| OCR Text |
Show 258 MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE PTEROCLIDA. [Feb. 19, specimens I have seen, the name tricinctus, given to this species Swainson, is by far the most appropriate one ; and it is to be regretted that it cannot be employed. Temminck also refers to the present species the bird figured and described by Sonnerat, who, he states, was the first to make it known as La Gelinotte des Indes. In this determination I believe Temminck to ha\e been mistaken, and that he confounded Sonnerat's bird with the Pt. bicinctus of Temminck. The species figured by Sonnerat has but two bands on the breast, a black and a white one ; and I consider it to be the Pt. bicinctus, Temm., and have accordingly referred it to that bird. The only habitats I can find for Pt. quadricinctus are Abyssinia and Sennaar on the east coast, while Swainson gives West Africa as the place whence his specimen came. It has never, so far as I am aware, been found in India. The examples described by Temminck were in the cabinet of M . de Breukelewaert at Amsterdam. Male. Spot on the forehead, covering the nostrils, and one over each eye white. A broad black band crosses the forehead just in front of the eyes. Top of head and occiput fulvous, streaked narrowly with black. Throat yellowish white. Nape, sides of neck, and breast uniform sandy buff. Across the lower part of the breast are three bands, the first dark chestnut, the second white, and the third black. Temminck says there is a fourth one, of white. I do not perceive this in the specimens before me ; but I am inclined to think individuals vary in the number of these bars. Underparts black, narrowly barred with white. Back deep buff, barred with jet-black. Wings fulvous, the shoulders uniform, not spotted. Wing-coverts and secondaries crossed by a single black bar, margined on both sides with white. The innermost secondaries have numerous black bars, and no white ones. Tail and under-coverts deep buff, barred with black. Bill red ; feet yellow. Total length 9^ inches, wing 7\, tail 3f, bill (along gape) f. Specimen described from the White Nile. Female. The entire top of head fulvous, streaked with black, and the back of neck spotted with the same. Throat white. Breast bright fulvous, without any bars, and the underparts barred with white and narrow lines of brownish black. Feathers of back and inner secondaries rufous, barred with black and margined with fulvous. Wings and outer webs of outer secondaries pale buff, crossed by several narrow jet-black bars. Inner webs of outer secondaries and primaries brownish black. Tail and its under-coverts deep buff, barred with black. Bill reddish horn-colour ; feet yellow. Total length 9^ inches, wing 7\, tail 3-J, bill (along gape) f. 13. PTEROCLES LICHTENSTEINI. Pterocles lichtensteini, Temm. Planch. Col. (1825)no. 355, Riipp. Neue Wirbelth. (1823-38) p. 114 ; Wagl. Syst. Av. (1827), Pterocles, sp. 8 ; Less. Trait. Ornith. (1831) p. 516. sp. 8 ; Gray, Gen. B. vol. iii. p. 518 (1849) partim; Reich. Syn. Av. Gallim (1851) pl. ccix. figs. 1827-28; Heugl. Syst. Ubers. Vog. Nord- |
