MALURUS Africanus, 

 African Soft-tail. 



Generic Character. — See PI. 170. 



Specific Character. 



M. suprd, rufescens, strigis nigris varius ; gents mentoque albentibus, 

 sfrigd nigrd intermedid ; rectricibus attenuatis, nigris^ rufo 

 marginatis. 



Above rufous brown with black stripes ; sides of the head and chin 

 whitish, divided by a black stripe; tail feathers attenuated, 

 black, the margins rufous. 



Motacilla Africana. Gmelin, 1. p. 958. 



Sylvia Africana. Lath.Ind. Orn. 2. p. 518. Gen. Zool. 10. 2. p. 615. 



African Warbler. Lath. Spi. 4. p. 436. 



Curruca nsevia. C. B. Spei. Brisson. Ois. 3. p. 390. tab. 22. /. 2. 

 Orn. I. p. 419. 



Le Fluteur. VailL Ois. dHAfrique. 



1 HE characters of Mai urns, together with a few observa- 

 tions on the birds composing it, I have already given at 

 plate 170 of this work. Yet as the species are scattered 

 in several distinct genera of the Linnaean school, I have 

 here represented that which may be termed the type of the 

 genus, as instituted by Professor Temminck, and as modified 

 by myself. On comparing the characters of Timalia (a new 

 genus of Dr. Horsfield's) with those of Malurus, they will 

 be found to designate one and the same group of birds. 

 Indeed, the minute and interesting details, which Dr. Hors- 

 field has given, put the question almost beyond doubt, and 

 lead me to conclude, that the Doctor was not aware, at the 

 time, that his genus was already recorded. 



This bird is not uncommon at the Cape of Good Hope. 

 The notes of the male (according to M. Le Vaillant) are soft 

 and agreeable, much resembling those of a flute ; the 

 shortness of the wings renders its flight very low. The figure 

 is of the natural size ; and the bird has been so well described 

 by Brisson and Latham, that it is needless to repeat what 

 they have said ; the figures both of Le Vaillant and Brisson 

 are by no means accurate. The tail feathers are delicate 

 and transparent; and those of the whole body very soft, with 

 detached webs or radii, similar to Dr. Horsfield's Timalia 

 pileata, and gularis. 



PI. 170. 



