Novelties — Mirafra Immaculata. 13 



latter is a pale earthy grey^ the feathers centred with dark hair- 

 , brown, so as to produce the effect of strongly marked striatious 

 on the whole of the head and mantle. In the present species 

 these parts are a dull earthy brown, Avithout the slightest tinge 

 of grey, and except just in the centre of the back where they 

 are better marked, the feathers are only very faintly darkly 

 centred. 



All four of our Indian Mirafras hitherto described are charac- 

 terized by well-marked dark spots on the breast. In the present 

 species there is scarcely a trace of ani/ sj^otting on the breast. 



I have no idea of the distribution of this new species, but it 

 is not apparently found in the Dhoon, from which locality as well 

 as from the north of the Saharunpoor district, I have received 

 the true Assamica. 



Dimensions (from the dry shin) — Length, 5 '75 inches,- wing, 

 3*35; tail, 1*9; bill at front, 0*6 ; from gape, 0*72; tarsus, I'O ; 

 hind toe and claw, 1*13; claw 0-6. 



Description. — Whole top of the head, back of the neck, 

 back scapulars and rump, dull earthy brown, not either ashy or 

 olive j feathers of the head faintly, of the interscapular region 

 and scapulars more distinctly, and of the other parts scarcely 

 perceptibly centred with hair-brown ; quills and coverts dark 

 hair-brown ; primaries (except the two first) and their greater 

 coverts, broadly margined on their outer webs with bright 

 ferruginous; the rest of the quills and coverts broadly margined 

 with ferruginous buff. The tail paler hair-brown than the 

 quills, the central feathers broadly margined on both webs, and 

 the lateral feathers on the external webs with rufous or rufous 

 buff. The upper tail coverts, which are pale hair-brown margin- 

 ed with pale earthy brown, extend to within 0"6 of the end of 

 the tail. The lores and orbital region and cheeks are pale 

 rufous ; from the gape diverge two narrow dusky brown lines, 

 one running parallel to, and below the eye, and joining into the 

 brownish tips of the ear-coverts, and the other, running down 

 along the jaw, and lost in some very faint spots on the sides 

 of the neck. The chin is whitish, the whole of the rest of the 

 lower parts is a uniform pale rufous, (brighter and more decided 

 however, than in Assamica) more or less infuscated on the flanks. 

 On the breast there is just a trace of a very few dusky spots, 

 not noticeable unless closely looked into. The axillaries, the 

 whole wing lining, and the inner margins of the quills, inside 

 a line drawn from the base of the first to the end of the last 

 primary, are a very pure bright salmon rufous. 



