88 MOUSSIEB'S REDSTART. 



with light rufous lines, which give the black a greyish appearance. 

 Primaries and secondaries dark brown; a streak over and behind 

 the eye; a large spot on each shoulder, and the base of the wing 

 feathers, forming a large "speculum," pure white. Rump rich chesnut; 

 upper tail feathers dark brown like the wings: all the rest rich 

 chesnut. All the under parts, including the axillae, rich chesnut; 

 the lower parts of the abdomen rather lighter, from the mixture 

 of some yellow feathers. Under wing rather lighter brown than the 

 upper. Length four inches and five eighths; tarsus seven eighths 

 of an inch; beak, from gape, nine sixteenths of an inch. 



The female, which is much more like the Redstarts than the male, 

 has the upper parts of a dull olive colour, inclining to grey. The 

 primaries and secondaries light brown, the latter being edged with 

 pale rufous. Upper tail feathers dark chesnut, the rest light. Rump 

 chesnut, with lighter endings to the feathers. The lower parts like 

 the male, but much lighter. There is little or no difference in size 

 sexually. 



My figures and the above descriptions, and the egg, are from speci- 

 mens kindly sent me by the Rev. Canon Tristram. 



Ruticilla Carii, (Gerbe,) is now considered by most naturalists, (even, 

 I believe, by Gerbe himself,) to be only the immature form of R. 

 tithys. It will therefore be dealt with in the British works, and the 

 name, as a species, must sink. We are much indebted to Mr. Gat- 

 combe for his paper on this subject. The plumages of the class are 

 an interesting and instructive study; and though I omit the Grey 

 Redstart from this work, I hope to see it figured in other works upon 

 British Birds. 



