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Show 388 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON RHIPIDURA PREISSI. [Mar. 1, R H I P I D U R A PREISSI. Rhipidura preissi, Cab. Mus. Hein. Th. i. p. 57 (1850) ; Gould, Handb. B. Austr. i. p. 240 (1865) ; Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 331, no. 4972 (1869) ; Ramsay, Pr. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. ii. p. 182 (1878); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. iv. p. 310, note (1879). Adult. General colour above slaty brown, the head scarcely darker than the back; wing-coverts like the back, the greater series rather browner, and tipped with white like the median series, so as to form a double wing-bar ; primary-coverts and quills brown, the inner secondaries externally bordered with white; tail-feathers brown, the two centre ones black-shafted, the others with white shafts and tipped with white, which extends down the inner web from the tip, increasing in extent towards the outermost, which has the outer web entirely white ; lores, sides of face, and ear-coverts blackish, with a faint indication of a whitish streak over the fore part of the eye ; throat whitish ; remainder of under surface light ochraceous buff, becoming dull white on the under tail-coverts ; the sides of the breast and the lower throat and fore neck ashy grey, the latter streaked with the same colour as the breast; under wing-coverts white, dusky internally ; quills dusky brown below, lighter along the edge of the inner web. Total length 5*4 inches, culmen 0'3, wing 2'7, tail 3*25, tarsus 0*65. On looking over m y "Key to the Species" of these white-shafted Fantails, I am not quite satisfied with their arrangement, and would modify the characters given on pp. 303 and 304 of the Catalogue, as follows:- a. Three or more outer tail-feathers with entirely white or creamy-white shafts. , „ , „.- a'. Centre tail-feathers with white shafts like the others \hl b'. T w o centre tail-feathers with brown shafts, the rest with *• ° ' white ones. a". Breast not scaly, i. e. not mottled with dark centres to the feathers, but uniform ochraceous buff; throat white, with a patch of black or dull grey on the lower portion. a' . Outer web of external tail-feathers pure white for its whole extent. , ,,. a\ Throat-patch black i albiscapa. r I saturata. bi. Throat-patch grey, the fore neck also grey, streaked with ochraceous buff like the rest of the under surface preissi. b'". Outer web of external tail-feathers dull white, brownish towards the tip pelzelni. c'". Outer web of external tail-feathers smoky brown, as also the tips to all the tail-feathers brenchleyi. |