THE BIRDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 431 



Quills, 4th longest ; 3rd almost = 5tli, only very little shorter ; 

 2nd = 7th ; 1st almost 1" shorter than 2nd. In the rounded tail the 

 outer tail-feathers are O'^'S shorter than the central. Culmen of male black, 

 that of the female blackish brown, yellowish at the base of the lower 

 mandible; iris light brown; legs light reddish brown; tarsus is covered 

 with feathers only for one third of its length. 



Male, — Upper parts of the body olive-grey or brownish, marked with 

 small black blotches and narrow cross bands, which are widest on the 

 back ; the neck and rump are sometimes sUghtly shaded with pale reddish 

 brown. Crown of a dirty rust-colour, with black spots ; the nape-feathers 

 are long and form a small crest ; the ear-coverts are similar to the crown, 

 but without any markings. The naked eyebrows are red, and continue on 

 the sides of the nape in a white line above the ears; a similar line runs 

 along the centre of the forehead and continues under the eyes and neck, and 

 edges the black throat. The feathers covering the nostrils are black, and 

 under the chin they are rather long. The underparts are dirty white, with 

 a reddish-brown tint on the flanks and crop, which are also marked with 

 large black or blackish cross bands, which become almost indistinct on the 

 stomach. Wings dark brown ; primaries are marked on the inner webs 

 with reddish-yellow cross bands ; the secondaries have the ends and edges 

 of a similar colour, and occasionally also cross bands on their outer webs. 

 The upper wing-coverts are just like the back, only still more pied and 

 marked with yellowish-white spots on their ends; the feathers of the 

 shoulders have white shafts. The rounded tail is black, with five white 

 bands, and the tips of the feathers (with the exception of the two central 

 ones, which are yellowish grey) with black spots and indistinct blackish 

 cross bands, which are again intercepted lengthways by white narrow lines. 

 The under tail-feathers are brownish, with broad white tips and blackish 

 cross bands. 



VOL. II. 3 M 



