PYRRIIULAUDA LEUCOTIS. 
exceeds the others in length by its last joint ; the claws are but slightly 
curved, the claw of the hinder toe longer than the toe itself. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches. 
Lines. 
Inches. 
Lines 
from the point of the bill to 
Length of the tarsus 
0 
n 
the tip of the tail 
5 
0 
of the middle toe 
0 
H 
of the bill 
0 
6 
of the other toes 
0 
3i 
of the wings when folded . . . 
3 
3 
of the hinder claw 
0 
3 
of the tail 
2 
0 
Female . — Above dusky brown, the feathers edged with pale rufous or 
rufous-white ; the lesser wing coverts brown towards their bases and rufous 
towards their points, many of them partially margined with white ; the 
primary and secondary quill coverts and the quill feathers brown, the two 
first tipt and margined externally with white or pale rufous, the quills 
excepting the two or three outermost are margined externally with rufous, 
and narrowly tipt with white. Chin, throat, breast, flanks, and vent rusty- 
white, the chin, throat and breast faintly mottled with small brown spots ; inner 
surface of the shoulder dark umber-brown ; eye-brows dirty white spotted 
with rufous ; and there are indications of a narrow white collar upon the back 
and sides of the neck. Tail dark-brown, the feathers margined and tipt 
with pale rufous, the outer vane of the outermost of each side pale rufous or 
rusty white. 
The young bird is coloured nearly as the female, only the tints are more 
dusky and the light edgings to the feathers, particularly those of the head 
and shoulders, are narrower, but more distinct and better defined. 
Of the manners and habits of this species we know but little. Though its members show a 
disposition for society, yet we never detected more than five or six individuals associated 
together, which circumstance has always inclined us to believe that we had not reached the 
head-quarters of the species. The few specimens we obtained were killed upon plains thinly 
covered with dwarf shrubs, near to the Tropic of Capricorn. Their flight, when occasioned by 
fear, was usually but short, and they were never seen to alight upon anything but the ground, 
along which they ran with great rapidity, and then proceeded to collect their food, which 
consisted of seeds, &c. 
