inhabiting the South of Africa. 227 



of shoulders light tawny, inclining to white, and variegated 

 with irregular narrow brownish lines. Tail slightly rounded, 

 with the outer vanes of all the feathers brownish black, 

 spotted or irregularly banded with reddish brown, and the 

 inner ones nearly pure black, and partially crossed by pure 

 white in three different places ; tips of all the feathers white ; 

 legs and toes yellow ; claws black. Length from bill to base 

 of tail five inches ; length of tail four and a half inches. 



Female. The colors of the head, neck, and inter scapulars 

 are duller, and exhibit less lustre than those of the male. 

 Length from bill to base of tail about six inches and a half ; 

 length of latter five and a half. 



Young. Color above blackish brown, much variegated 

 about the back and sides of neck with white, arising from the 

 feathers in those situations being, with the exception of 

 brown tips, of a white tinge ; interscapulars and shoulders 

 mottled by the feathers having rufous tips ; upper tail coverts 

 nearly marked as in mature specimens ; chin and throat light 

 tawny white, with some longitudinal brown streaks ; breast 

 and centre of belly white, with oblong or roundish brown or 

 black spots, and many of the feathers narrowly tipt with 

 white ; sides of belly white, with broad brown bands, and a 

 more or less general tinge of rufous ; under tail coverts white, 

 with some heart-shaped blackish spots ; thighs rufous white, 

 with irregular transverse brownish bands. Primary wing 

 feathers brownish, with the inner vanes towards quill marked 

 in a dentated form by tawny ; secondaries brown, with a large 

 proportion of tawny disposed as in the primaries, and with 

 the edges of outer vanes and the tips of the feathers marked 

 by the same color. Tail a little rounded, the outer vanes of all 

 the feathers dull brown, the inner ones dusky black and tawny 

 white in alternate transverse bands ; the tips of all the 

 feathers white ; legs, toes, and base of bill yellow ; claws 

 black ; " eyes orange yellow." 



This bird is met with in the forests of Sitsikamma, and 

 also about the Baviaan's River, and other situations where 

 forests occur in the eastern districts of the colony. Its food 

 consists usually of the smaller birds, but when those are not 

 procurable it devours grasshoppers and some other insects. 

 According to Le Yaillant, it constructs its nest externally of 

 flexible twigs, together with moss and dried leaves, internally 

 with wool and feathers, and lays about five eggs. 



Obs. It will readily be seen by those whose have an oppor- 

 tunity of consulting the beautiful work of Le Vaillant, that 

 the bird figured in it under the name " Le Minule," is what has 

 just been described as a young bird. The evidence I possess, 

 leaves no doubt as to its being the plumage of the first 



[29] 



