90 Dr. vou Heugliu on the Malurinse 



Dr. Finsch regards Cisticola tenella,Csih.^, from Eastern Africa, 

 as identical with Drymceca superciliosa. The shorter tail of the 

 former, as well as its somewhat longer tarsi, seem to me to be 

 against this view; moreover the rectrices are somewhat broader, 

 the bill longer, the colour above lighter smoky-brown, and 

 the blackish subterminal spots on the rectrices more strongly 

 marked. I measure the original specimen as follows : — Bill 

 nearly 5'", wing 1" 7'", tarsus 9"', tail 1" 7"'. Swainson and, 

 following him, Hartlaub give the following measurements for 

 Drymceca superciliosa : — 



Length 4V', bill ^", wing 1^", tarsus ^", tail 2^^", 

 which, converted into French measure, gives — length nearly 

 4" 3'", bill 51'", wing 1" 81'", tarsus 9'", tail 2" 2'". 



7 b. Drymceca murina, nob. 

 Similis DrymceccB mystacece, paulo minor, rostro graciliori 

 nigricante ; supra ex toto sordide at saturate fuscescente 

 murina, pileo saturatius tincto ; tectricum alse et tertiari- 

 arum marginibus ochraeeis albis ; remigibus extus delicate 

 albicanti-, basin versus rufescenti-marginatis ; stria super- 

 ciliari, ciliis et loris magis conspicue et magis abrupte 

 albidis ; gastr?eo minus fulvescenti lavato ; area magna 

 utrinque pectorali murina. 

 Long. 41", rostr. a fr. 4i"', al. 1" 10"'-1" 11'", caud. I" 101'", 

 tars. 74"'-8"'. 



A permanent resident in Abyssinia, met with toward the 

 north as far as the Bogos country, where this form, which is 

 very similar to the true D. mystacea, lives in bushes and 

 tall dry grass. Riippell appears to regard it as the female of 

 the preceding ; I think, on the contrary, that we must separate 

 the two birds, at least provisionally, the differences in the color- 

 ation of the plumage and bill being too remarkable and con- 

 stant. Moreover, in all examples of the true D. mystacea 

 examined by me, I find no trace of the large, although not 

 sharply defined, patch upon the sides of the breast, which is 

 very strikingly shown in D. murina. The bill is very dark 

 smoky-brown. Specimens in the Museums at Frankfort and 

 Stuttgart. 



* [We cannot recollect having met with a description of this species. 



—Ed.] 



