414 



PHALACEOCOKACID^ . 



Immature female in first plumage has the entire underparts silky 

 buif, only the sides and flanks being brown. 



In a more mature specimen, with the black and white marks on 

 the sides of the neck well-developed, the scapulars long and falcate, 

 and the innermost secondaries and middle pair of tail-feathers 

 strongly ribbed, the buff of the underparts is being replaced by the 

 black plumage of the fuUy adult ; this change is almost entirely 

 jjroduced by moult, though some of the feathers are undoubtedly 

 changing from buff to black without a moult. 



Hah. Lake of Antioch, North Syria ; Africa, north of about 20° 

 N. latitude ; Madagascar. 



a. Imm. sk. 



h. 2 ad. sk. 



c, d. Ad. sk. 



e. tS imm. sk. 



/. S ad. sk. 

 (/. 5 imm. sk. 



Near Suakim. 



Lado, Equatorial Africa, 



Sept. 29. 

 Upper iShire River, Nov. 



{A. Whjte). 

 Songue, N. Nyasa-land, July 



^A. W.). 

 Zambesi (Bradshaw). 

 Marico, Transvaal {F. Oates). 



h. S imm. sk. Potchefstroom. 



/. (S ad. sk. 

 k. cJ ad. sk. 



I. 5 ad. sk. 

 m-o. (S 2 ^^■ 

 et pull. sk. 

 2). 5 imm. sk. 



q. 2 ad. sk. 

 r. 2 fid. sk. 



KingwiUiamstown. 

 Kingwilliamstown. 



South Africa (Layard). 

 South Africa. 



Benguela. 



West Africa. 

 Egga, Niger River. 



s. 2 juv. sk. Madagascar (C. Bewsher). 

 t. Skeleton {motinted). 



2. Plotus melanogaster. 



Capt. R. H. Penton 



[P.]. 

 Emin Pasha [P.]. 



Sir H. H Johnston 



[P.]. 

 Sir H. H. Johnston 



[P.]. 

 Shelley Coll. 

 W. E. & C. G. Oates, 



Esqrs. [P.]. 

 F. A. Barratt, Esq. 



[P.]. 

 Lieut. Anstey [P.]. 

 J. H. Gurney, Esq. 



[P.]. 

 Shelley Coll. 

 Purchased. 



J. J. Monteiro, Esq. 



[CI- 

 Capt. Sabine [P.]. 

 Capt. M. Ferryman 



fp.]. 

 Shelley CoU. 

 Purchased. 



Black-bellied Darter, Lath. Gen. Syn. iii. pt. ii. p. 624 (1785) ; id. 

 Gen. Hist. B. x. p. 451 (1824). 



Plotus melauogaster, Gmel. S. N. i. pt. ii. p. 580 (1788) [nee /3, y, 8] ; 

 Lath. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 895 (1790) ; Bonnat. Tabl. Encycl. Meth. i. 

 p. 41, pi. xii. fig. 2 (1790) [nee a, b, c, d] ; Vieill. A'. Diet. d'Hist. 

 Nat. i. p. 646 (1816) ; Bajles, Tr. Litin. Soc. xiii. p. 30 (1822) 

 [Sumatra]; Franklin, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 125 [Ganges]; Sykes, 

 P. Z. S. 1832, p. 171 [Deccan]; G. R. Gray, List of B. pt. iii. 

 p. 181 (1844) ; Hodgs. Icon. ined. no. 655 ; id. in Grai/^s Zool. Misc. 

 p. 86 (1844); G. P. Gray, Cat. Hodgs. p. 148 (1846) ; id. Gen. 

 £. iii. p. 664 (1848) ; Layard, Ann. Mag. N. H (2) xiv. p. 271 

 (1854) [Ceylon]; Bonap. Consp. Av. ii. p. 181 (1855) ; Irby, Ibis, 

 1861, p. 247 [Oudh & Kumaon]; ScJd. Mus. Pays-Bas, vi. Pekc. 

 p. 26 (1863) [part] ; Jerd. B. Ind. iii. p. 865 (1864) ; v. Martens, 

 J. f. 0. 1866, p. 30 [Luzon] ; Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 181 ; G. M. Gray, 

 Hand-l. B. iii. p. 125 (1871) ; Holdsio. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 483 



