298 PTEROCLID^E. 



upwards from the throat, towards, but not quite, meeting on 

 the back of the neck, bright buffy-yellow or orange-buff ; lores, 

 forehead, a broad stripe over the eye continued round the nape 

 and the back of the neck, pale blue-grey, dull and tinged fawny 

 in some specimens ; crown, occiput, and nape, a sort of dove- 

 color or pale, slightly rufous-fawn ; back and rump a somewhat 

 similar, but more sandy color, in many specimens more tinged 

 with fawn ; the upper tail-coverts buffy-yellow, all but the 

 longest obscurely tipped with a somewhat pinkish-mouse color. 

 They are more or less pale dove-color at their bases, which color 

 however is not seen till the feathers are lifted The central tail- 

 leathers have the pointed tips black, in many specimens more or 

 less tinged horny-buffy, and the rest of the visible portion 

 yellowish-buff, but the bases, as may be seen on lifting the 

 feathers, are greyish ; the lateral tail-feathers are a greyish-brown 

 at base, * dark shafted, with conspicuous white tips, and broad 

 blackish-brown subterminal bands ; the primaries are pale 

 isabelline, the shafts conspicuous and black ; they have broad 

 ill -defined subterminal brown bands, beyond which there is a 

 narrow paler tipping, and they are pretty conspicuously margined 

 on their inner webs towards the tips with still paler isabelline ; 

 the first primary has the outer web browner, the others have the 

 outer webs, especially towards the bases, a brighter isabelline. 

 The whole visible portions of the lesser-coverts and of the 

 primary greater-coverts are yellowish-fawn, or isabelline, varying 

 much in shade in different specimens ; these greater-coverts are 

 dark shafted, and with a brownish tinge next the shafts on the 

 inner webs ; the scapulars bluish-grey at the bases, tipped broadly, 

 but chiefly on the outer webs, with buffy-yellow, and the lesser 

 ones tinged immediately above the yellow with a somewhat 

 brownish-purple, or dull greyish- vinaceous ; the secondary, 

 median, and greater-coverts like the lesser scapulars, but showing 

 more of the vinaceous hue. The secondaries are brown, lighter 

 towards their bases, the lower part of the neck in front 

 and breast are nearly the same blue-grey or greyish-fawn as 

 the back of the neck; the lower breast, abdomen, sides, 

 flanks, axillaries, and wing-lining isabelline or desert color, the 

 upper abdomen often with a faint orange-buffy tinge ; a broad 

 deep irregular brown patch runs down the centre of the abdomen 

 to the vent ; the lower tail-coverts are greyish-brown at their 

 bases, but are broadly tipped with white v often tinged buffy or 

 isabelline) which is the only color visible until the feathers are 

 lifted ; the lower surfaces of the quill shafts are white. 



The female has the yellow chin and throat patch like the male, 

 but paler ; the lores and feathers immediately encircling the eye 

 pale isabelline white ; the whole upper parts and the neck all 

 round pure isabelline, tinged slightly rufous on the occiput, 

 nape, and back, and conspicuously spotted with dull, somewhat 

 greyish-black ; the spots on the forehead and front part of the 



