598 BIRDS FROM ALDABRA ISLAND — RIDGWAY. 



iieatli the surface; iiuder wing-covorts almost wliolly luire white. Bill, 

 legs, and foot black; "iiides reddisli brown." Length (before skin- 

 ning), 1>. 75; wing, 4.80; tail, -4.80; middle ttathers, 4.08; cnlmen (to con- 

 cealed base), l.ll*; depth of bill through nostril, 0.38; tarsus, 0.90; mid- 

 dle toe, 0.60. 



immature males are variously intermediate in color between the 

 adult male and adult female. 



The collection contains three adult males, two immature males, and 

 one adult female, representing dates from October 2-19, inclusive. 



3. Foudia aldabrana sp. iiov. 



Sp. Char. — Similar to J^. niadaf/ascariensis (LiNN.), but very much 

 larger. 



Adult male (type, No. 128,692, U. S. Nat. Mus., Aldabra Island, Octo- 

 ber 5, 1892 ; Dr. W. L. Abbott) : Head, neck, chest, and upper breast 

 bright scarlet (tiame scarlet on under parts); rest of under parts rather 

 light chrome-yellow, tinged with orange on abdomen and with scarlet 

 on the crissum. Lores and orbits black. Back and scapulars light 

 yellowish olive broadly streaked with black ; rump plain light tawny 

 olive-brown; upper tail-coverts tlame-scarlet. Wings dull blackish, 

 all the feathers margined with light olive or olive-yellowish; tall olive- 

 grayish, the feathers edged with yellowish olive. ''Bill black; irides 

 dark broMu; feet brownish tlesh." Length (before skinning), 6.50 

 inches; wing, 3.30; tail, 2.10; culmen, 0.75; depth of bill at base, 0.50; 

 tarsus, 0.92; middle toe, 0.05. 



Adult female (No. 128,()9(), same locality and collector, October 3): 

 Pileum and hind neck deep olive buff, narrowly and rather indistinctly 

 streaked M'ith duskj^; superciliary stripe, cheeks, and sides of neck, 

 light brownish yellow; a post-ocular streak of dusky; anterior under 

 ])arts pale Naples-yellow (palest on throat), the ])osterior lower parts 

 deeper yellow. Otherwise like the adult male, but Avithout trace of 

 red anywhere. "Upper numdible horny brown, lower mandible pale 

 horny; feet flesh-color." Length (before skinning), 5.50; wing, 3.05; 

 tail, 2.10; culmen, 0.70; depth of bill at base, 0.50; tarsus, 0,85; mid- 

 dle toe, 0.00. 



Two other adult males show a mixture of red on the back, and 

 one of them has the lower rump, as avcII as the upper tail-coverts, red. 

 It is therefore probable that in full plumage this species has the red 

 as extensive as in F. viadaf/aseariensis. 



A young male is like the female described above, but is somewhat 

 brighter yellow beneath. 



4. Rougetius aldabranus sp. uov. 



Sp. Char. — Similar to A*, (/ularis, of Assumption, but without trace 

 oi" dusky streaks on dorsal region, and with white bars on belly and 

 tianks much less distinct (sometimes almost Avanting). 



