inhabiting the South of Africa. 1 1 7 



east coast, and also the interior towards the eastern frontier 

 of the colony, as well as beyond it. 



MORPHINUS DTJBIUS. 



M. supra fuscus aut nigro fuscus ; infra albus striis, longitu- 

 dinalibus fuscis variegatus ; latera colli pectoris que subfvsca. 

 Remiges nigro-fuscce, albo aut nigro plus minus variegatoe ; 

 rectrices, fuscoe striis nigris undulatis notatce, et apices albce, 

 digiti flavi, rostrum et ungues subnigri. 



Female. Bill bluish black; cere yellow; plumage above 

 brown or blackish brown, according to the age and season of 

 the year, the shafts of the feathers and a portion of the vanes 

 adjoining being always darkest ; feathers towards quills more 

 or less white ; shoulders the same color as back, with the 

 exception of the margins of the feathers, which are of a 

 lighter tint ; sides of neck and breast variegated brown and 

 white ; chin, throat, and centre of breast chiefly white, with 

 some brown shades in the form of longitudinal streaks that 

 include the shafts of the feathers; belly white, here and 

 there variegated with clouds of light reddish brown or with 

 dark brown narrow streaks, produced by the shafts being of 

 that color. Several of the long feathers on the flanks more 

 or less distinctly crossed with reddish brown, and those on 

 the outside of the thighs also slightly marked in the same 

 way, only with a lighter shade, the rest of the feathers of 

 the legs pure white. Primary wing feathers blackish brown, 

 except the inner vanes towards quill, which are a pure white 

 or white and black in transverse bands, the latter distribution 

 occurs most particularly in some of the innermost ones, which 

 are almost for their whole extent so marked ; secondaries 

 blackish brown, the inner vanes banded with a darker tint, 

 and all pretty broadly tipt with white ; insides of shoulders 

 white, with a few blackish brown spots or blotches. Tail 

 nearly even, the feathers blackish brown, variegated with 

 narrow waved irregular bands of a darker tint, and all besides 

 being tipt with white are more or less mottled with that color, 

 particularly the inner vanes near quills ; upper tail coverts 

 reddish white ; toes yellow ; claws black. Length from bill 

 to root of tail ten inches ; length of latter eight inches. 



Young. Bill bluish black ; cere greenish yellow ; plumage 

 above a light brown, with the tips and edges of the feathers 

 light tawny or reddish ; chin, throat, and centre of breast 

 light tawny with brown streaks ; belly the same color, with a 

 few narrow brown lines ; flank feathers, and those on outside 

 of thighs marked as in older specimens ; wing feathers and 

 tail with the brown less deep ; toes greenish yellow ; claws 

 black. 



0fo. In the above descriptions I am very doubtful if either 



[23] 



