205 
dark brown bars. This is aiso the case with the feathers of the 
tail. All the under surface is white, streaked with longitudinal 
brown marks on the breast, flanks and centre of abdomen. Some 
of the under wing coverts have three or four dark brown bands, 
and immediately under the bend the feathers of the wing are 
streaked with rufous ; this is also the case with the thighs and 
some of the lower tail coverts, and white feathers of the densely 
feathered tarsus. The toes are yellowish, with black claws; 
cere greenish slaty ; bill dark blackish slaty ; irides, dark reddish 
brown. ‘The two outermost lateral tail feathers, when observed 
from beneath have a very albescent appearance, with dark dots 
near the tips, and traces of spots of the same colour at intervals 
going towards the base. 
“<'l'wo female adults very similar to the last, but the markings 
on the lower wing coverts are more, and those on the abdomen 
less numerous than in No. 1; but the thighs and tarsi are richly 
banded with rufous brown, and white. 
“ These birdsarenot uncommon amongst the mangrove swamps 
of the Andamans ;. but I have never seen them soaring, or even 
flying about, until disturbed. They are with great difficulty ob- 
tained, for it is impossible for a boat to approach them in such 
situations, and equally so to get at them by land, for the man- 
grove trees grow in the water, and when the tide goes out, the 
soil is too soft to bear the weight of a man, so I found it very 
difficult to procure specimens of this by no means uncommon 
bird. I have never seen more than one or two together. The 
Andaman bird is considerably smaller than the Indian S. Lim- 
netus to which is bears a striking resemblance.”’ 
Capt. Beavan had the following remarks on this species in 
the [bis for 1867 :— 
“This species was originally described in the ‘ Proceedings’ of 
the Asiatic Society of Bengal for 1865, p. 112. The following 
description is taken from i tpn in Col. ‘Tytler’ s collection. 
Length, 25°5 in. Wing, 13 5 in. Tarsus, 3:5 5 in. Tail 10°25 in. 
” 24'5 ” ” 1355 ,, ” Oil sae EO ach 
” 23°12,, ” ve ” jy eC eee? LO" Zo 
“ Bill and claws, slaty horn coloured ; legs feathered to the toes, 
which latter are of a dirty yellow colour. ‘The tail usually has 
seven transverse bars of a darker hue than the rest. The gener- 
al colour of the bird is creamy white, somewhat inclining to 
rufous on the head, upper tail coverts, and interior of thighs. 
The wings, tail, and lower nape are brown, the head in some 
specimens 1s slightly marked with longitudinal brown strive, 
and the under wing coverts of all, spotted with the same. This 
species will probably be classed next to Spizactus Limnaetus of 
