116 A Description of the Birds 



M. nigro-fuscus aut niger ; occipite cristalo ; remigibus et 

 rectricibus albo variegatis ; pedibusflavis. 



Male. — Above blackish brown, inclining to a simple black, 

 at least in very old specimens ; below the same color, only of 

 a darker tint; head and crest blacker than the other parts , 

 the latter composed of several feathers, and most of them of 

 different lengths, the longest between five and six inches ; 

 primary and secondary wing coverts blackish brown, with 

 more or less of the inner vane of each feather white ; primary 

 wing feathers white towards quills, blackish brown elsewhere ; 

 in the very outermost ones the white occurs only upon the 

 inner vanes, in those next to them it occupies both vanes, 

 and in what are still more internal the white is crossed by 

 black bands ; secondaries have the outer vanes an uniform 

 dusky brown, and the inner ones brown and a dusky or pure 

 white in alternate transverse bands ; tail slightly rounded, 

 and each feather marked with white ; grayish white, or red- 

 dish white and black alternate bands ; the number of the first 

 description is usually three, besides some irregular ones or 

 only spots towards quills; the bands seldom extend completely 

 across, but have the extremities on each side commonly mar- 

 gined with the same black as the other bands, and between the 

 last light colored one, and the tip nearly two inches of uniform 

 black; bill and claws black ; cere and toes yellowish. Length 

 from bill to base of tail nineteen inches; length of latter nine 

 inches. 



Female. —In addition to being one-third larger than the 

 male, the colors are less bright, and there is a stronger tinge 

 of brown at all times in the plumage ; the legs are also more 

 white ; and the light bands of the tail have commonly a 

 stronger shade of gray or reddish white ; the white of the 

 primary wing feathers is also generally clouded with light 

 brown; the sides of the head are spotted with whitCj and the 

 crest is shorter. 



Young. — "When they escape from the egg they are coveted 

 by a grayish white down, which is replaced by degrees by 

 brownish feathers, edged with red. At the time they leave 

 the nest the crest is quite apparent." 



This bird constructs it.s nest upon trees, and lines it inside 

 with feathers and wool ; the females lay two nearly round eggs, 

 which are spotted with brownish red. The male and female 

 usually occur together, and Le Vaillant found them only in 

 Auteniqua land. A fine specimen of this species was shot 

 near Stellenbosch by Dr. Versfeld, and I have seen others 

 frequently about the sources of the Cowie River, and on the 

 banks of the Great l-'ish River towaids Pe Bruin's .Drift. It 

 may, therefore, be. said to inhabit the whole- of the South- 



