129 
Length. Wing. Tarsus. Tail. 
Adult male, 14-2 85 1:8 7:0 
Young male, 13°3 8:3 18 6°5 
Adult female, 14°5 9°3 2:0 70 
Young female, 15°5 9-0 hes 70 
The same dimensions for two of our birds are: 
Length. Wing. Tarsus. Tail. 
Young male, 15°75 9°75 2°25 8°5 
Adult female, 16°5 10°5 Oa Sv, 
The primaries of our bird moreover are strongly marked 
instead of being unicolorous, as he says. As for there being no 
marks on the outer laterals, whichif I understand him rightly, 
he rather insists on, this I take it, is pretty often in this family 
dependent on age, the marks are very faint in one Huropean 
Visus before me, they wholly disappear in the old Badius, and 
are disappearing in one Me/aschistos. Setting the minor points 
aside, the left hand drawing in his plate (the male) though 
scarcely dark enough, especially about the upper parts, and the 
description so far as colour goes, would answer well enough for 
our female, though the bill, as figured, is neither long enough, 
nor powerful enough, nor the tooth strong enough. 
I think it will be admitted that this species is distinct from 
Nisus. Unfortunately I have not long enough discriminated 
this species to have a good series. The only specimens I know, 
are a pair (female adult, male in second plumage) sent by me 
to my friend Mons. Jules Verreaux at Paris, a young male and 
second plumage female, now in my museum, and two old birds 
both probably females in Col. 'Tytler’s. 
I proceed to give a description of these latter, sex not ascer- 
tained, but from the length of the wings, 10°25 and 10-5, proba- 
bly females. 
The head, nape, and upper back, deep blackish, olivaceous ~ 
brown, with even a tinge of slaty on the head and nape, where 
there are traces of a white patch owing to the bases of the fea- 
thers showing through. The scapulars, slightly less deep, 
blackish brown. Lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts, 
somewhat slaty brown. Upper wing coverts, and quills hair 
brown. The secondaries, and some of the primaries, with 
traces of darker bars on the outer webs. Tail, greyish brown, 
or brownish slaty with five broad transverse dark brown bars ; 
the upper bar‘hidden by the upper tail coverts. ‘The subtermi- 
nal bar broadest; a narrow white tipping, most conspicuous on 
the centre feathers. The lores white, a trace of a whitish streak 
behind the eye, cheeks rufous white, the feathers with dark 
