1. INDICATOR. 199 



5. Indicator variegatus. 



Le Qi'and Indicateur femellej Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. v. pi. 241 (1806) ; Sundev. Krit. om Levaill. 



p. 50 (1858). 

 Indicator major ? , Steph. Gen. Zool. ix. part 1, p. 140, pi. 27. fig. 2 (1815) ; Guer. Iconogr. 



Eegne Anim, Ois. pi. 32. 

 Indicator sparrmanni, Leadb. Tr. Linn. Soc. xvi. p. 91 (1833, nee Steph.). 

 Indicator variegatus, Less. Trait(5, p. 155 (1831); Pueher. Rev. Zool. 1853, p. 71 j Cab. & 



Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. iv. p. 6 (1862) ; Grill, Zool. Anteckn. p. 43 (1857) ; ScKl. Mus. 



P.-B. Cuculi, p. 2 (1864); Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 242 (1867); Gray, Hand-1. B. ii. 



p. 204 (1870) ; Heugi. Orn. N.O.-Afr. p. 773, note (1872). 

 Indicator maculicollis , Sundev. (Efv. k. Vet. Akad. Forh. Stockh. 1850, p. 109. 

 Indicator levaillantii, Bp. Consp. i. p. 100 (nee Temm.). 



Adult. — Above yellowish olive, the rump and upper tail-coverts uniform ; 

 the head rather greyer, the forehead and crown, as well as the sides of the 

 face, throat, and fore neck, black, the feathers all tipped with yellowish 

 white, producing a mottled appearance ; the rest of the under surface yellowish 

 white, the bases to the feathers of the flanks being grey and appearing 

 mottled, the lower flanks and under tail-coverts white, narrowly streaked 

 with brown, much more obsolete on the latter ; under wing-coverts whitish, 

 mottled with greyish black near the outer edge of the wing ; quills blackish, 

 edged with olive-golden, rather brighter than the colour of the back ; four 

 centre tail-feathers blackish, edged with yellowish olive and inclining to 

 greyish white along the inner webs of the two centre ones, the next two with 

 a greyish white spot near the tip, the rest of the feathers white, the two 

 outermost tipped with dark brown, the next one pure white, and the next 

 inclining to brown along the inner web and towards the base. Total length 

 67 inches, culmen 0"5, wing 4'05, tail 29, tarsus 0"65. 



Habitat. — South Africa. Knysna {Victorhi), George (i/. Atmore), 

 Beaufort (T. C. Atmore'). E. Africa. Mombas QVakefield). 



The late Professor Sundevall (/. c.) has amply shown that the idea of 

 this bird being the female or young of /. major or /. sparrmanni is quite 



2 E 



