PYRRHULAUDA LEUCOTIS. 87 



(1896); Grant, Ibis, 1900, p. 139 Kassivi E.; Emin, J. f. 0. 1891, 



p. 60 Tabora ; Witherby, Ibis, 1901, p. 245 Khartoum; Grant and 



Eeid, Ibis, 1891, p. 629 S. Abyssinia. 

 Pyrrhulauda smithii, Bp. Consp. i. p. 512 (1850) S. Afr. ; Sharpe, Cat. 



B. M. xiii. p. 658 (1890) Damaraland , Transvaal. Zambesi, Ugocjo, 



Mandals.; Eeichen. J. f. 0. 1891, p. 159 Tabora; id. Vog. D. O. 



Afr. p. 204 (1894) Ndutian ; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 234 (1896) ; 



Alexander, Ibis, 1899, p. 564 Zambesi; Stark, Faun. S. Afr. B. i. 



p. 196 (1900) ; Sclat. P. Z. S. 1900, p. 2 Katunga. 

 Pyrrhulauda leucotis smithi, Hartert, Nov. Zool. 1898, p. 72 Nyasa. 



Adult male. Head and neck jet black with the ear-coverts and a band 

 across the hind neck pure white ; upper back and scapulars cinnamon, 

 slightly mottled with partial buff edges to some of the feathers ; lower back 

 and upper tail-coverts buff, slightly shaded with ashy grey towards the 

 centres of the feathers. Wing : with the lesser series of coverts black and 

 the least ones whitish ; median and greater coverts cinnamon like the back 

 but with broad buff edges ; quills dusky brown with some pale rufous edging 

 to the feathers, much broader on the inner secondaries ; under wing-coverts 

 black, under surface of quills dusky brown with broad partial pale rufous buff 

 inner edges. Tail blackish brown, the centre feathers with broad pale rufous 

 shaded edges and the outer ones fade into dusky white on the outer webs 

 and towards their ends. Throat and under surface of body black with a 

 white and chestnut patch on the sides of the crop, and the flanks and thighs 

 whitish. "Iris hazel, bill ashy white, tarsi and feet ash colour" (Stark). 

 Total length 4-4, culmen 0-4, wing 2-9, tail 1-9, tarsus 0-68. 



Female. Differs in having no black on the head, the crown being like 

 the mantle and the ear-coverts pale brown streaked with buff. Under parts 

 buff thickly mottled with black down the throat and centre of breast ; 

 axillaries and most of the under wing-coverts black. Total length 4-7 inches, 

 culmen 0-4, wing 3-05, tail 1-9, tarsus 0-65. ,} , ? , 1. 7. 68. Asoos (Blanford). 



Immature. Differs greatly from the adult ; the portions which are 

 uniform black in the adult males, are mottled with pale edges to the 

 feathers, the ear-coverts are black or mottled with black, and the mantle 

 is mostly black, with margins of buff or cinnamon to the feathers. 



The Common Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark ranges over 

 South Africa generally, northward into Damaraland on the 

 west and over the eastern half of Tropical Africa. 



In Damaraland, according to Chapman, this is the least 

 abundant of the allied species. In the British Museum there 

 is one specimen from this country procured by Andersson, 



