522 NOVELTIES. 



" Length, 4*0 ; wing, 2 - ; tail, 1*7 ; tarsus, 0'6 ; expanse 

 6"1 ; bill, at front, 0'3. The irides blackish brown ;■ the bill bluish 

 horny ; the legs and feet plumbeous or bluish/' All the speci- 

 mens obtained are in winter plumage, and possibly that of the 

 breeding season may be somewhat brighter colored. 



A brownish black band occupies the lores and ear-coverts, 

 and encloses the eyes. The forehead, crown, occiput, nape, sides 

 of neck, chin, and throat, greyish white, with a slightly fulvous 

 tinge on the nape. A crescentic ferruginous band stretches 

 across the interscapular region, its concavity towards the 

 nape, and along this edge it is pretty well defined ; on the lower 

 margin it shades away into the pale fulvous of the lower back 

 and rump. The upper tail-coverts grey, barely if at all tinged 

 with fulvous, and with inconspicuous brown central streaks. 

 Scapulars and lesser wing-coverts fulvous ferruginous, interme- 

 diate iu colour between the band, and the lower back ; the ferrugi- 

 nous band varies greatly in intensity and in definition. The head 

 in some is much greyer and the chin aud throat much whiter. The 

 black band again, in some, is entirely wanting in the lores, and 

 elsewhere is much obscured. The winglet, quills, and primary 

 greater coverts are hair brown, margined with white or more 

 or less fulvons white, the secondaries and tertiaries very broadly 

 so. The median coverts like the lesser, but faintly tipped with 

 whitish. The secondary greater coverts are broadly margined 

 towards the tip with more or less fulvous white, and higher up 

 with ferruginous, very deep and conspicuous in some. The 

 tail hair brown. The central feathers (which are 03 shorter 

 than the anti-penultimate) and the rest, except the exterior pair, 

 broadly margined on both webs with white, brownish, or fulvous 

 white. The lower breast and entire lower parts white with a 

 faint fulvous tinge, but one of the specimens, which has the 

 black and ferruginous bands most conspicuous, exhibits traces 

 of a more decided reddish pectoral band, which may probably 

 characterize the bird in summer plumage. 



As far as I can make out, the birds with very grey heads, white 

 throats, and upper breasts, undefined pale ferruginous interscapu- 

 lary band, grey lores, and faintly marked, black aural band, and 

 less deeply colored margins to secondary greater coverts, are in 

 the winter plumage, while those with greyish white heads and 

 throats ; a reddish tinge peeping out in spots on the upper 

 breast; strongly marked blackish baud enveloping lores, eyes, 

 and ear-coverts ; strongly marked, ferruginous crescent on inter- 

 scapulary region, and deep almost maroon colored edges to the 

 secondary greater coverts, exhibit an approach to the breeding 

 plumage. ..:..> 



