116 A Description of the Birds. 
M. nigro-fuscus aut niger; occipite cristato; remigibus et 
rectricibus albo variegatis ; pedibus flavis. 
Male.—Above blackish brown, inclining to a simple black, 
at least in very old specimens; below the same color, only of 
a darker tint; head and crest blacker than the other parts ; 
the latter composed of several feathers, and most of them of 
different lengths, the longest between five and six inches; 
primary and secondary wing coverts blackish brown, with 
more or less of the inner vane of each feather white ; primary 
wing feathers white towards quills, blackish brown elsewhere ; 
in the very outermost ones the white occurs only upon the 
inner vanes, in those next to them it occupies both vanes, 
and in what are still more internal the white is crossed by 
black bands; secondaries have the outer vanes an uniform 
dusky brown, and the inner ones brown and a dusky or pure 
white in alternate transverse bands; tail slightly rounded, 
and each feather marked with white; grayish white, or red- 
dish white and black alternate bands; the number of the first 
description is usually three, besides some irregular ones or 
only spots towards quills ; the bands seldom extend completely 
across, but have the extremities on each side commonly mar- 
gined with the same black as the other bands, and between the 
last light colored one, and the tip nearly two inches of uniform 
black ; bill and claws black; cere and toes yellowish. Length 
from bill to base of tail nineteen inches ; length of latter nine 
inches. 
Female.—In addition to being one-third larger than the 
male, the colors are less bright, and there is a stronger tinge 
of brown at all times in the plumage; the legs are also more 
white; and the light bands of the tail have commonly a 
stronger shade of gray or reddish white ; the white of the 
primary wing feathers is also generally clouded with light 
brown; the sides of the head are spotted with white, and the 
crest is shorter. 
Young.—‘ When they escape from the egg they are covered 
by a grayish white down, which is replaced by degrees by 
brownish feathers, edged with red. At the time they leave 
the nest the crest is quite apparent.” 
This bird constructs its nest upon trees, and lines it inside 
with feathers and wool; the females lay two nearly round eggs, 
which are spotted with brownish red. The male and female 
usually occur together, and Le Vaillant found them only in 
Auteniqua land. A fine specimen of this species was shot 
near Stellenbosch by Dr. Versfeld, and I have seen others 
frequently about the sources of the Cowie River, and on the 
banks of the Great Fish River towards De Bruin’s Drift. It 
Se we be said to inhabit the whole of the South- 
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