DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW BIROS FROM WESTERN AFRICA. L83 



* 



brown. Three outer feathers of tail widely tipped with pale yellow. Inferior wing- 

 coverts bright yellow, primaries edged on their inner webs with pale yellow. Bill 

 dark bluish, with the edges of mandibles and tip of lower mandible nearly white. 

 Feet light (probably light reddish or flesh-color). Sexes very nearly alike. 



Hob. — Moonda. Muni and Carama Rivers. Western Africa. Specimen in Mus. 

 Acad. Philada. 



This bird belongs to the same group as Trichqphorus canicapillits, Hartlaub, and 

 Dcmjcephala syndactyla, Swainson, and other species forming the genus Xenocichla. 

 Hartlaub, to which group also the singular name Bleda has been applied. It does 

 not closely resemble any other species known to us, and may be readily distinguished 

 by the bright yellow spot in front of the eye. 



Numerous specimens were received in Duchaillu's collections, from whom the 

 series now in the Acad. Mus. was purchased. The figure represents the adult male 

 of the size of life. 



4. Alethe castanea, (Cassin.) 



Napothera castanea, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Philada., 1850, p. 158. 

 Alethe castanea, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Philada.. 18-59, p. 4 -J. 

 Napothera castanea, Cassin, Hartlaub, Syst. Orn. West Afr., p. 73, (1857.) 

 Alethe castanea, Cassin, Heine, Cabanis, Journ., 1860, p. 129. 

 PLATE XXIIT. Fig. 1. Adult male. 



About the size of Napothera atricapilla, of Sumatra, and somewhat resembling 

 that species. Bill moderate, distinctly notched ; wing with the fourth quill longest ; 

 tail long, wide, rounded. 



Total length about 6f inches, wing oh, tail 23 inches. 



Adult Male. — Top of the head with all the feathers light reddish yellow, at base 

 tipped with dark rufous, forming a large partly concealed coronal spot of that color 

 (reddish yellow). Front and obscure superciliary strrpe dark rufous; cheeks, 

 sides of the neck and sides of the body light cinereous. Upper parts of body 

 reddish chestnut, inclining to fulvous, brighter on the back and rump ; under parts 

 white; under wing coverts white, tinged with cinereous. Quills brownish black, 

 edged externally with chestnut, uniform with upper parts of body. Tail brownish 

 black; outer feathers edged externally with reddish chestnut. Bill black; feet 

 lighter. 



Younger Male. — Generally exactly the same as the preceding, but with frontal 

 and superciliary feathers brownish black, with longitudinal stripes of bright rufous. 

 Superciliary stripe much more clearly defined than in more adult specimens. This 

 plumage is first described by me as above cited, (Proc. Acad. Philada., 1856, p. 158.) 



Yowng Male. — Upper parts dark brown, nearly black, tinged with rufous on the 



t: 



