156 Dr. R. W. Shufeldt o/j 



by Professor Coiies^ I fiud a peculiar whorl of black and 

 rather stiffish feathers. It is present in both sexes. 



The position of the white flank-patches is quite constant, 

 as to their size and colour^ and they only meet " over the 

 rump " when we cause them to do so, the long soft feathers 

 of the parts easily admitting of this. The extent of the 

 white on the throat and upper breast is also quite constant, 

 though the median ventral stripe may vary either in width 

 or length. I see in some of the specimens it does not quite 

 reach the vent. 



There are eight secondaries in either wing, more or less 

 deeply tipped with white, the white extending highest on 

 their outer vanes. The primaries are also finely emarginated 

 with white, and, as has been described, the entire outer vane 

 of the first one is pure white. 



Unless we have here a new variety of this bird I cannot 

 quite understand how both Dr. Heermann and Professor 

 Cones overlooked the peculiar coloration of the tail. Cones 

 evidently gives us to understand that the outer edges of the 

 lateral tail-feathers are also white. I find this to be the 

 case in the lighter-coloured specimens, while in all the 

 middle pairs of tail-ieathers are of the same colour as the 

 rump. But this is not the oily feature that has apparently 

 been overlooked ; for in all ray specimens, better mai'ked 

 in some than in others, the remaining tail-feathers are 

 characterized by a white or greyish-white elongated spot 

 on the inner vane of each feather. These spots become 

 gradually smaller as we proceed outwards, while they are all 

 shut out from sight by the feathers overlapping each other 

 and the lower rump-feathers when the tail is closed. In 

 one fine specimen of a male in my lot, I find these elon- 

 gated sub-elliptical spots of a pure white, large, and absent 

 on the lateral feathers, which latter are distinctly emargi- 

 nated with white along their entire outer edges. 



The upper eyelid in Micropus is naked, but a single row 

 of minute brown feathers lines the free edge of the lower 

 one. The skin covering the feet in the living birds is of 

 a bright flesh-colour. The hind toe is not nearly so lateral 



