1888.] HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 523 



Formosa and through Borneo and Celebes to Lombok aud Flores. 

 C. stephani is found in Celebes, New Guinea, Waigiou, and Mysol. 



Urospizias natalis, sp. n.^ 



Ad. Supra flumbeo nigricans, cervice rufo-brunnea excejjta ; alis 

 caudaque fusco adumbratis ; remigum pogoniis internis et rec- 

 tricibus obscurius fasciatis ; regione malari plumbeo-cinerascente ; 

 mento pallida ; pectore rufo-brunneo plumbeo transverse striata ; 

 ahdomine pectare pallidiore, albido conspicue anguste transverse 

 striata; subcaudalihus fasciis albidis latiaribus. 

 Jr. Supra obscure fuscus, terga rectricibusque alarum rufescenti- 

 brunneo maculatis ; cervice albida maculosa ; remigibus et rectrici- 

 bus obscurius fusca fasciatis ; gula albida, in langitudinem 

 obscure fusco striata; pectare, abdomine, lateribus subcaudali- 

 busque albidis, rufo-brunnea transverse fasciatis, fasciis obscure 

 fusco limbatis ; cruribus fulvescentibus albido fasciatis . 

 Adult. Crown dark slate ; nape rufous brown ; back, scapulars, 

 npper wiug-coyerts, and upper tail-coverts dark brownish slate, paler 

 on the tips and inner webs of the quills. The inner webs of the pri- 

 maries and secondaries are obscurely barred with a darker shade. 

 Towards the bases of the outer primaries and inner secondaries the 

 interspaces between the bars are white or freckled with white. Tail, 

 above, dark slaty brown, all but the two central feathers slightly paler 

 on the inner webs and obscurely barred with a darker shade towards 

 the bases of the outer rectrices, the intervals between the bars are, as in 

 the wing, white or freckled with white ; below, the two central feathers 

 are uniform pale ashy brown. The side feathers are paler and rather 

 ohscurely barred with a darker shade, the bars being most distinct near 

 the shafts and towards the ends of the feathers. The outer ones are 

 obscurely freckled with white at the bases of the inner webs. Ear- 

 coverts slate-grey ; cliin, general effect pale rufous grey, paler in the 

 male ; the shafts are black, the webs irregularly barred with slate 

 and pale rufous. Breast fine rufous brown barred with slate; belly 

 paler brown, with narrow pale bars of white more or less freckled 

 with slate ; under tail-coverts like the belly, but the white bars 

 broader ; flanks and legs like the belly, but the pale bars less 

 distinctly marked, sometimes absent, but the feathers are always 

 tipped with white. Wings, primaries dark grey-brown, pale grey 

 towards the base ; secondaries grey, darker towards the tips, and 

 barred and mottled with dark and white in correspondence with the 

 colour on the dorsal aspect ; lower wing-coverts white, barred and 



^ Anatomically the species agrees witli its allies iu the characters mentioned 

 by Garrod. There is a nude oil-gland aud 12 rectrices are present. The gall- 

 bladder is absent. The gizzard is very muscular and theliniug is raised on the 

 opposing surfaces, which are sharply defined, into nine well-marked rcular 

 ridges with their planes m the direction of the axis of the gullet. It contained 

 the hard albuminous seeds of some monocotyledouous plant, partly broken up. 

 The intestine is 20 inches in length and is not provided with caeca. 



An ambiens muscle is present, though of extreme tenuity ; a small muscular 

 belly not more than 1 milHm. in breadth is interposed between the tendinous 

 origin and the long slender tendon which passes over the knee. 



