PYRRHULAUDA LEUCOTIS. 



exceeds the others in length by its last joint ; the claws are but slightly 

 curved, the claw of the hinder toe longer than the toe itself. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Inches. Lines. 



Length from the point of the bill to 



the tip of the tail 



of the bill 



of the wings when folded . . . 

 of the tail 



Inches. Lines. 



Length of the tarsus 7s 



of the middle toe 4g 



of the other toes S\ 



of the hinder claw .3 



Female. — Above dusky brown, the feathers edged with pale rufous or 

 rufous-white ; the lesser wing coverts brown towards their bases and rufous 

 towards their points, many of them partially margined with v/hite ; the 

 primary and secondary quill coverts and the quill feathers brown, the two 

 first tipt and margined externally with white or pale rufous, the quills 

 excepting the two or three outermost are margined externally with rufous, 

 and narrowly tipt with white. Chin, throat, breast, flanks, and vent rusty 

 white, the chin, throat and breast faintly mottled with small brown spots ; inner 

 surface of the shoulder dark umber-brown ; eye-brows dirty white spotted 

 with rufous ; and there are indications of a narrow white collar upon the back 

 and sides of the neck. Tail dark-brown, the feathers margined and tipt 

 with pale rufous, the outer vane of the outermost of each side pale rufous or 

 rusty white. 



The young bird is coloured nearly as the female, only the tints are more 

 dusky and the light edgings to the feathers, particularly those of the head 

 and shoulders, are narrower, but more distinct and better defined. 



Of the manners and habits of this species we know but little. Though its members show a 

 disposition for society, yet we never detected more than five or six individuals associated 

 together, which circumstance has always inclined us to believe that we had not reached the 

 head-quarters of the species. The few specimens we obtained were killed upon plains thinly 

 covered with dwarf shrubs, near to the Tropic of Capricorn. Their flight, when occasioned by 

 fear, was usually but short, and they were never seen to alight upon anything but the ground, 

 along which they ran with great rapidity, and then proceeded to collect their food, which 

 consisted of seeds, (fee. 



