438 THE MARQUIS OF TWEEDDALE ON BATRACHOSTOMUS. [JViaj 15, 



black, and then, in some, a rufous tip. A black-edged wbite nuchal 

 collar is thus formed. The minor wing-coverts are unspotted ; but 

 at the tips of the greater coverts are to be found a large white spot, 

 mostly occupying the outer web and bordered above by a dark brown 

 line. In some this dark line surrounds the inner margin of the 

 white spot. Some of the scapulars have the greater part of both 

 webs of the lower half white ; others have only the outer webs white. 

 These white marks are all more or less edged with brown. The pri- 

 maries and secondaries have their inner webs uniform brown, the 

 outer webs being pale rufous with irregular rufous-brown marks at 

 intervals, adjoining the shaft ; the exposed part of the tertiaries is 

 more or less uniform rufous. The upper tail-coverts are rufous, 

 with one or two pairs of tawny-rufous spots on transverse bars. 

 Rectrices dull rufous, stippled with a few minute brown dots, and 

 traversed by five or six narrow tawny-rufous bands, each being mar- 

 gined above and below with a narrow brown line. Terminal narrow 

 fringe of rectrices dark brown, in some surrounded by a rufous 

 edging ; in the laterals the pale bands on the inner webs are mostly 

 almost white. Under surface of rectrices as above, but all tints much 

 paler. Chin and throat dingy rufous, some of the throat-feathers 

 and most of the upper pectoral having pallid tawny centres, most 

 conspicuous on the breast, crossed by a pale brown line and fringed 

 with bright rufous. This combination imparts a scale-like appear- 

 ance to the breast, but has a slight resemblance to the pure white 

 breast and throat-banding in B. affinis $ . The lower pectoral 

 feathers are of the same character, but, being much larger, more of 

 the pallid tawny hue is exposed. The abdominal and flank-plumes 

 are of the same pallid hue, but are scarcely fringed with bright 

 rufous. The ventral region and under tail-coverts same as abdomen, 

 but with still less rufous edgings. The narial bristles are tawny 

 rufous, darker towards the tips. Under wing-coverts almost vinous 

 tawny, varied with rufous or brown ; axillaries white. Wing O'O, 

 tail 525, tarsus 0'50, middle toe 0"63, bill from forehead 1*12, width 

 of gape 1-31. 



In some examples the nuchal collar-plumes have two transverse 

 brown bars above the white. The white portion and, indeed, the 

 whole of the markings also occur tinged with rufo-fulvous. 



Mr. Gould's type specimen scarcely differs from the above descrip- 

 tion. Its rufous plumage is of a deeper bay tone ; the caudal bands 

 do not touch the shaft, and they are rufous, and not tawny-rufous. 

 This phase is to be found in Malaccan nnd Bornean examples. In 

 less-mature (?) examples the dorsal plumage, the scapulars, the 

 major coverts, and tertiaries are finely striated with black, with occa- 

 sional more definite black lines. 



S (?) adult (?), ex Malacca. In Malaccan collections examples 

 are as frequently present in which the rufous or rufous-bay colouring 

 is replaced by a dark brown tint, sometimes with a rufous tinge, the 

 markings being similar to those of the rufous birds. The caudal 

 bands or spots are sometimes of a rufous tint. These brown birds 

 sometimes occur with the dorsal plumage finely striated with black 



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