SAXICOLA INFUSCATA.— Smith. 



AvEs.— Plate XXVIII. Male. 



S. supra griseo-brunnea ; gula guttureque sordide albis ; pectore abdomiuequo flavo-griseis, plus minusve 

 bninneo-tinctis ; alarum tectricibus, remigibus, rectricibusque fuscis, partim sordide albo-marginatis. 

 Rostro pedibusque nigro-brunneis. 



LoNGlTUDO corporis cum capite 4 unc. ; caudse 3h unc. 



Colour. — The upper and lateral parts of the head, the back and sides of 

 the neck, the interscapulars and the back rusty broccoli-brown ; the chin and 

 the throat dirty white ; the breast, belly, and thighs, yellowish grey, more or 

 less deeply tinted with brown. Lesser wing coverts, primary and secondary 

 quill coverts, quill feathers and tail umber-brown, the coverts and the 

 secondary quill feathers edged and tipt with dirty white, the primary quill 

 feathers towards their bases and the lateral tail feathers, particularly the 

 outermost one of each side, margined externally with the same colour. Bill, 

 feet, and claws, liver-brown ; eyes dark brown. 



Form, &c. — Figure robust. Bill strong, rather broad at base and the 

 cutting edges distinctly inflected, apex of upper mandible slightly hooked. 

 Wings rounded, and when folded, reach to the commencement of the last half 

 of the tail ; the first quill feather rudimentary, the third and fourth longest 

 and equal, the fifth is slightly shorter than the fourth, and the second and 

 sixth are of equal length, and about three lines shorter than the third. Tail 

 square at the point. Tarsi long, and rather robust, anteriorly scutellated, 

 posteriorly entire ; claws long, strong, and moderately curved. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Inches. Lines. 



Length from the point of the bill to 



the tip of the tail 7 C 



Length of the bill from the gape 10| 



of the wings when folded 4 9 



ofthetail 3 (5 



Length of the tarsus 



of the outer toe... 

 of the middle toe. 

 of the inner toe... 

 of the hinder toe. 



The colours of the female differ little if at all from those of the male. 



This is the largest and rarest of the South African Saxicolcs. It appears to be principally, if 

 not entirely restricted to the districts between the Oliphaut and Orange Rivers, and seldom 



