214 LIST OF BIRDS IN MANIPUR, 



the whole visible portions of the closed wings (except the 

 terminal portions of the primaries, which are a pale grey brown, 

 and the broad centres of the tertiaries and a few streaks 

 on the coverts, all of which are deep brown) and the 

 rump are a rich ferruginous buff in the cold season, fadinor 

 much by June, when, by the disappearance of much of 

 the margins, black shaft lines become visible even on the rump, 

 while the upper tail-coverts are nearly wholly black, at any 

 rate in some specimens. The tail is in the cold weather a 

 deep brown, obsoletely barred, all but the central pair con- 

 spicuously tipped with white, and a trace of this on the 

 central ones, and the white extending a little way up the 

 outer web of the outermost feather, and with both webs 

 of the central and the outer webs in the lateral feathers, 

 strongly suffused for from three-quarter to half of their lengths 

 with ferruginous buff, brightest at the extreme margins and 

 near the bases of the feathers ; but in June specimens the 

 brown has paled somewhat, the white tippings have disappeared 

 wholly, or nearly so, from all but the shortest lateral 

 feathers, and the rich ferruginous buff has faded to a pale 

 brown, or brownish grey, sometimes with, sometimes without, 

 a faint fulvous tinge. 



The lores seem to be always a sullied, greyish or creamy 

 or pale fulvous white ; the ear-coverts very pale fulvous, 

 deepening towards their tips. Sometimes, irrespective (at 

 least so I conclude from the specimens before me) of season 

 or sex, there is a nearly pure white line from the nares 

 over the lores and eyes, and sometimes a line of feathers 

 behind this over the ear-coverts are white fringed. Generally 

 the line is traceable immediately over the eye, if nowhere 

 else. 



The chin, throat, breast and abdomen pure silky white 

 occasionally, more often a little sullied or very faintly creamy ; 

 sides, flanks, tibial plumes and lower tail-coverts buff, more 

 or less ferruginous or rusty, darker and more decided, or 

 paler and more washed out, primarily according to season 

 (this colour fading, as the year advances, like the rest), but, 

 secondarily, according to the individual several males killed 

 on the same day in March varying much in tint on these 

 parts. 



The lower-tail coverts have deep brown shaft stripes, 

 but these are scarcely noticeable in cold-weather specimens, 

 though conspicuous in June-killed birds ; edge of the wing 

 always nearly white ; wing-lining and axillaries pale buff 

 "'n winter, faintly creamy white to white in summer. This 



