RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. S ( J7 



Malacocircus (Layardia) robiginosus, Godwin- 



Austen. 



I have described this in P. Z. S. for 1874 : " Above rich 

 rusty brown, darker on the head, Avith black shafts to the 

 feathers ; wings and tail of same colour, the latter distinctly 

 barred ; lores white, beneath pale rufescent, nearly white under 

 chin, and pale on centre of abdomen. 



Bill black, well curved ; legs pale corneous or dull grey 

 brown ; irides nearly white. 



Length, 95 ; wing, 3*0 ; tail, 4*8 ; tarsus, 1*6 ; bill at 

 front, 0-62. 



The first two specimens of this bird I shot in long grass near 

 the Logtak Lake, Muuipur, and again obtained specimens near 

 Kaibi in the same valley. It is essentially a grass-bird, with 

 all the habits of 31. terricolor, Hodgson. It associates about 

 a dozen together, flying through the grass, one after the other, 

 in a scattered line, never abiding long in one place. A near ally 

 of this bird, 31. subrufus from Malabar, is not so intensely 

 rufous, has no white on the throat, is greyish on the head, and 

 has a yellow lower mandible. 



Prinia rufula, Godwin- Austen. 



Described in P. Z. S. for 1874. I copy the original descrip- 

 tion from that Journal. Above, head ashy brown becoming 

 more russet on back and pale rufous on rump and upper tail- 

 coverts ; tail brown, indistinctly barred, tipped white on the 

 outer tail-feathers with a subterminal dark spot ; wing dark 

 brown, with pale rusty brown edgings to primaries and secon- 

 daries ; lores, round eye and ear-coverts pale ash, below chin 

 sullied white, grej-er white on breast ; ocbraceous on abdomen ; 

 flanks and thighs pale brown. 



Bill black, both above and below; legs pale corneous, with 

 darker claws ; irides ruddy ochre. 



Length, 475 ; wing, 1*82 ; tail, 2"4 ; tarsus, 0*75 ; bill at 

 front, 0-4. 



This species was common in the Naga Hills and Munipur, 

 and replaces Ilodgsoni, Blyth, on the Khasi Hills side. It is 

 quite distinct from P. gracilis, Franklin, which has a marked 

 pale rufous forehead, and can be distinguished at a glance from 

 the former bird, which is remarkably ashy with dark ear- 

 coverts. 



Cisticola munipurensis, Godwin- Austen. 



Described in P. Z. S., 1874 ; the original description follows. 



" Above dark umber brown, feathers margined pale ochre on 

 head, broader and more rufous on back ; upper tail-coverts 

 plain rufous brown ; the feathers on nape are paler rufous and 



