426 



SHAFT-TAILED BUNTING. 

 (Emberiza regia.) 



E. rectricibus intermediis quatuor longissimis cequalibus apice tan- 

 turn pennalis, rostro rubro. 



Bunting with the four middle tail-feathers very long, even, and 

 only webbed at the tip ; beak red. 



Emberiza regia. Lin. Syst. Nat. 1. 313. 23. — Gmel. Syst. Nat. 

 1. 834. — Lath. Ind. Om. 1. 406.24. 



Vidua riparia africana. Briss. 3. 129- 28. t. Q.f. 1. 



La Veuve a quatre brins. Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. 4. 158. 5. 



La Veuve de la cote d'Afrique. Buff. PI. Enl. 8.JI 1. 



Shaft-tailed Bunting. Lath. Gen. Syn. 3. 183. 19- 



This bird is the size of a Linnet : beak red : 

 sides of the head, the under parts of the body, 

 and round the neck, rufous : hind-part of the neck 

 spotted with black : plumage above, lower part of 

 the thighs, and vent, black : the four middle tail- 

 feathers near ten inches in length, and webbed 

 only for about two inches at the ends ; the rest of 

 them simple shafts, without the least appearance 

 of a web ; the other feathers even, short, and black: 

 legs red : female brown, and without the long tail- 

 feathers. 



Like the rest of the long-tailed Buntings, these 

 birds moult twice in the year ; and in the winter 

 the male becomes very similar to a Linnet in 

 colour. 



Dr. Latham mentions having a specimen of this 

 bird in his collection with only two kinds of brown, 

 and no black on the plumage ; the margins of the 



