650 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE [Nov. 17, 



more than the terminal half; lores and a distinct eyebrow sandy 

 buff ; ear-coverts rufous, spotted with dark brown, especially on the 

 hinder margin; cheeks, throat, and sides of neck buffy white ; rest 

 of under surface creamy buff washed with isabelline on the chest, 

 which is thickly spotted with dark brown, a few spots of which 

 colour extend on to the throat ; under wing-coverts isabelline, resem- 

 bling the inner lining of the quills, with a few spots of brown on the 

 carpal edge of the wing ; " beak horn-coloured ; legs sienna ; iris 

 hazel " (T. E. Buckley). Total length 5*8 inches, culraen 06, wing 

 3-1, tail 2-5, tarsus 0'85. 



Hab. From Caffraria and the Transvaal to Damara Land. 



This species is closely allied to M. cheniana, but is a much larger 

 bird, and has not the red borders to the wing-coverts, nor is it so 

 richly coloured. The white border does not extend on to the inner 

 web of the penultimate tail-feathers in the present species, whereas 

 in M. cheniana it extends to the inner web of the penultimate and 

 even forms a border to the third feather. 



Specimens examined. 



E mus. R. B. S. : — a, b. Damara Laud {€. J. Andersson). 

 E mus. T. E. Buckley:— a, d ■ Transvaal, Nov. 29, 1873 

 {T. E. B.\ 



E mus. II. B. Tristram : — a, b. Damara Land (C. J. Andersson). 



21. Mirafra damarensis, sp. n. (Plate LXXV. fig. 2.) 



Adult male in winter plumage. Above sandy grey, slightly washed 

 with fulvous and having a distinct shade of ashy grey on the mar- 

 gins of the feathers ; the upper surface narrowly streaked with 

 black shaft-lines, rather broader and more distinct on the crown ; 

 the hind neck inclining to ashy, the streaks much more minute ; wing- 

 roverts like the back but rather paler by reason of distinct whitish grey 

 margins to the feathers, which have also central streaks or markings 

 of bright fawn, many of the greater coverts washed with the latter 

 colour before the whitish margin ; quills dark brown, externally 

 shaded with ashy buff, broader and clearer grey on the secondaries ; 

 the outer aspect of the wing rufous, this colour extending right 

 across the primaries, of which it occupies quite two thirds, and 

 traverses also the basal part of the secondaries ; lower back and 

 rump sandy grey, like the back, with scarcely any shaft-streaks, more 

 distinct on the upper tail-coverts, which have distinct ashy white 

 margins ; tail blackish brown, all the centre feathers distinctly 

 shaded with bluish grey and margined with whitish ash-colour, 

 shading off into white at the tips, the three external feathers bordered 

 and tipped with white, this colour occupying the entire web of the 

 outermost feather ; lores, a distinct eyebrow, and sides of the face 

 white ; the ear-coverts sandy, with indistinct white streaks ; throat 

 white, unspotted ; rest of under surface creamy white, with a tinge here 

 and there of sandy isabelline, the chest with numerous minute specks 

 of dark brown ; thighs buff washed with sandy ; under wing-coverts 

 entirely rufous, like the inner lining of the quills, this colour occu- 



