RUFOUS WARBLEK. 359 



however the genus may be termed. With the South- African 

 Erythropygia (which is placed near Saxicola by some good 

 authorities), if indeed that be separable, the Thamnobia 

 already mentioned, and perhaps some other genera, it seems 

 to form a small but distinct group of Warblers, and the 

 example of nearly all modern ornithologists is followed by 

 recognizing the existence of the genus Aedon. 



The bill has the upper mandible brown above, its edges 

 and the lower mandible being pale yellowish-brown ; irides 

 reddish-brown : over and under the eye, and passing back- 

 ward over the ear-coverts, dull white ; from the gape to the 

 eye, a dark streak ; head above, neck, back and wing-coverts, 

 fawn-colour; primaries and secondaries, brocoli-brown ; outer 

 edges reddish-buff; upper tail-coverts and the two long middle 

 tail-feathers including the shafts, uniform reddish-buff; the 

 outer five tail-feathers on each side reddish-buff over two-thirds 

 of their diminishing length, then a band of black extending 

 over both webs, the remainder pure white ; chin, throat, 

 belly and lower tail-coverts, dull white ; breast, lower wing- 

 coverts and flanks, delicate fawn-colour ; the tail beneath 

 marked as above, but the colours not so bright ; legs, toes 

 and claws, pale wood-brown. 



The whole length seven inches ; from the carpal joint to 

 the end of the third and longest quill, three inches and 

 a half ; the second quill about as long as the fifth. 



It seems as if this species might generally be distinguished 

 from the kindred Aedon familiaris by the lighter and more 

 rufous tints of its upper parts, and especially by the colora- 

 tion of the tail. In A. galcictocles the two middle rectrices 

 are, as has been said, of an uniform reddish-buff, while the 

 outer tail-feathers are as above described. In A. familiaris 

 the middle pair of tail-feathers are only reddish-buff on the 

 proximal portion of the outer web, the whole of the inner 

 and the distal part of the outer web being of a greyish-brown, 

 with but a slight inclination to rufous, while the shaft is for 

 at least half its length of the same colour, and on the outer 

 feathers the black band is greatly increased and the white 

 terminal patch diminished in breadth. 



