angola, p. I'io (l88i) ; She/ lei/, Ibis, 1832, 



p. 240; id. Ibis, 1890, p. 167 (Ai-uwliimi P..); Holub ^ Pelz. 



Beitr. Orn. Sildafr. p. 54 (1882) ; Fischer, Zeitschr. ges. Orn. 



1884, p. 359 (Massai); Hartert, J.f. O. 1886, p. 591 (Beuue) ; 



Hartl. Abh. naturw. Ver. Bremen, xii. p. 32 (1891). 

 Macrodipteryx vexillarius, Bp. Consj). i. p. 63 (1850) ; Grai/, Hand-l. 



i. p. 61; Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. i. p. 134 (1869); Hartl. Vog. 



Madagascar, p. 56 (1877). 

 Cosmetornis spekei, Sal. Ibis, 1864, p. 114, pi. ii. 

 Macrodipter_yx burtoni, Gray, Hand-l. i. p. 61 (1869). 

 Macrodipteryx sperliugi, Sliarpe, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 626 (Congo) ; 



Bocage, Orn. Angola, p. 156 (1881). 



Adult male. Upper parts dark brown, mottled -with pale rufous ; 

 top of the head blackish along the middle ; a broad collar of rufous, 

 spotted with blackish, round the neck, more distinct on the upper 

 part ; scapulars with large central spots of black and broadly 

 bordered with buff on the outer webs ; primaries deep brown, white 

 at base for about one third and tipped with white ; seventh and 

 eighth quills elongated and not tipped with white ; the ninth ex- 

 tremely elongated, about three times as long as the first primary, 

 white at base and along the shaft and inner web, the outer web 

 more or less dark brown ; rectrices brown, irregularly barred with 

 brownish buff ; a large spot of white on the throat ; abdomen white, 

 barred with brown, middle of abdomen almost pure white: lower 

 tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts white, barred with brown. 

 Total length about lO'O inches, wing 8-4, eighth primary about 2 

 inches longer, ninth primary about 18 inches longer than the first, 

 tail 5-4, tarsus 0*9, culmen 0-4. 



Adult female. Upper parts coloui-ed as in the male, but the rufous 

 collar narrower ; wings more spotted with buft' ; abdomen and under 

 tail-coverts pale buff, barred with brown ; wing without any 

 elongated primaries ; quills deep brown, with about five large rufous 

 spots on inner and outer webs. Wing about 7'6 inches. 



In younger males the ninth primary is not so long, and browu on 

 both webs. 



Hab. Throughout Eastern Africa as far south as Damara-land, 



