204 



8 



secondaries and their coverts are a mixture of hair-brown and rich rufous (recalling in colour the 

 wings of Mirafra erythroptera), the extent of each varying in different specimens, but the brown 

 predominating in the earlier primaries and everywhere at the tips, and decreasing in extent in 

 the hinder part of the wing and towards the bases of the feathers. The second primary, for 

 instance, will be all brown, except a narrow rufous edging for the basal two-thirds of the outer 

 web and a broad rufous stripe on the margin of the inner web for the same distance, while one 

 of the later secondaries will be all rufous, except a narrow brown stripe running down the shaft 

 till within one-third of the end of the feather, whence it gradually widens so as to occupy at the 

 tip the whole of both webs. The rump and upper tail-coverts are much the same as the back, 

 but in some specimens slightly more rufous than the lower back ; and the longest of the coverts 

 are in some specimens very narrowly tipped with very pale fulvous-white. The tail is hair-brown, 

 darker than the brown portion of the quills, all the feathers externally very narrowly margined 

 with pale rufous, except the external feather on each side, which has the whole outer web of that 

 colour. The throat and upper breast are greyish-white or grey, with more or less numerous and 

 conspicuons black median stripes on the feathers. Specimens differ widely in this respect : in 

 some the greyish-white is a mere edging to dusky black feathers ; in others only a few black spots 

 and streaks peep out of an almost unbroken grey, and this among specimens killed at the same 

 time and of apparently the same age. The lower breast and the whole lower parts of the body 

 are pale greyish-rufous, all the bases of the feathers (only seen if their tips are lifted) being a sort 

 of bluish-dusky ; the axillaries, wing-lining, and, in fact, the whole lower surface of the wings, 

 except the points of the quills, a pale delicate salmon-rufous. 



" The female only differs in being generally somewhat smaller, in having the white, grey, 

 and black of the head, neck, throat, and breast much duller (and in many specimens overcast 

 with a sandy or pale rufous shade), in the various stripes being less well marked, and in having 

 the dark spots and streaks of the throat and breast almost obsolete." 



"We have given here Mr. Hume's technical descriptions of the bird, well knowing the 

 advantages to be derived from an account of freshly killed specimens. Our own descriptions had 

 been written before Mr. Hume's notes were published ; so we retain them for the sake of the 

 uniformity of the work : they are taken from skins sent to us by our friend Mr. W. G. Brooks. 



In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. Sharpe and Dresser. 



a, b. Etawah, November 23rd, 1868, and April 1st, 1869 (W. G. Brooks), c, d. Ajmere, November 4th and 

 30th, 1869 (W. G. Brooks). 



E Mus. H. B. Tristram. 



a. Berroughuia, Algeria, December 2nd, 1856 {H. B. T.). b, c. Engedi, January 22nd, 1864 {H. B. T.). 

 d, e. Etawah, April 1st, 1869 {W. G. Brooks). 



E Mus. Lord Lilford. 

 a, b. Engedi, January 23rd, 1864 (H. B. Tristram). 



