Genus Platystira and its Allies. 167 



Zool. Anteckn. p. 26 (1858); Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 210; 

 Hartl. On. Madag. p. 45 (1861); Gurney, Ibis, 1862, p. 156 ; 

 Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 319; Schl. & Poll. Faun. Madag. p. xiv. 

 (1866) ; Gray, Handl. B. i. p. 329 (1869) ; Finsch & Hartl. 

 Vog. Ostafr. p. 314 (1870) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 44 (1871) ; 

 Gurney, in Anderss. B. Dam. Ld. p. 131 (1872). 



Platystira melanoleuca, Liclit. Nomencl. p. 20 (1854). 



Platystira molitor, Licbt. ut supra. 



Adult male. Above dull bluisb grey, the nape whitish, and 

 the rump also mottled with white ; a narrow line from the 

 base of the bill over the eye, running as far as the hinder part 

 of the eye, but not joining the nape, white ; lores, feathers 

 above and below the eye, ear-coverts, and sides of upper neck 

 deep black, extending down the back to the limit of the nu- 

 chal spot ; wing-coverts and scapulars black, the least coverts 

 slightly margined with whitish, the medium and inner greater 

 ones broadly tipped with white, forming a conspicuous alar 

 bar ; quills dark brown, very narrowly edged with whitish, 

 the secondaries black, more broadly margined, so as to form 

 a line continuous with the wing-band ; upper tail- coverts and 

 tail black, slightly tipped with white, the penultimate feather 

 a little more broadly, the outermost altogether white on the 

 external web ; cheeks, sides of neck, and under surface of the 

 body white, with a broad pectoral band of glossy black ; 

 thighs black ; flanks also mixed with blackish ; under wing- 

 coverts black, the lower ones and those along the bend of the 

 wing white ; bill and feet black ; iris yellow. Total length 

 5*3 inches, culmen 0*5, wing 2*5, tail 2*2, tarsus 073. 



Adult female. Above similar to male, but differing below. 

 Under surface white, sides of body mixed with grey : a patch 

 in the centre of the throat and a pectoral band deep chestnut. 



Hob. From the eastern districts of the Cape Colony to the 

 Zambesi. Found also in Damara Land. 



Specimens examined. 



Mus. Brit. — a, b, 2 . Tette [Livingstone] . c, $ . Shupanga 

 (T. Kirk) . d. Natal. 

 Mus. R. B. S.—a. S.E. Africa, b, 6 ,c,d,2. Eland's Post, 



