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Show 524 MR. J. 3. LISTER ON THE NATURAL [Dec. 4, mottled with pale rufous and slate ; edge of the wing white, little mottled in the oldest specimens. Young. Crown dark brown in the middle, the feathers of the sides, in a line extending from the cere back to the ear-coverts, and of the ear-coverts dark brown in the centres, pale yellow at the sides; nape, at the upper part mottled dark brown and white (produced by dark brown tips and shaft-streaks to white feathers), at the lower mottled brown and pale yellow ; back and upper wing-coverts dark brown, mottled with rufous brown; shoulders rich burnt sienna mottled with dark brown. Quills, the outer webs and the ends are dark brown, the inner web shading from brown through pale reddish brown to pale yellow, the tips of all and the outer margins of the secondaries pale brown, the whole barred with dark brown, the bars fading away before reaching the inner margins of the webs ; upper tail-coverts brown, becoming darker towards the ends, tips pale rufous brown. Tail above brown, the outer feathers resemble the wing-quills in the fact that the inner webs and the tips shade off to pale reddish brown; the whole barred with brown ; the barring is least on the inner feathers, which have five bars limited to the terminal half of the feathers; on the outer feathers the bars are continued to the base of the web and are closer, amounting to 15-17 in number ; below rufous grey, barred with dark as above, two central rectrices greyer. Chin and throat-the feathers are white, yellower towards the tips, with shaft-streaks of dark brown, linear, becoming lanceolate at the lower part of the throat. Breast, belly, lower tail-coverts, and flanks white, boldly barred with rufous brown, the bars are margined with darker brown, and are continued towards the tip of the feathers into an angular process extending a short distance along the shaft. Legs, feathers white or pale yellow, barred with tawny brown. Lower wing-coverts pale yellow, barred with tawny brown. Quills pale reddish brown, barred with brown as on the upper surface ; primaries pale brown towards the ends. Measurements. 8- 2- in. in. From base of bill to tail-tip 13^ 16-j; ™ 7A 8^ Wmg 8T% 10^ Urospizias natalis is a common bird on the island. As we made our way through the bush one would often fly up to a branch or the top of a pinnacle of coral-rock and sit there ignorant of danger, as though inquiring the cause of this unusual disturbance in the woods. If there were two together and one was shot, the other would remain motionless or fly to another branch close at hand. One was knocked over with a stick and captured. It appeared to be little injured, and I kept it alive for some months, but unfortunately it died in fits before m y return to England. The stomachs of those that were shot contained feathers of the Zosterops and the remains of lizards and large grasshoppers. |