210 Prof. A. Newton on the 



course proceeded to shut the windows before I opened the 

 package, lest the captive should escape. My precaution in 

 this case was needless. I found the poor prisoner had been 

 already liberated by death; but I leave my readers to judge 

 of my feelings when, instead of the pied Sparrow or something 

 just as valuable, which long experience has taught me to regard 

 as the ordinary occupant of boxes similarly delivered, I found 

 that for which I was wholly unprepared. As I carefully 

 raised the lid there was before me the down-clad chick of 

 what might, so far as the first glance went, be a Tern, a 

 Plover, or a Sandpiper. But as I lifted it from its scanty 

 bed of dry grass the next moment revealed to me 



— " the feet of the Queen of the yellow sands," 



and I was certain that 1 had in my hand a young Syrrhaptes ! 



The following is a description which I immediately drew 

 up :— 



Weight a little more than ^ oz. Length, in a prone 

 position, from tip of bill to coccyx 33 in. ; tibia *86 ; tarsus 

 to tip of middle claw '9 ; carpal joint to tip of longest digit 

 •68 ; nostril to tip of bill "22 ; anterior canthus to tip of bill 

 •46. Outer toe united to middle toe to within - 05 of tip, inner 

 united to middle to within 1 of tip. No trace of hind toe. 



Bill blackish-grey, paling into dusky horn-colour towards 

 the tip, no trace of armature on culmen, mandible rather 

 more livid. Bare skin round eyes dusky bluish-grey. Irides 

 dull hazel. Soles pale ochre; claws dusky white. 



Downy plumage. Immediately above each nostril is a 

 cream-coloured V pointing forwards, succeeded by a rich 

 brown triangle, also pointing forwards, with a black terminal 

 margin produced backwards to bound on each side a 

 cream-coloured mesial stripe. Behind these triangles a 

 cream-coloured patch reaching to anterior canthus and 

 succeeded by a rich brown L-shaped patch, extendiug from 

 the eyebrow to the black boundary line of the mesial stripe. 

 This patch, barred with black, on tips of down, is invaded 

 by one arm of a cream-coloured patch, the general tendency 

 of which is to gird the hind head like a coronet, but runs 

 forwards in the midst to meet the mesial stripe, while the 

 lateral patch of rich brown, interrupted on the top of the 

 head by irregular cream-coloured frecklings, is produced 

 backward and becomes paler, though still mottled with 



