PABBID.E MICBOPABBA 341 



Genus II. MICROPARRA. 



Type. 

 Microparra, Cab. Journ. Ornith. 1877, p. 349 M. capensis. 



Resembling Actophilus in other respects, but with no trace of 

 a frontal shield ; a small blunt carpal spur present. 



Only the one species here described is assigned to this genus. 



714. Microparra capensis. Smaller Jacana. 



Parra capensis, Smith, III. Zool 8. Afr. Aves, pi. 32, (1839) ; Gurney, 

 Ibis, 1860, p. 221, 1864, p. 360 [Natal] ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 336 

 (1867) ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 330 (1872) ; Holub 

 & Pelz. Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 297 (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. 

 p. 649 (1884). 



Microparra capensis, Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 384 ; Sharpe, Cat. 

 B. M. xxiv, p. 89 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 187 (1896) ; Wood- 

 ward Bros. Natal B. p. 183 (1899) ; Reichenow, Vb'g. Afr. i, p. 270 

 (1900). 



Description. Male. Crown and nape chestnut, with a slight 

 metallic wash ; below the nape a metallic-purplish black patch 

 separating two straw-coloured patches on the sides of the breast and 

 neck ; back and wings sepia-brown slightly mottled with metallic- 

 purplish and chestnut, the coverts with paler, almost white tipSj 

 quills black, the secondaries tipped with white ; upper tail- coverts 

 and tail chestnut, the latter with dark brown tips to some of the 

 feathers; forehead and lores golden-yellow, a distinct white eye- 

 brow ; beneath white throughout except the axillaries and sides of 

 the body, which are chestnut ; under wing-coverts black. 



Iris hazel ; bill brown ; legs and feet greenish-brown. 



Length about 6 ; wing 3-5 ; tail 1-1 ; culmen 0-6 ; tarsus T5 ; 

 middle toe and claw 2-2 ; hind toe about 2-0, of which the claw, 

 which is excessively elongated, forms 1-5. 



The sexes are alike. 



Distribution. The Smaller Jacana is not so common or so 

 widely distributed as the- -larger- species. It was first obtained by 

 Smith from the neighbourhood of Algoa Bay, and subsequently by 

 Trevelyan at King William's Town ; these are the only records of 

 its occurrence in the Colony ; Ayres obtained it at Sea Cow Lake, 

 and Millar at Clairmont, both near Durban, Bradshaw and Holub 

 near the Upper Zambesi at Pandamatenka, and Andersson and Fleck 

 in the Ngami country and on the Okavango. Beyond our limits it 



