Collection of Birds from Somali-land. 407 



of tlie wing black, with broad white edges to the feathers, 

 these edges broadest on the median and greater wing-coverts 

 and the inner secondaries ; upper tail-coverts and tail black, 

 with white margins to some of the centre feathers and narrow 

 white tips to the remainder; breast, thighs, and under tail- 

 coverts sandy buflP, shading into ashy grey on the sides of 

 the body; under surface of the quills brown, with partial 

 pale inner margins ; under wing-coverts white ; bill black ; 

 legs slate-colour. Male and female similar in plumage. 

 Total length 4'65 and 4*3 inches, culmen 0'4_, wings 2*45, 

 tail 2 and r9, tarsi 0*7. 



The nearest ally of this species is apparently P. afer, from 

 which it differs in its smaller size, white frontal band^ white 

 mottling on the chin, and in the colour of the breast, thighs, 

 and under tail-coverts. 



Hab. Somali-land. 



" Only met with on one occasion, near the centre of the 

 plateau, where they were in a small party of about six. Iris 

 brown, bill black, feet greyish black. ^' 



39. MiRAFRA CORDOFANICA (?) . 



Mirafra cordofanica, Strickl. P. Z. S. 1850, p. 218, pi. 23 

 (Kordofan). 



Geocorajj/ius cordufanicus, Heugl, Orn. N.O.-Afr. p. 687. 



Above cinnamon with dark shaft-stripes ; sides of the fore- 

 head and eyebrows buff ; edges of the wing-coverts and of the 

 primaries slightly paler ; inner webs of the quills dark brown, 

 broadly edged towards their base with cinnamon ; upper 

 tail-coverts slightly browner than the back ; tail-feathers dark 

 brown, the centre pair broadly edged and washed with cinna- 

 mon, the next four pairs are narrowly edged but more broadly 

 tipped with rufous-buff, the outer pair have nearly their 

 whole outer webs and broad ends buff; cheeks buff, shading 

 into cinnamon on the ear-coverts; underparts buff, fading 

 into white towards the chin and passing into cinnamon on 

 the sides of the chest ; the feathers of the lores and crop 

 have a few dark triangular terminal shaft-spots ; under 

 wing-coverts and basal inner margins to the quills deep 



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