260 mr. d. g. elliot on the pteroclid^. [feb. 19, 



14. Pterocles decoratus. 



Pterocles decoratus, Cab. Journ. fur Ornith. (1868) p. 413 ; id. 

 Von der Deck. Reis.vol. iii. p. 43, pi. 13 (1869) ; Pinsch & Hartl. 

 Vb'g. Ost-Afr. p. 565; Von Heugl. Ornith. Nordost-Afr. (18/3) 

 Band ii. p. 870. 



Hab. Interior of East Africa, Lake Jipe. 



I have never seen a specimen of this bird, and only know it from 

 Cabanis's description and figure. He compares it to tricinctus, 

 Swains. ( = quadricinctus. Temm.), but says it is smaller, and 

 gives no description of the wings. It is, however, a very distinct 

 species, and can easily be recognized by the characters given below, 

 most of which are not found in any other known species. 



Male. Centre of forehead white, a large spot on each side and 

 throat black. Top of head, neck, and back reddish grey, crossed 

 with narrow lines of black. Superciliary stripe buffy white. Sides 

 of head and breast sandy buff, with a greenish gloss, beneath which 

 is an irregular black bar extending upwards to the shoulders of the 

 wing, succeeded by a broad white band. Abdomen and flanks black, 

 the feathers margined with rufous. 



"Total length 9"; bill along gape 7'" ; wing 6\5"; tail 2" 7'". 



Genus Syrrhaftes. 



Body large, comparatively heavy. Bill rather small, delicate, 

 pointed at tip ; culmen slightly curved, gonys ascending. Nostrils 

 basal, hidden in feathers. "Wings very long, pointed, first primary 

 longest ; primaries in one species filamentous. Tail cuneate, median 

 pair of rectrices always lengthened beyond the rest, apical portion 

 attenuated and pointed. Tarsu3 short, entirely covered by short 

 feathers. Feet tridactyle ; hallux obsolete ; toes very short, com- 

 pletely hidden iu feathers above ; the soles bare and scaly. Claws 

 moderate, curved and acute. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Median rectrices prolonged far beyond the rest. 



a. Primaries filamentous. Breast uniform vinous, tinged 



with green on upper part, and crossed in the centre 

 by an irregular bar formed of the narrow black 

 lines at the tips of the feathers. Abdomen blackish... 1. S. paradoxus, 



b. Primaries not filamentous. Upper part of breast buffy 



white, irregularly barred with black ; rest of under- 

 parts pale buff, becoming white on the under tail- 

 coverts 2. S.tibetanm. 



I. Syrrhaptes paradoxus. 



Tetrao paradoxus, Pall. Reis. Buss. Beichs, vol. ii. App. p. 712, 

 tab. F(1773); Gmel. Syst. Nat. (1788) vol. i. p. 755. sp. 30; Lath. 

 Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 643. sp. 20 (1790) ; Bonnat. Ency. Meth. 

 (1790) torn. ii. p. 205, pi. 93. fig. 1 ; Pall. Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. vol. ii. 

 p. 74 (1831). 



Heteroclite Grous, Lath. Gen. Syn. Birds, vol. iv. p. 753 (1783); 

 id. Gen. Hist. Birds, vol. viii. (1823) p. 261. 



