Novelties. — Spilornis miuim?is. 465 



two specimens. One a young' female, the other an adult, and, as 

 far as shot injuries enabled us to make out, also a I'emale. 



Davison who resided nearly a month at Camorta saw altog'ether 

 about six specimens^ but they were so shy and wild^ that he 

 could not get within shot. They did not keep along the shore 

 or sit upon mangrove trees, fringing swamps and creeks, but 

 remained inside the jungle on the edges of the forest paths. 



The dimensions of the adult measured in the flesh were as 

 follows : 



Length, 18-75 ; expanse, 39 ; wing, 11-6 ; tail, from vent, 

 8*6 ; tarsus, 2'75 ; mid toe, to root of claw, 1*6 ; bill, from gape^ 

 1*6 ; weight, 1'5 lbs. 



The young female measured 



Length, 19-5 ; expanse, 38-5 ; wing, 11 '75 ; tail, from vent, 

 9 ; tarsus, 2*7 ; bill, from gape, 1"65 ; weight, 1*5 lbs. 



This latter was beyond all doubt a female, and so we have little 

 doubt was the former ; but as above mentioned, injury by shot 

 prevented our being absolutely certain of this. 



In both, the legs and feet were yellov/, the claws black ; the 

 bill light blue, dark horny at the tip. The irides, cere, gape, 

 and orbital skin, bright yellow. 



The adult has the whole top and back of the head and back 

 of the neck black. The nuchal and occipital feathers developed 

 so as to form a full crest ; the posterior feathers narrowly mar- 

 gined at the tip with whity brown. The whole mantle, pale 

 brown, with a purplish tinge on the coverts and scapulars, most 

 conspicuous about the shoulder of the wing. Most of the lesser 

 coverts, a few of the median coverts, and a few of the middle 

 scapulars with a white spot or a narrow white line at the tip. 

 Rump and upper tail coverts, the same color as the back ; most 

 of the feathers with a narrow white terminal fringe. The tail 

 pale brown, narrowly tipped with white and with a subterminal, 

 and one other 1-25 inches broad, blackish brown transverse bar. 

 Cheeks and ear-coverts the same color as the upper back, a light 

 brown. The whole lower parts a still paler, duller, and more 

 earthy brown, entirely unbarred and unspotted on the chin, 

 throat, and breast, but each feather of the sides, abdomen, and 

 axillaries with numerous large whitish spots, arranged in double 

 rows one on each web, becoming on the vent feathers irregular 

 bars. Tibial plumes similar, but the white spots larger, and 

 forming complete bars, or nearly so. Lower tail coverts, yellowish 

 white, with more or less regular, arrow-head shaped, pafe, brown 

 bars. Lower surface of the tail, grey, the dark bars only shewing 

 faintly through. The quills, brown ; all the secondaries and all 

 but the first twO; or three primaries, conspicuously but not broad- 



