Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
239 
Cisticola subruficapilla , A. Smith.* 
Plate— Smith’s “Til. Zool. of S.A.” PI. 76. 
The following description is taken from Smith’s text to the above- 
mentioned plate : — Upper parts of the head and back, and the sides of 
the neck near the head, light chestnut-brown, striped along the centre of 
each feather ; the lower parts of the back and sides of the neck, the inter- 
scapulars, the lesser wing-coverts, and the back umber-brown, variegated 
with a colour intermediate between ashy-grey and broccoli-brown, each 
feather being so broadly edged and tipped with the latter colour as even 
to constitute it the predominant colour. Tail reddish brown, all the feathers 
tipped with wood-brown, the two centre ones very faintly, and all the 
others have each a broad transverse umber-brown bar immediately behind 
the light tip. The primary and secondary wing-coverts umber-brown, 
margined externally and tipped with pale wood-brown ; the primary, 
secondary, and tertiary quill feathers intermediate between brownish red 
and umber-brown, the tertiaries darkest — the primary and secondary 
feathers towards the quills narrowly margined with light chestnut-brown ; 
the tertiaries are edged and tipped with wood-brown ; chin, throat, middle 
of breast and belly pale yellowish grey, passing in some places into white, 
the breast faintly freckled with pale brown ; sides of breast, flanks, vent, 
and under tail-coverts pale hair-brown. Bill chestnut-brown, the lower 
mandible towards its base yellowish brown. Tarsi pale reddish brown, 
passing towards toes into yellowish brown ; claws yellowish brown, tinted 
with light reddish brown. Length 135 mm., wing 51 mm., tail 57 mm., 
tarsus 18 mm.” The type was a female. 
A good description is also given by Sharpe in his edition of “ Birds of 
South Africa,” p. 267, taken from the type specimen, said in this case to 
be a male. In this publication the different species seem to have been 
better appreciated than in his subsequent revision, the results of which 
have led to some misunderstanding in works of other writers. 
The principal specific character of this bird is its “ freckled ” breast, 
which is not found in any other South African species. Its range is 
apparently confined to the Namaqualand-Knysna Mountains, not extending 
beyond the Sunday’s Elver, its place being taken in the Drakensbergen 
and contiguous ranges by another closely allied species. Smith seems to 
be the only writer who has recorded the habits of this species. He writes : 
“ This bird occurs in various districts of Cape Colony, and is found either 
upon brushwood or among rushes or reeds. It feeds upon insects and, 
like others of the genus, flits generally from branch to branch or from 
reed to reed in quest of its food.” According to Sharpe ( loc . cit.) eggs 
taken by H. Jackson at Nelspoort are white, faintly tinged with green, 
and dotted with small red-brown and purple spots, chiefly in a ring at the 
obtuse end ; axis 14 mm., diam. 11 mm. No doubt, eggs of this species 
will be found to vary in colour quite as much as those of other members 
of the genus. 
Zool. of South Africa, Plate 76 (1843). 
