Proceedings of the General Meetings for Scientific Business of the Zoological Society of London 1892

Page 282

228 ON NEW SPECIES OF TIMELIINE BIRDS. [Mar. 15, birds in the island of St. Thomas. This new species has a brown style of coloration which is characteristic of many Timeliine birds, but it seems to find its nearest ally in a Malayan genus Crateroscelis of Malacca and Borneo. It differs, however, from that genus in certain evident characters, which may be diagnosed as follows:- AMAUROCICHLA, gen. nov. Similar to Crateroscelis, but distinguished by the shape of the wing, the first primary being nearly as long as the second. Addi­tional characters are:-The bill is as long as the head, and rictal bristles are absent, while the tail-feathers are somewhat acuminate. The type is :- AMAUROCICHLA BOCAGII, sp. nov. (Plate XX. fig. 1.) Adult. General colour above uniform chocolate-brown, the wings and tail a little darker than the back ; lores and sides of face dark brown like back, the ear-coverts slightly rufescent, like the sides of the neck ; cheeks and throat whitish, with a slightly indicated malar line of rufous; lower throat and rest of under surface of the body rufous; the abdomen isabelline; under wing-coverts isabelline; quills sepia-brown below. Total length 5 inches, culmen 0-8, wing 2*55, tail 1*55, tarsus 095. Hab. San Miguel, west coast of St. Thomas, West Africa. While describing this interesting species I may add the diagnosis of another Timeliine bird recently acquired by the British Museum, which also seems to be undescribed, and for which I propose the following n a m e :- TURDINUS MOLONEYANUS, sp, nov. (Plate XX. fig. 2.) Adult. General colour rufous brown, inclining to chestnut on the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, as well as on the wings : primaries dusky, externally light rufous; tail-feathers light rufous brown, externally shaded with chestnut; crown of head slightly more dusky than the back; an indistinct line of ashy grey above the eye, and the feathers below the latter ashy; ear-coverts brown; throat and under suiface of body tawny rufous, more rufous on the fore neck, chest, and sides of body, the latter inclining somewhat to reddish brown ; thighs like the abdomen ; under tail-coverts light chestnut; axillaries and under wing-coverts tawny rufous; quills dusky below, rufescent along the inner web. Total length 6'6 inches, culmen 0*85, wing 2 7 , tail 2'5, tarsus l'O. Hab. Gold Coast. The typical specimen was presented to the British Museum by Sir Alfred Moloney, who procured it during the time that he was Governor of the Colony.