12 Novelties. — Mir of m Immacnlata, 



dark^ and a good deal paler, and losing its chocolate shade on 

 the quills and tail. The tail exhibits on the central feathers four 

 very narrow pale yellowish brown bars, and there are similar bars 

 on the exterior webs of all the lateral tail feathers exce|)t the 

 outermost ones. The throat is yellowish white, with a rufous 

 brown patch. The whole of the rest of the lower pai-ts includ- 

 ing the wing lining are nearly similar in tint to the back, but 

 somewhat more rufous ) each of the feathers of the abdomen and 

 flanks exhibits two or more pairs of small yellowish white sj)ots 

 or imperfect bars, which, even where best defined, are narrow, im- 

 perfect, widely separated, and by no means conspicuous, all but 

 the one nearest the point being hidden by the over-lapping of 

 the feather. The lower tail coverts are a paler and less rufous 

 brown^ and are more broadly and conspicuously barred with 

 white. 



Since writing the above, I have been favored by Mr. Ball, of 

 the Geological Survey, with the sight of another specimen of the 

 same species, procured, he informs me, in the Andamans. This 

 bird is decidedly distinct from CoL Tytler^s AJjinis, of which 

 species, or supposed species, Mr. Ball also sent me a specimen, 

 obtained^ as I understand him, from the Nicobars. 



Xmiu Imiimakta, S;p. Nov. 



Size and shape of Mirafra Assamica, upper surface, dull earthy 'brown ^ 

 striations, few and ill-defined. Breast, almost entirely spotless. 



I HAVE now had by me for many years a large Mirafra pro- 

 cured on Deobund, a hill some 9,000 feet high, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Mussoorie. Never having been able to obtain a second 

 specimen, I have hitherto hesitated to describe it, but it seems 

 so very distinct from Assamica, the only species which at all 

 closely approaches it, that in the hopes of other specimens 

 turning up, I now venture to give it a " local habitation and a 

 name." 



I may premise that of our four Mirafras three, viz., Affinis, 

 Er^tJiroptera, and Cantillans have the hind claw short, averaging 

 perhaps 0*3 inch in length. Assamica, on the other hand, has 

 a comparatively long claw, varying from 0'5 to 0'6 inch. Ther 

 present species approaches Assamica in this respect, having the 

 hind claws 0'6 inch in length. 



From Assamica, however, it may be at once separated by the 

 difference in the tint of the upper surface, which in this 



