MIRAFRA NIGRESCENS. 69 



slightly, probably owing to their age ; in one the crown and upper back is 

 brick red, with narrow black shaft-stripes ; these stripes almost disappear 

 on the upper neck, which contrasts in its greyish shade from the surrounding 

 plumage ; lower back and rump uniform brick red, and the upper tail-coverts 

 ashy, shading; into brown on the centres of the feathers, and their shafts are 

 brown. In the other specimen the upper parts are more strongly mottled 

 with black, the dark centres to the feathers almost blending into their ashy 

 edges. In both specimens the quills are brownish black with rufous outer 

 webs, and the inner webs edged with pale isabelline ; lores and an indistinct 

 eyebrow dull fawn, ear-coverts of the same colour striped with brown ; 

 under parts fawn, brighter on the chest, fading into whitish on the middle 

 of the abdomen, and into pure white on the throat ; the base of the latter 

 with a gorget of triangular brown spots ; tail blackish, the centre pair of 

 feathers with broad chestnut edges, and the outermost ones with a large 

 triangular patch of white, extending over the outer web and a portion of the 

 inner one ; penultimate feathers with the outer web white. Bill horny 

 brown, with the edges of the upper mandible and the base of the lower one 

 ■whitish ; feet pale. Total length 6-8 inches, culmen 0-68, wing 33-6, tail 

 2-24, tarsus 1-08 " (Bocage). 



The Angola Lark inhabits Benguela. 



All that is known regarding this species is that the types, 

 a male and female, were procured at Caconda and another 

 specimen at Galanga. 



According to the original description which I have trans- 

 lated, this species should be readily recognised by the 

 primaries, the rufous apparently entirely crossing the outer 

 web and the inner web being only margined with isabelline, 

 while the pattern of the tail is similar to that of M. cantillans 

 and M. frigillaris, in neither of which species does the rufous 

 on the outer webs of the primaries ever entirely cross that web. 



Mirafra nigrescens. 



Mirafra nigrescens, Eeichen. Orn. Monatsb. 1900, p. 39 Kondeland. 



" Upper parts black, with earthy brown sides to the feathers ; rump 

 uniform grey, the shorter upper tail-coverts greyish browB, with blackish 

 terminal shaft-stripes, the longer ones black with grey-brown sides ; lores 

 and eyebrow clearer brown ; cheeks clear brown spotted with black ; throat 

 white ; crop brown with black markings ; breast pale brown or brownish 



