MIRAFRA FRINGILLARIS. 527 
back ; the hind neck distinctly washed with ashy fulvous, slightly 
separating the head from the back ; wing-coverts dark brown in 
the centre, with broad fawn coloured margins, shading off on the 
extreme edge into fulvous, the edge of the wing whitish, and the 
primary coverts dull ashy brown, distinctly edged and tipped with 
white; quills dark brown, the primaries narrowly margined with 
sandy buff and tipped with whitish, the secondaries broadly edged 
with fawn colour exactly like the wing-coverts ; rump coloured like 
the back ; upper tail-coverts dark brown, tipped and margined with 
fulvous, and washed with fawn colour near the base; tail-feathers 
blackish, distinctly margined with sandy fawn colour and tipped 
with whitish, the borders of the two centre feathers and the external 
one the broadest; a very distinct white eyebrow; feathers in front 
of the eye blackish, with a line of white feathers under the latter ; 
ear-coverts sandy fawn colour, darker on the upper margin, and 
streaked with fulvous ; cheeks buffy white, spotted with black, and 
forming a moustache on each side of the throat, which is buffy white 
and unspotted, excepting a few blackish spots on the lower part; 
rest of the under surface isabelline sand colour, the chest plainly 
covered with triangular spots of dark brown, some of the spots 
inclining to rufous; sides of the body streaked, and the flanks 
washed with sandy rufous; under wing-coverts ashy, with broad 
whitish margins, some of them washed with sandy colour; the inner 
lining of wing light ashy brown, inclining to pale isabelline near the 
base of the inner web; “ upper mandible and tip of lower one light 
reddish brown, rest of the lower one sienna yellow ; legs, toes, and 
claws sienna yellow, tinted with flesh red; claws faintly shaded with 
light reddish brown” (Sir A. Smith). Total length, 5:8 inches ; 
culmen, 0°55; wing, 3°3; tail, 2°4; tarsus, 0°9. 
The summer plumage is different from the winter dress only in 
being much darker by reason of the absence of the light margins 
to the feathers of the upper surface, which is also much more rufous; 
underneath the chest is washed with rufous, and the black spots are 
more distinct ; the imner lining of the wing is also deeper and more 
leaden grey. 
Fig. Smith, Ill. Zool. 8. Afr. Aves, pl. Ixxxix, fig. 2 (err. for 
fig. 1). 
516. Mrrarra Frinarniaris (Swnd,) Finch-like Lark. 
This species was discovered by the late Professor Wahlberg in 
