OCR Text |
Show 438 THE MARQUIS OF TWEEDDALE O N BATRACHOSTOMUS. [May io, black, and then, in some, a rufous tip. A black-edged white nuchal collar is thus formed. The minor wing-coverts are unspotted ; but at the tips of the greater coverts are to be found a large white spot, mostly occupying the outer web and bordered above by a dark brown line. In some this dark line surrounds the inner margin of the white spot. Some of the scapulars have the greater part of both webs of the lower half white ; others have only the outer webs white. These white marks are all more or less edged with brown. The primaries and secondaries have their inner webs uniform brown, the outer webs being pale rufous with irregular rufous-brown marks at intervals, adjoining the shaft; the exposed part of the tertiaries is more or less uniform rufous. The upper tail-coverts are rufous, with one or two pairs of tawny-rufous spots on transverse bars. Rectrices dull rufous, stippled with a few minute brown dots, and traversed by five or six narrow tawny-rufous bands, each being margined above and below with a narrow brown line. Terminal narrow fringe of rectrices dark brown, in some surrounded by a rufous edging ; in the laterals the pale bands on the inner webs are mostly almost white. Under surface of rectrices as above, but all tints much paler. Chin and throat dingy rufous, some of the throat-feathers and most of the upper pectoral having pallid tawny centres, most conspicuous on the breast, crossed by a pale brown line and fringed with bright rufous. This combination imparts a scale-like appearance to the breast, but has a slight resemblance to the pure white breast and throat-banding in B. affinis 2 • The lower pectoral feathers are of the same character, but, being much larger, more of the pallid tawny hue is exposed. The abdominal and flank-plumes are of the same pallid hue, but are scarcely fringed with bright rufous. The ventral region and under tail-coverts same as abdomeu, but with still less rufous edgings. The narial bristles are tawny rufous, darker towards the tips. Under wing-coverts almost vinous tawny, varied with rufous or brown ; axillaries white. Wing 5*0, tail 5*25, tarsus 0*50, middle toe 0*63, bill from forehead 1*12, width of gape 1 31. In some examples the nuchal collar-plumes have two transverse brown bars above the white. The white portion and, indeed, the whole of the markings also occur tinged with rufo-fulvous. Mr. Gould's type specimen scarcely differs from the above description. Its rufous plumage is of a deeper bay tone; the caudal bands do not touch the shaft, and they are rufous, and not tawny-rufous. This phase is to be found in Malaccan and Bornean examples. In less-mature (?) examples the dorsal plumage, the scapulars, the major coverts, and tertiaries are finely striated with black, with occasional more definite black lines. d (?) adult (?), ex Malacca. In Malaccan collections examples are as frequently present in which the rufous or rufous-bay colouring is replaced by a dark brown tint, sometimes with a rufous tinge, the markings being similar to those of the rufous birds. The caudal bands or spots are sometimes of a rufous tint. These brown birds sometimes occur with the dorsal plumage finely striated with black |