29. ARDETTA, 229 



flesh-colour ; claws horn-colour ; iris yellow " {E. W. Oates). 

 Total length 15'5 inches, culmen 2, wing 4*9, tail 1"5, tarsus 1*75. 



Adult female. Differs from the male in being more rufous above, 

 the feathers of the upper surface being rufous brown with yellowish- 

 buff margins ; the crown is black as in the male, the ear-coverts 

 and sides of the face are yellowish buff, and the neck-frill is 

 also washed with the latter colour; the under surface of the 

 body the same as that of the male, but having the mesial lines 

 more strongly indicated by tawny-buff centres to the feathers of 

 the throat and fore-neck : " upper mandible dark brown, lower one 

 greenish yellow ; feet greenish yellow " (E. A. Butler). Total 

 length 15-5 inches, culmen 2'1, wing 5'2, tail 1'6, tarsus 2. 



Young. Similar to the old female and streaked in the same 

 manner, but distinguished by having the wing-coverts broadly 

 •centred with dark brown, the crown streaked instead of being 

 uniform, the feathers black with yellowish-buff margins, and the 

 under surface of body much more distinctly streaked, the centres of 

 the feathers being dark brown on the throat and fore-neck ; flank- 

 feathers also streaked with brown. 



Specimens from the Indo-Malayan region and from the Moluccas 

 are often very much darker and richer in plumage than those from 

 more northern localities, and the backs, especially in the females, 

 are much more rufous, while the clay- coloured wing-coverts are 

 often washed with light orange. The inner secondaries are chestnut 

 instead of brown, and the marginal coverts of the wing form a 

 chestnut patch, which extends round the bend of the wing. It was 

 on a bird in this bright phase of plumage that Mr. Hume founded 

 his Anlea pulcJira ; and without doubt the species at first sight would 

 eeem to be well founded, but we find the same richly coloured 

 plumage developed in birds from various other localities, and so 

 gradually approached by northern examples, that it is quite evident 

 that these variations are not specific, but are probably due to 

 climatic influences. 



Hah. Japanese Islands and China to the Indian Peninsula and 

 Ceylon, the Uurmese and Malayan countries, through the Malayan 

 Archipelago to New Guinea and North Australia, the Carolines, 

 Mariannes and Pelew group. Also occurring in the Seychelles. 



a. b, c. cJ 2 ad. Eastern Narra, Sind, May 5 Hume Coll. 

 sk. (S. -Doiff). 



d. Imm. sk. Hvderabad, Sind, Jan. {Dr. India Museum. 



'Gould). 



e. S ad- ; /) ff- Deesa, July, Aug. (E. A. Hume Coll. 

 $ ad. sk. Butler). 



h, i, k. S 2 ad. N.W. Provinces. Pinwill Coll. 



et juv. sk. 



/. c^ juv. sk. Etawali, Sept. 13. Hume Coll. 



m. S iiiiDi. sk. Sholapur, Oct. 10. Hume Coll. 



«, 0. c? ad. ; p. Trevandrum, Travancore, Feb. F. Bourdillon, Esq. 



$ ad. sk. [P.]. 



g, )\ cJ ad. et 2 Ceylon, Dec. ( W. V. Legge). Dr. R. Bowdler 

 ^ juv. sk. Sharpe [P.]. 



