Birds from South-eastern Africa. 24<7 



character^ unless worn oft', as is apparently the case in one of 

 my specimens. From C. super ciliosus it is distinguished by 

 the partial white eyebrow, which never in adults extends 

 behind the eye, in the hind neck, mantle, and sides of the 

 throat being with or without stripes, but never so much 

 striped as in C. superciliosus . 



The species of the genus Centropus often show considerable 

 variation ; and in that respect C. natalensis appears to me to 

 surpass them all, as the following tabular arrangement of my 

 eight type specimens will show, specimen d being the one 

 I have above described in full : — 



Rump, upper tail-coverts, and base of tail always barred. 



1. With uo white on the sides of the head. Neck not striped. 



Mautle aud wiug-coverts very indistinctly striped. 

 1'. Tail worn, not tipped with white. Sides of the body not 



barred a. 



2'. Tail tipped with white. Sides of the body more or less 

 barred. 

 2". Flanks slightly barred. Secondaries partially barred .... b. 

 3". Sides of the body fully barred. A few distinct white 

 stripes on the back of the neck and mantle. Sides of the 

 crop partially striped c. 



2. With the white eyebrow confined to a small spot in front of the 



eye. Tail tipped with white. Sides of the neck striped. 



Sides of the body barred. 

 2'. Mantle and hind neck thinly striped. 



2". With no bars on the wing d. 



3". Some of the secondaries barred e. 



3'. Mautle and hind neck strongly striped. No bars on wing . . /. 



3. With the white eyebrow extending over the eye, but not well 



marked. White stripes confined to a few of the feathers on 

 the sides of the hind neck and the mantle. No bars on wing ff. 



4. With the white eyebrow extending back to above the ear- 



coverts, but barely indicated over the eye. White stripes on 

 the back of the neck and mantle strongly marked. All the 

 secondaries barred. Tail barred for three quarters of its 

 length 7j. juv. 



In C. seneyalensis I have met with the following variations. 

 In the young bird the rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail are 

 barred, but these bars disappear before the bars leave the 

 secondaries. In four specimens collected by Dr. Bradshaw 



