MIRAFRA FRINGILLARIS. 63 



dotted and freckled with reddish brown, and measure 0"8 to 

 0*9, by 0"55 to 0"6 inch. The specimens from the west are 

 generally paler than those from the east. Their Hova or 

 general name is " Sorohitra," and their provincial Malagasy 

 names are " Vorosoy," "Boria," "Sirotsy," and " Lolokolotany" ; 

 the latter, if literally translated would be, those who give all 

 their affection to the earth. 



Mirafra fringillaris. 



Mirafra fringillaris, Sundev. CEfv. K. Vet. Ak. Forh. Stockh. 1850, p. 99 

 Upper Limpopo; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 606 (1890) Damara, 

 Transvaal; Fleck, J. f. 0. 1894, p. 411 Damara; Shelley, B. Afr. I. 

 No. 202 (1896) ; Stark, Faun. S. Afr. B. i. p. 214 (1900). 



Adult. Above earthy brown with fairly broad blackish centres to the 

 feathers, which on the mantle are more lanceolate and edged internally 

 with buff. Wing with the cinnamon on the quills confined to the outer 

 edges and does not quite cross the outer webs, inner webs with narrow pale 

 partial edges rufous buff, of the same shade as the under wing-coverts. 

 Tail brownish black, the centre feathers with ashy brown edges, and a pure 

 white pattern extends over the shaft and two-thirds of outer feather and 

 nearly the whole of the outer web of the next one. Ear-coverts and cheeks 

 pale brown mottled, with darker centres to the feathers ; a broad eyebrow ; 

 throat, breast and under tail-coverts white ; crop slightly shaded with rufous 

 and with blackish brown angular spots, larger towards the base of the 

 throat and a fairly well marked blackish patch separates the crop from the 

 sides of the lower neck. " Iris hazel ; bill horn colour ; legs reddish brown." 

 Total length 5-8 inches, culmen 0-6, wing 3-4, tail 2-4, tarsus 0'9. S , 

 29. 11. 73. Transvaal (Buckley). 



The Finch-like Lark inhabits Grerman South-west Africa 

 and the Transvaal. 



Mr. Fleck records the species from Damara and Bastard- 

 land, and in the British Museum there are three of Andersson's 

 specimens from Damaraland, and one of Mr. T. E. Buckley's 

 from the Transvaal. In this latter district the type was dis- 

 covered by Wahlberg, and according to Stark, it is a very 

 common resident in the North-western Transvaal, frequenting 



