278 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
brown, broadly margined and tipped with wood-brown ; the other 
feathers brownish-red, broadly tipped with white, with a large umber- 
brown blotch just before the white, seen, as in all the species, most 
plainly on the under side; irids light-brown. Length, 4” 3’; 
meek NL! petals A dd!’ 
Fig. Smith, Il. Zool. 8. Afr. Aves., pl. 74, fig. 2; Gurney, Ibis, 
1863, pl. viii., fig. 2. 
262. CursTICOLA CHERINA. Brown Fantail Warbler. 
Drymoica cherina, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 89 (1869). 
We feel considerable compunction in retaining this species in the 
list of South African birds, for we find from an examination of the 
type-specimen, that it is identical with the Fantail Warbler of Mada- 
gascar, and the name of O. cherina will take precedence over the 
later published name of C. madagascariensis by which the species is 
generally known. Notwithstanding the account of the habits given 
by the late Sir Andrew Smith, we still think that some mistake has 
arisen, as in the case of Glareola ocularis, which was equally stated to 
occur in South Africa, but is now known to be a native of Madagascar. 
At the same time we notice that Grill records its occurrence at the 
Knysna in September from Victorin’s collection, and, if no mistake 
has occurred in this identification, the species may be common to 
South Africa and Madagascar: but we can only say that out of 
dozens of these Warblers sent to us by our correspondents we have 
never seen a skin approaching C. cherina in colour, whereas all the 
Madagascar examples agree exactly. We commend the subject 
therefore to the study of our friends in South Africa, and meanwhile 
we add a careful description of the typical specimen in the British 
Museum. 
Adult (type of species).—General colour above brown, with darker 
centres to the feathers, giving a slight appearance of streaks to the 
head, much more distinct on the back where the centres are black ; 
rump (damaged) apparently uniform fulyous brown, the upper tail- 
coverts with narrow blackish streaks; wing-coverts dark brown 
with ashy fulvous margins, especially distinct on the greater series ; 
quills dark brown also, the primaries margined with lighter brown, 
the secondaries with ashy fulvous exactly like the wing-coverts ; 
tail dark brown, with obsolete dusky bars under certain lights, the 
four centre feathers tipped with lighter brown, with an obsolete sub- 
blll ey 
