ASH-COLOURED HARRIER. 
237 
quill about fourteen inches and three quarters. 
The upper parts are the same tint of umber brown 
seen in the Ringtail, the feathers on the crown 
edged with reddish, on the nape and scapulars 
with yellowish white ; on the tail, there is a greater 
preponderance of red on the bars of the outer 
feathers, and the lower parts from the breast 
downwards; the thighs, insides of the wings and 
axillaries, are streaked and barred with a reddish 
brown nearly as clear as that of the male, but ap- 
pearing more dull in appearance from the less pure 
tint of the ground colour. The intensity of the 
colouring in these birds varies, — some are like 
the one now described, while others have the 
tint of the upper parts very dark, glossed with 
purple, and nearly without interruption from 
pale edges to the feathers. The under parts also 
vary much, for in the specimen of the female 
described by Mr Selby, the lower parts are said 
to be “ orange brown, without spot or streak.” 
This is a character very constant in the African 
birds known under the name of C. ranivorus , 
where the reddish tint also extends to the gene- 
rally conspicuous tail coverts. 
