CERTHILAUDA RUFULA. 497 
sandy brown, with white margins to the feathers, which are all dark 
brown in the centre, the greater coverts externally inclining to 
greyish ; quills ashy brown, the primaries tipped with whitish, the 
secondaries darker, externally margined with sandy rufous inclining 
to buffy-white towards the tips of the feathers; rump and upper 
tail-coverts nearly uniform rufous, the long plumes of the latter 
dark brown in the centre and narrowly tipped with whitish ; tail 
blackish, with a large spot of white at the tip of all the feathers 
except the two centre ones, which are rufous, more or less marked 
down the centre with greyish brown, all the feathers more or less 
rufous towards the base, this colour sometimes extending for half 
the feather ; the external rectrix narrowly margined on the outer 
web with buffy-white ; throat entirely white ; rest of under surface 
of body bright sandy rufous, with a few more or less distinct white 
margins to some of the feathers on the breast minutely spotted with 
dark brown; under wing-coverts pale sandy rufous, those on the 
edge of the wing slightly mottled with brown ; “iris hazel” (Atmore). 
Total length, 6:1 inches; culmen, 0°85 ; wing, 3°7; tail, 2°6; tarsus, 
115. 
Adult female.—Similar to the male in colour, but smaller, and 
haying a much shorter bill. Total length, 5°5 inches; culmen, 
0°75 ; wing, 3°5; tail, 2°1; tarsus, 1:05. 
Young.—The young bird is principally distinguished by its spotted 
plumage, the white margins to the feathers of the upper surface 
being rather spots than terminal margins, and being further dis- 
criminated by small subterminal black spots. Around the hind 
neck is a distinct shade of fulvous, almost forming a collar and 
much plainer than in the adult bird; the margins to the wing- 
coverts very broadly and distinctly white; throat, lores, and a 
scarcely perceptible superciliary line white; rest of under surface 
pale sandy rufous, becoming gradually more fulvous on the abdomen ; 
the breast slightly spotted with pale brown, the feathers margined 
with whitish. 
In winter the young bird is very different, having very broad 
circular margins of white to all the feathers of the upper surface, 
with obscure brown central streaks, the under surface very pale and 
with scarcely any perceptible brown spots on the breast. 
Fig. Vieill. Gal. Ois. ii, pl. clxi. 
