122 Rev. H. H. Slater on 



visible nuchal patch, though a few of the feathers on the 

 nape, if lifted, will show a small whitish spot about their 

 centres. The black of the crown comes much further down 

 the back (as in P. borealis, when compared with P.palustris); 

 the black upon the chest occupies a much greater area than 

 in P. cinerevs, forming a large plastron, which is connected 

 across the shoulders with the black nape, and from which a 

 broad mesial line proceeds down the abdomen, to join the 

 black patch which includes the lower part of the abdomen 

 and the thighs. In P. chierasce7is the back is much bluer 

 than in P. c'mereus, in which the back inclines to a butf-grey ; 

 the exterior margins of the remiges and the lesser wing- 

 coverts are of the same blue- grey, the tips of the greater 

 coverts forming a white bar across the wings ; the sides of 

 the abdomen are of a buflisli white, darker than in P. cinei^eus, 

 and becoming bluer towards the flanks. The ujjper tail-coverts 

 are black (not grey, as in P. cinereus) ; of the under coverts, 

 a few next the vent are white, a few next them have a longi- 

 tudinal white stripe, Avhilst those next the tail are black ; the 

 central rectrices are of a deep sooty brown verging on black ; 

 the external one alone on each side marked with white^ which 

 occupies all its area, including the shaft, excepting a narrow 

 marginal border to the inner web_, which is black. In 

 P. cinereus the outer three or four on each side show more 

 or less white, the outermost being wbolly of that colour. I 

 append a diagnosis and comparative measurements : — 



Pakus cinerascens, sp. n. (Plate IV.) 



P. cinereo consobrinus ; capite, collo, pectore, linea abdo- 

 minali media, crisso, cruribus, tectricibus caudre supe- 

 rioribus nigerrimis ; capite, collo et pectore aliquid 

 nitentibus ; macula postoculari alba ; dorso cseruleo- 

 plumbeo ; alis nigrescentibus ; lateribus abdominis 

 cinnamomeo-albidis, crura versus magis ciuereis ; cauda 

 nigresccnti ; rectricibus duabus externis albis, nigro 

 interius strictim niarginatis ; rostro pedibusquc (de- 

 siccatis) nigris. 



