1877.] INHABITING THE INDIAN EEGION. 445 



irregular in form. As on the throat, all these white markings are much concealed by the over- 

 lapping of the rufous tips and margins. Some of the scapulars have a long bold white centre, 

 separated from the rufous by a narrow dark brown line. On the shorter scapulars the white 

 mark is small ; and on the longer scapulars the white only occupies the outer half of the feather. 

 Several of the nuchal feathers are traversed by a pure white band, which is bounded above and 

 below by a narrow dark brown line, the tips of the feathers being rufous. The unexposed inner 

 webs of all the quills are uniform brown above, paler underneath. The outer webs of the 

 primaries are pale rufous, with a few narrow transverse brown marks. Excepting the first and 

 second primaries the pale rufous colour of the outer webs continues round the tips of the quills 

 onto the inner webs, slightly increasing in extent with each quill. Underneath, the outer webs are 

 also pale rufous, the brown marks hardly showing through. The shafts above are rufous brown, 

 below pale rufous or yellowish rufous. The ground-colour of the rectrices is a dull rufous, of a 

 somewhat darker hue than that of the tertiaries. They are traversed at almost equal intervals by 

 a series of some seven or eight obscure ill-defined darker rufous or brownish-rufous bands, margined 

 above and below by a narrow irregular zigzag darker brown line. On the outer rectrices these 

 dark lines are broader, and the interspaces are darker brown. The basal half of the inner webs 

 of the rectrices (middle pair excepted) is cut into with white or tawny white. The short outer- 

 most pair have a white or tawny spot on both webs and another higher up. The second outer 

 pair have two tawny white marks on the outer web. Under surface of rectrices pallid rufous, the 

 dark bands showing through. Under tail-coverts yellowish white, some tipped and otherwise marked 

 with rufous. Thigh-coverts tawny. Axillaries grey tipped with rufous. Under wing-coverts mixed 

 grey, rufous, and tawny white. The stiff elongated narial and frontal bristles are tawny rufous 

 tipped black. The bill is massive and typical. 1st quill a little more than two-thirds the length P.Z.S.1877, 

 of the 2nd, which is f of an inch shorter than the 3rd ; the 4th exceeds the 3rd by about ^ and ^' " ' 

 is slightly shorter than the 5th, which is longest. The tarsus is naked behind, but feathered 

 anteriorly for about a quarter of its length. The three middle pairs of rectrices are about equal 

 in length ; the fourth pair is somewhat shorter ; the fifth pair is about half the length ; and 

 the outer pair is almost rudimentary. Wing 4-62, tail 4'75, tarsus 0-43, middle toe 0'50, bill 

 from forehead 0'88, width of gape 1'12. 



No. 2, 2 C?) not quite adult C?). Colonel Tickell (I. c.) described and figured a species of 

 Batrachostomus from near Toung-ngoo, in Burma, which belongs to £. affinis. It is in rufous 

 plumage, the feathers of the head, upper back, and scapulars being vermiculated transversely 

 with black. No mention is made of a white nuchal band ; nor is such a character indicated in 

 the plate. Still this character might be easily overlooked in some skins ; and Tickell described 

 from a dried specimen. The description is of sufficient importance to be published, and is as 

 follows: — "Iris sepia*. Bill fleshy horn. Legs horn. Head, upper back, and scapulars bright 

 umber, shaded ferruginous on back and mingled with greyish on scapulars, the whole vermi- 

 culated crossways, black. Outer webs of two or three longest scapulars white, bordered with 

 black. Tertials clouded brown, ferruginous and grey, with black vermiculations. Wing-coverts 

 rusty vinous, broadly vermiculated black. Secondaries and primaries, outer webs chestnut-rusty, 

 with broken narrow bars of black. Inner webs sepia. Tips of primaries pale and mottled, 

 * The colour of the iris must have been stated to, and not observed by, Colonel TickeU. 



3 M 



