242 
PUFF-BACKED BUSH-SHRIKE. 
and with dusky stripes on the head ; the wing- 
covers and quills have pale testaceous or whitish 
margins ; the under plumage from the chin to the 
breast is fulvous or buff, which gradually becomes 
almost white on the body, belly, and vent ; tail and 
wings deep brown ; the back feathers are not near 
so long as those of the male. 
Le Vaillant discovered this species in Southern 
Africa, where it appears common, but it is not re- 
corded as inhabiting Senegal. It seems a social 
species, living in small companies, much in the man- 
ner of our long-tailed tit, and if one discovers food, 
it summons the rest to partake of it also. On the 
approach of a man or an animal, this bird elevates 
its feathers, repeating incessantly its cry of clia cha. 
Its food is the larva and pupae of insects, and it 
builds in thorny thickets. 
Jotal length, 7| ; bill, from the gape, 1 ; wings, 
3 j 7 5 ; tail, from the base. 3^ ; tarsus, 
