256 Mr. H. P. Witherby — Ornithological 



Adult. Iris dark yellow ; bill flesh-colour at base, tip 

 black ; legs and feet yellowish pink. 



41. CiSTICOLA ARIDULA. 



Cisticola aridula Witherby, Bull. B. O. C. vol. xi. p. 13 

 (1900). 



This species differs from C. hindii, which seems to be its 

 nearest ally, chieflly in its small size and the colour of its 

 upper parts, which are light buff, the feathers being very 

 narrowly streaked with dark brown mesially. Besides having 

 no sub terminal bars to the tail-feathers, it differs from 

 C. cisticola in its smaller size, in the absence of any rufous 

 tinge on the rump, upper and under tail-coverts, and flanks, 

 and in the colour of the upper parts, already described. It 

 has been suggested to me that this bird might be an albinism, 

 though I do not know of what species it could be an albino. 

 As it inhabits a desert country, I see no more reason for 

 assuming that this sandy-coloured Cisticola should be an 

 albinism than that Crested Larks and other desert-coloured 

 birds from the same locality are so, although, unfortunately, 

 I procured only one specimen of my new bird. 



Adult male. Iris greenish straw-colour; bill flesh-colour; 

 legs and feet yellowish flesh-colour. Total length about 

 3" 75 inches, culmen 0*44, wing 1-75, tail 1*4, tarsus 0*68. 



I found two of these birds in some long brown grass near 

 Gerazi, about 60 miles south of Khartum, on the White 

 Nile. Unfortunately I was only able to obtain one. These 

 were the only Cisticola seen during the trip. 



42. Cercotrichas podobe (P. L. S. Miill.). 



Wherever there were trees some of these birds were almost 

 sure to be found frequenting them, so that, even if not very 

 numerous, they were at all events well distributed over the 

 whole district. Like the Rufous Warbler, they have a habit 

 of cocking their tails at right angles to the body and 

 spreading them out, seemingly to show off the white spots. 

 They have a short but mellow song made up of 6 or 7 piping 

 notes. I noticed three varieties of this song, all uttered at 

 intervals by the same bird. The alarm-note is an unmusical 



