280 Dr. von Heuglin's Note on 



The nest is like that of the rest of the family, a few pieces 

 of grass, upon which the eggs are laid, but on the whole 

 greatly depending on the nature of the ground. 



The breeding-season lasts fi'om August to January ; but in 

 confinement they will lay almost at any time of the year. 



The young upon leaving the shell are of a dusky hue, almost 

 black. 



XXIII. — Note on Cichladusa arquata and C. guttata. 

 By Dr. M. T. von Heuglin^. 



(Plate IX.) 



Amongst the rich natural-history collections brought by Pro- 

 fessor Peters from the east coast of Africa, there was a bird 

 which has been described by its discoverer under the name of 

 Cichladusa arquata. A little later the same bird was described 

 by Dr. Hartlaub as Bradyornis spekii, from a specimen collected 

 by Capt. Speke at Kazeh. Apparently congeneric is a smaller 

 species from the White Nile, observed by me between lat. 5° 

 and lat. 7° N. 



Prof. Peters characterizes his genus Cichladusa as follows : — 

 " The wing- and tail-feathers, as well as the caligated tarsi, are 

 as in the genus Bessonornis, from which, however, it differs in 

 its stronger beak, the stiff suberected feathers of the forehead, 

 and the rounded nostrils." A generic separation seems to 

 be necessary. From Bradyornis it differs in its lively manners. 

 Bradyornis is a slow, indolent, songless, Muscicapine form, 

 somewhat allied to Ruticilla, and to the very aberrant Saxicola 

 rufocinerea, Riipp. 



I add full descriptions of both species. 



1. Cichladusa arquata, Peters, Monatsber. K. Akad. Wis- 

 sensch. Berlin, 16 March 1863; Journ. fiir Orn. 186J^, p. 352. 

 Bradyornis spekii, Hartl., Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 105 ; Sclat. 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 108, No. 6. " Morning Warbler," 

 Speke, loc. cit. (Plate IX. fig. 1.) 



* [Kindly communicated by Dr. Ilartlaub. — Ed.] 



