Mr. A. Hume on Indian Ornithology. 183 



claw "BS, hind toe and claw "4, outer toe and claw '38, bill from 

 front "35 to "39, from gape "55 to '62, width at gape "28, height 

 at base "09. 



Description. Bill — upper mandible dark brown, with the edges 

 light ; lower mandible flesh-coloured, rather dusky towards the 

 tip ; inside of mouth orange-yellow. Legs and feet fleshy-grey ; 

 in some tinged with yellowish, especially on the soles, in some 

 glaucous. Irides, hazel-brown. 



Plumage [immediatehj after the autumnal moult) : feathers of 

 the head, nape, back, and scapulars lax, hair-brown, tinged to- 

 wards the margins with a paler, slightly rufous- or fulvous- 

 brown (the whole in some specimens with a faint shade of 

 olive) . Rump paler and rather more rufous in tone. Upper 

 tail- coverts hair-brown, with lighter fulvous-brown edges. Tail 

 dark brown — all but the two outermost rectrices very narrowly 

 margined with pale fulvous- or greyish-white, outermost feather 

 on each side with the whole of the outer web dull or greyish- 

 white. Tips and internal mai'gin also greyish-white. Rectrices 

 next to the outermost similar, but with less white on the outer 

 webs and more on the tips. 



A conspicuous superciliary streak from the nostril extending 

 over the eye to the ear-covert of a pale buff", or rich cream - 

 colour. Lore, cheek, and ear-covert the same as the crown of 

 the head, but of a lighter shade. The whole lower parts buff'y, 

 varying in shade and in warmth of tone in diff"erent specimens, 

 but always palest, and in some almost white, on the chin, the 

 middle of the abdomen, the vent and lower tail-coverts. Sides 

 and flanks slightly infuscated. Axillaries, wing-lining, and edge 

 of wing from carpal joint cream-coloured, varying in warmth 

 of tinge in different specimens. Lower surface of remiges and 

 rectrices brownish grey. 



The wing hair-brown, as dark as the tail, the primaries and 

 secondaries very narrowly, and the coverts and tertiaries broadly 

 margined with rufous- or fulvous-brown of the same tone as the 

 rufous of the back. 



It is only on close examination that the difi'erence in the 

 colours of the margins and centres of the feathers of the head, 

 back, and other parts is observed ; looked at from the distance of 



