78 Mr. B. Alexander — An Ormthological 



kept very persistently to the long grass, constantly tanta- 

 lizing us by getting up at our feet, to drop again into the 

 thick weed a few yards ahead, thereby making the shooting 

 of them no easy matter. The male bird has a screechy song, 

 that becomes scolding in tone on the observer approaching 

 its haunts. 



On dissection a male had the sexual organs much de- 

 veloped, while one of the birds observed had a piece of 

 nesting-material in its beak. 



Adult S {crown pale rufous). Wing 2"3 inches, tail 2'4. 

 Iris yellow; upper mandible dark brown, lower horn-colour; 

 legs and feet yellowish flesh-colour. 



Adult ? {crown streaked). Wing 2*0 inches, tail 2-1. 



86. CisTicoLA suBRUFicAPiLLA (Smith). 



W^ell distributed over low-lying country that is covered 

 with thick grass and high weed. The male bird has rather 

 a pretty little song, which it utters from the top of some 

 prominent grass-plant, the next minute to pop down out of 

 sight into the thick weed. The specimens we obtained in 

 September are evidently immature birds still in winter 

 plumage ; all the feathers are much abraded, the upper parts 

 are light fulvous brown, the feathers of the mantle and 

 scapulars being broadly streaked with dark brown, while the 

 colour of the crown and nape is very pale and almost uniform 

 with the mantle. In one specimen the feathers of the crown 

 are beginning to assume a dark rufous. On the other hand, 

 an adult female killed in January has the upper parts darker 

 and more ashy grey in appearance, the brown streaks to the 

 feathers of the mantle and scapulars hardly noticeable, while 

 the crown and nape are a uniform dark rufous. 



Immature c? (September). Wing 2*5 inches, culmen 0*45, 

 tail (worn) 2*5. Iris hazel ; upper mandible light brown, 

 lower light horn -colour. 



Immature ? (September). Wing 2"0 inches, calmen 0*4, 

 tail (worn) 2-0. 



Adult ? (January). Wing 2'1 inches, culmen 0'4, tail2"0. 

 Upper mandible dark brown, lower horn-colour. 



