194 PRINGILLID^. 



band already noticed, sometimes tliere is not the faintest trace of this, 

 and sometimes again the collar is only represented by a larger or smaller 

 nuchal patch. This is perhaps the most common form, and hence the 

 name melanauchen. 



"T\\e interscapulary region is a pale earthy brown, sometimes with a 

 sandy tinge; the wings rather darker, but all the feathers margined 

 with a pale whitey brown ; inner v/ebs of quills darker, a sort of 

 pale hair-brown ; central tail feathers slightly paler than tertiaries ; 

 rest of tail feathers deep brown, but the outer web of the exterior 

 feather white or nearly so, and the inner half or more of the inner web 

 pale whitey brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale earthy or sandy 

 brown, noticeably paler than the interscapulary region ; flanks much 

 the same colour as the rump. 



" The female has the chin, throat, abdomen, vent, and lower tail- 

 coverts white, with more or less traces of a very faint fawny tinge ; a 

 broad ill-defined pale fawny band, which is sometimes feebly striated 

 darker, covers the breast. The axillaries and lesser lower coverts 

 about the ulna are deep brown, sometimes almost as deep as the breast 

 of the male. 



" The female also wants the white frontal band and patch on the sides 

 of the head, the white occipital band, the dark crown, and dark sides of 

 the neck, and of course the dark collar or dark nuchal patch so com- 

 mon in the males ; the whole top of the head is unicolorous or nearly 

 so with the interscapulary region, though the feathers are generally 

 feebly darker centred. The rest of the upper surface is much as in the 

 male, but as a rule sandier and less earthy in tinge. The males are 

 distinguished at once from those of grisea by their dark crowns. Both 

 sexes are distinguished by their somewhat larger size. (Wings in 

 grisea taken at random measure — Males, 3"08; o"07 ; 3'0; 3"01 ; 

 3-1. Females, 2-99; 3-0; 2-9; 2-99; 3-06; 2-9; 2-87; 2-95,) and 

 their somewhat larger bills. Females are further distinguishable by 

 their whiter under sm^face, paler upper surface, and especially crowns, 

 and by their deep coloured axillaries, which in grisea are little darker 

 than the breast. In this latter species the lesser lower coverts about 

 the ulna are dark brown in the female, but not neai'ly so deep as in 

 melanauchen. Dimensions, as under : — 



Length. Expanse. Tail. Wing. Tarsus. Bill at Gape. Cvalmen. 



Male. 



}} 



Female 



)) 



" The irides were brown ; the bill varied from pale whitey brown, 

 bluish on lower mandible to pearly white with a bluish tinge ; the legs 

 and feet were pale whitey brown, pale hoary fleshy or pale brownish 

 fleshy." — {Hume, Str.F. vii. p. 64.) 



Hah. — Sind, Kutch, Jodhpore, Rajputana generally, and in Jeysul- 

 mere; also in Beloochistan and Southern Persia, affecting ploughed 

 lands and cultivation. 



