658 Col. R. Meinertzhagen oji Birds from [Ibis, 



A paler and greyer bird than raalteni. Wing 85-95. 

 culmen 16-17, hind claw 9-14 mm. 

 Southern Angola. 



The leucojyJir J/ s-group o£ Pipits are in no sense Palsearctic, 

 but as I was compelled to work them out when dealing 

 with the so7'didus-gr oup, I give the results of: my labours. 



I found that the leucopliri/s-gvoui) o£ plain-backed Pipits 

 showed great variation in the same area : in Angola and 

 tropical eastern Africa it was obvious that a dark and pale 

 race co-existed. The differences did not appear to be 

 dimorphic. I tried to separate birds on structural differ- 

 ences, but failed. Culmen, tail-feathers, size of wing, etc., 

 all failed. I was therefore compelled to separate birds on 

 colour alone, and find that they fall very well into two 

 groups or species, a dark bird whose oldest name is gouldi, 

 and a pale bird whose oldest name is leucophrys. 



Owing to the difficulty in describing these various colours, 

 I have had to resort to Ridgway^s 'Nomenclature of Colours,' 

 1886, reference being given in brackets, thus (R. iii. 19), 

 meaning Ridgway, pi. iii. fig. 16. 



ANTHUS LEUCOPHRYS. 



Upper parts entirely uniform, except in immature birds 

 when slight traces of blotchiug occur. General colour 

 above yellowish dark earth-brown, sometimes with a slight 

 olive tinge, but the shade is very variable. Under parts 

 always tinged with fulvous, darkest in saphiroi, palest in 

 neumanni. Breast-spotting usually indistinct and blurred, 

 though in goodsoni it is frequently well-marked. 



Throat whitish in contrast to the rest of the under parts. 



First four primaries more or less equal. 



Tail-feathers very variable, but never with white on them 

 as in the ricliardi-^YO\x\). 



Inner secondaries usually fall short of the tips of the 

 longest primaries, but sometimes equal them. 



Culmen stumpier than in the sordidus-gx oVi'p and more 

 arched. 



