456 
Mr. B. Alexander— An Ornithological 
in the British Museum there are three specimens, all females 
by dissection, but none, however, are quite fully adult:— 
b. $ . Colenso, Natal, Nov. 20. White on the greater 
wing-coverts well defined; no white on tail, tips of the 
feathers of the latter slightly edged with pale rufous. 
d. $ . Transvaal ( T. Ayres). White on wing-coverts less 
well defined; no white on tail, but slightly edged with pale 
rufous. 
c. Immature $. Potchefstroom, Jan. 21 (T. Ayres). Little 
or no white on wing-coverts; tail-feathers edged and mottled 
with sandy rufous. 
The following specimen is unsexed, but is without doubt a 
female :— 
a. Natal (T. Ayres). No white on wing-coverts; no white 
on tail, latter edged with sandy rufous. 
In the same series there is a very interesting bird, an 
immature male :— 
e. £ imm. sic. Ondonga, Jan. 22 [Andersson). 
This bird has the typical white wing-band, and is identical 
with the Colenso specimen, with the exception of the tail- 
feathers ; several of these are clearly in the process of 
becoming tipped with white, while others are tipped with 
pale rufous. This last specimen therefore shows that the 
absence of the white band on the tail-feathers of R. albo- 
fasciatus is of no value as distinguishing it from its near ally. 
I find that the amount of white on the greater wing- 
coverts in the specimens of both species varies considerably 
inter se. An adult specimen of R. chalcopterus from Damara- 
land, Feb. 3 (C. /. Andersson) , has quite as much white on 
the wing-coverts as the Colenso specimen of R. albofasciatus, 
while in the other adult examples from Nyasaland the white 
is not so conspicuous, much having disappeared through 
abrasion. 
I am of opinion that Dr. Sharpens description of R. 
albofasciatus will be found to be that of the female of 
R. chalcopterus , the absence of the white band on the tail- 
feathers and the less brightly coloured quills being the 
characteristics of the female. 
