181 



RUFOUS-CROWNED TODY. 



Lepturus ruficeps, SWAINS. 



PLATE XX. 



Above brown ; middle of the crown with a rufous stripe ; chin 

 and throat white ; breast and body pale yellow ; the side* 

 ferruginous ; lores whitish. 



IN artificial systems this little bird would be placed in 

 the genus Malurus, which has been made a common 

 receptacle for all insessorial birds which have length- 

 ened slender tails, short wings, and large feet, no 

 matter what their other characters and affinities 

 may be. 



The upper plumage is of a light drab-drown, in- 

 clining to fulvous on the rump ; the tail and wings 

 are rather darker, with the edges of the wing-covers 

 and quills dirty white. Over the eye, and on the 

 lores, is a duty white stripe; the middle of the 

 crown is pale rufous, or ferrugineous ; the under plu- 

 mage is white, but straw-coloured from the breast, 

 > having the sides ferrugineous ; the under mandible 

 i and the feet are pale ; the upper dark horn colour. 

 The figure is of the size of life. 



Total length, 4 T 2 S inches ; bill, gape, T 6 S ; front, 

 - 4 5 ; wings, 1; tail, beyond, 1 T 4 S ; base, 2 ; tarsus, 

 I J ; middle toe and claw, . 

 The next sub-genus is 



