MOTACILLIDJE MACRONYX 241 



which increases in amount towards the outermost ; crown like 

 the back ; lores and eyebrow white ; ear-coverts buff-brown ; under 

 surface of body pink, tinged and streaked with brownish on the 

 sides, flanks, and under tail-coverts ; a black band originates on 

 each side below the ear-coverts, and crosses the sides of the neck 

 and upper chest ; edge of wing and under wing- coverts pink. 



Iris brown ; upper mandible dark brown, the lower paler ; legs 

 and feet yellowish. 



Length 7-60; wing 3-50 ; tail 3-25 ; tarsus 1-25 ; culmen 0-65. 



Adult female. Slightly smaller than the male but not differing 

 in colour. 



Young. The black pectoral band of the adults is represented 

 by a row T of black spots on a band of huffish-brown. 



Macronyx wintoni, Sharpe (" Ibis," 1891, pp. 444, 589), first 

 described from a specimen obtained at Kavirondo, in Central East 

 Africa, by Mr. F. J. Jackson ; and since procured by Mr. Boyd Alex- 

 ander on the Zambesi, and which was probably the bird obtained 

 by Dr. Bradshaw at Pandamatenka, is a small race of M. amelice. 



"Like M. amelice, but altogether smaller, the bill especially so." 

 (Sharpe). 



Irides brown ; feet light brown. 



Length 7'20 ; wing 3'55 ; tail 2-90 ; tarsus 1-20 ; culmen 0-50. 



Distribution. The larger race, M. amelice typicus, appears to be 

 confined to the coast of Natal, Zululand and the south of Portu- 

 guese East Africa, the smaller M. amelice wintoni to the interior 

 from Pandamatenka to Central East Africa. 



Habits. On the flat and swampy grass-lands bordering on the 

 coast of Natal this brilliantly coloured Pipit is by no means uncom- 

 mon and from its habit of perching on ant-heaps and other slightly 

 elevated spots where its bright pink throat and chest are easily 

 visible it is not readily overlooked. Like its congeners it has a 

 "mewing" call-note, usually uttered as it flies from one perch to 

 another ; in spring the male in addition has a short hurried song 

 uttered as he hovers for a few seconds in the air. This Pipit 

 feeds on grass- and other small seeds, to a larger extent on various 

 insects, small grasshoppers, young locusts, beetles and termites. A 

 nest, containing four eggs, found near Durban in November, was 

 built in a hollow at the foot of an ant-hill. It was deeply cup- 

 shaped, constructed of grass stems, lined with finer grass and a 

 few horsehairs. The eggs resemble those of M. capensis and M. 

 croceus in colour but are somewhat smaller, averaging 0*95 x 0-70. 





