146 PLOCEID^l VIDUA 



lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts white, the coverts streaked 

 with black ; lesser and middle wing-coverts white ; rest of wing 

 black, the feathers broadly edged with reddish-buff ; tail-feathers 

 black variegated with white, the four centre feathers greatly elongated 

 and pure black ; cheeks, ear-coverts, sides of face and neck, as well 

 as entire under surface of body white, a patch of black on each side 

 of the chest ; in some specimens the chin is black ; under tail and 

 wing-coverts white. 



Iris brown ; bill red ; feet light brown. 



Length to end of short tail-feathers 5-15 ; of long feathers 12-50 ; 

 wing 2-85; tail, not including long feathers, 2-25; including long 

 feathers, 9*60 ; tarsus 0-70 ; culmen 0-40. 



Vidua principalis. 



Adult female. Above reddish-buff streaked with black ; crown 

 darker dotted with black and bordered on each side by a black 

 streak ; eyebrows and feathers below the eye buffish ; behind the eye 

 a black streak ; a third black streak includes the upper ear-coverts ; 

 rest of ear-coverts, cheeks and under surface of body reddish-buff ; 

 the centre of breast and abdomen and under tail and wing-coverts 

 white ; lesser and middle wing-coverts black edged with buff; 

 greater coverts black edged with tawny ; quills blackish edged with 

 grey ; tail-feathers dusky brown with a patch of white towards the 

 end of the inner web of the outer feathers. 



Iris brown ; bill red ; feet light brown. 



Length 4-75 ; wing 2-60 ; tail 2-20 ; tarsus 0-60 ; culmen 0-40. 



Adult male in winter. Resembles the female, but the wings are 

 darker the throat whiter ; it is also somewhat larger ; wing 2-85 ; 

 tail 2-25. 



Young of the year. Above uniform brown, the wing-coverts 

 redder; rest of wing dusky brown, the quills edged with lighter 

 reddish-brown ; tail like the wing ; crown like the back ; face, 

 cheeks and under surface of body buff-white, darker on the sides 

 and flanks; axillaries and under wing-coverts dull white; bill black. 



