THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 143 



being chiefly confined to the tips, and the bases of the 

 feathers when raised being white ; the tail is a moderately 

 dark earthy brown, narrowly tipped with pure white ; there 

 is a subterminal blackish brown band about an inch broad; 

 and above this again five half-inch bands ; the fifth more or less 

 hid bv the upper tail coverts ; the space between the broad sub- 

 terminal band and the first half-inch one is 125 inch; between 

 the first and second bars 0*75, and smaller and smaller between 

 the succeeding bars. This description applies pretty well to 

 the eight central feathers, though the external of these are 

 somewhat paler ; but the two external feathers on each side are 

 very considerably paler, have much narrower subterminal bands, 

 and six instead of five other bands, which, moreover, are less 

 regular than those of the central feathers. The ear-coverts 

 are fulvous brown, streaked with blackish brown ; the chin 

 and throat are white, with three conspicuous blackish brown 

 stripes, one central, the others on either side commencing on the 

 base of the lower mandible. The breast, sides, and abdomen, 

 pure white ; the feathers with large, broad, more or less ovate, 

 blackish-brown spots on their terminal halves. There is a pale 

 rufescent halo round some of these spots on the sides of the 

 breast, the sides and abdomen. The vent feathers and lower 

 tail coverts are white, more or less banded or clouded with pale 

 rufescent brown. The tibial plumes are a dull pale rufescent, 

 here and there obscurely banded browner, and with numerous 

 narrow, and not very regular or perfect transverse white bands. 

 The tarsal plumes are white, the upper portions banded, and 

 the lower portions spotted with pale rufous and brown. The 

 wing lining white, irregularly banded, and spotted with blackish 

 brown; the lower coverts, along the ulna, and the axillaries 

 are more or less suffused with pale rufous. The lower surface 

 of the quills greyish white, the tips and numerous bands on 

 the median portions brown, darkest on the earlier primaries, 

 and becoming grey on the secondaries. The lower surface 

 of the tail greyish white ; the broad blackish brown sub- 

 terminal band, as also the other bands showing through, most 

 conspicuously on the centre feathers, less so on the external 

 ones. 



I have been very particular in the dimensions and descrip- 

 tion of this bird, because it is not yet, I believe, generally 

 accepted in Europe as a distinct species, and yet it seems to me 

 to be eminently so. 



Mr. Davison says : — " I only obtained one specimen (a female) 

 of this bird; which I shot at Dunnyleaf Creek, South Andaman, 



