Novelties. — A ne^jo Gemis of the Mahtrina. 301 



all but the central ones, narrowly tipped with fulvous white, and 

 with an obscure subterniinal dark band ; on the under surface, 

 the shafts are white. The ear coverts ming-led fulvous and pale 

 rufous brown, the sides of the neck streaked like the back ; on 

 either side of the throat descends from the gape for about half 

 an inch, a band of tiny feathers, white, with minute dark centres, 

 so as to produce the appearance of two or three irregular rows 

 of little spots on each side of the throat ; the chin and the centre 

 of the throat, breast, and abdomen, white, tinged buffj on the two 

 latter, and with all the feathers of the throat and breast very 

 faintly and narrowly tipped with brown, so as to produce the 

 appearance of a number of narrow faint transverse bars unlike 

 anything I have seen in the Indian members of this family. The 

 flanks, sides, vent, and lower tail coverts are tinged with dull olive 

 brown, mingled with fulvous buff ; the tibial plumes are fulvous 

 buff, the wing lining is buffy white, and so are the inner margins 

 of the inner webs of the quills as seen from below. 



The bird that I have thus attempted to describe is one of some 

 half dozen specimens shot by Mr. Blanford at Kurrachee when 

 on his way to Persia, and kindly made over by him to me. It is 

 in many respects a very remarkable bird, intermediate in many 

 respects between Sui/a and Laticilla Burnesi, Blyth, which widely 

 as Dr. Jerdon separates them, are really very closely allied, not 

 merely in general appearance, texture of plumage, and the like 

 externals, but equally so in habits and in their manner of creep- 

 ing about in amongst grass\nd reeds. 



I have carefully gone through the North African IfahirincB 

 as set forth by Riippell, Heuglin, &c. I have also tried to satisfy 

 myself that the bird does not belong to any known European 

 or Indian species, and I cannot avoid considering it new and 

 distinct, alike specifically and generically from • any bird of 

 which I can find a description. Only a single specimen, and 

 that a female, was obtained. Moreover of this female the tip 

 of both mandibles, and the tips of the two longest tail feathers 

 are shot away, one wing also is altogether imperfect, so that it 

 is not without great hesitation (although the specimen is a 

 very good one in other respects) that I have ventured to 

 characterize the species. I hope some of my friends in Sindh 

 will search for, and endeavour to obtain for me additional speci- 

 mens of this bird, which at a casual glance looks like a very 

 bulky, dark and strongly striated specimen of £tiruesia gracilis. 



