626 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE [NOV. 17, 



6. Heterocorys breviunguis. (Plate LXXVI. fig. 1.) 



Alauda breviunguis, Sund. (Efv. K. Vet. Akad. Forh. Stockh. 

 1850, p. 99 ; Giebel, Th. Orn. p. 292 (1872). 



Certhilauda breviunguis, Bp. Consp. i. p. 246 (1850); Gray, 

 Handl. B. ii. p. 121 (1870). 



Megalophonus pyrrhonothus, Gray in Mus. Brit. etHand-1. B. ii. 

 p. 123 (1870). 



Adult male (one of the typical specimens). Above rufous fawn- 

 colour, the margins of the dorsal plumes paler and more fulvesceut, 

 with broad centres of blackish brown ; the head slightly crested and 

 coloured like the back, the hind neck more greyish and somewhat 

 separating the head from the back by an indistinct collar ; wing- 

 coverts coloured like the back, dark brown, with broad fulvesceut 

 margins, causing a somewhat mealy appearance ; quills brown, mar- 

 gined with fulvous fawn-colour, very broad on the secondaries, and 

 paler on the outer edges ; lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts 

 bright rufous fawn-colour with narrow blackish shaft-lines, broader 

 on the last named ; tail-feathers brown, bordered with fulvous, a 

 little broader on the outermost feather and more rufous on the centre 

 ones, which are shaded with ashy ; lores and a distinct eyebrow ful- 

 vous white, tinged with fawn ; ear-coverts rufous fawn, inclining to 

 dark brown on their upper margin ; cheeks fulvous white, with a few 

 spots of dark brown ; under surface of body isabelline buff, the throat 

 unspotted ; the flanks and chest washed with fawn-colour, the latter 

 marked with]a good many triangular spots of dark brown ; under wing- 

 coverts light fawn-colour, the outermost spotted with brown, the 

 greater series ashy brown, like the inner lining of the wing, which is 

 almost entirely of the latter colour, with a tinge of isabelline on the 

 inner web ; bill horn-brown, inclining to yellowish horn-colour at base. 

 Total length 6'8 inches, culmen 0'8, wing 4 # 0, tail 3*1, tarsus l'l. 



Hub. Caffraria to the Transvaal. 



Specimens examined. 

 E mus. Brit. : — a, b. South Africa (Sir A. Smith). 

 Emus. R. B. S. :— a, 6" • Transvaal, April 16th, 1844 (Wahlberg). 



4. Ammomanes. Type. 



Ammomanes, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 125 (1850) .... A. pallida. 



The characters given in the synopsis define the relations of this 

 genus, in which a system of uniform dorsal coloration appears to be 

 a point of no small generic significance. 



Keg to the species. 



a. Larger ; ear-coverts fawn-colour or rufous ; tail without 



white tips to the inner webs. 

 a'. Inner lining of wing lead-coloured, with no perceptible 



lighter shade on inner web of primaries .... 7. fcrruginea. 

 V. Inner lining of wing pale ashy, with the inner webs of 



the primaries inclining to isabelline 8. erythrocklamys. 



b. Smaller ; ear-coverts whitish or slightly washed with isa- 



belline; tail lipped with white spots on inner 



webs of the feathers 9. grayi. 



