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Show 640 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE [NoV. 17, Inner secondaries with a nar- Inner secondaries dark brown row blackish shaft-line, from brown in the centre and at entire which radiate about six narrow base of feather, with only a few blackish cross lines. imperfect radiations of black near the tip. Tail nearly uniform brown, Tail dark brown, tipped with with an obsolete shade of greyish white, the centre feathers clearly on centre feathers, the external washed with grey as well as feathers being light fawn-colour slightly tinged with rufous, and on outer web. plainly marked with blackish radiations and spots near the shafts. Eyebrow pale fawn. Eyebrow ashy fulvous. Under surface of bod)' bright Under surface ashy fulvous, fawn, the throat and chest spec- concealing fawn-coloured bases to kled with black. the feathers, the chest-spots much obscured. The measurements of Sir Andrew Smith's two specimens are as follows :- length. in. .6-5 .6-5 culm. in. 0-55 06 wing. in. 3*4 325 tail. in. 2-5 2*4 tarsus. in. P0 0 95 a. S. Africa (Smith) b. S. Africa (Smith) The usual Alaudine variation in size is here apparent; but the absence of correct sexing to the specimens prevents m e from drawing any deduction. Captain Shelley shot a male at Stellendorf, in the Cape colony, which had the soft parts as follows : - " Iris hazel; legs white, with a faint flesh-coloured shade; bill dark horn-colour, with the basal two thirds of the lower mandible and the edges of the upper one towards the gape buff." It measured as follows-total length 6 inches, culmen 0*6, wing 3*15, tail 2*55, tarsus 1*05. This bird is in full moult, and seems to be a young individual gaining its first complete dress. On the upper surface it has several conspicuous white margins to the feathers and a great deal of rufous, reviving the idea that it might be M. rufipilea-a conclusion which the broad rufous margins to the quills seem to indorse; but I find that the rufous is confined to the outer margiu of the primaries, whereas in M. rufipilea, of which I believe I have young and old, the rufous extends across both webs. The explanation will, I trust, be found in the fact that the young of M. apiata is much more rufous than the adult. In Captain Shelley's specimen the eyebrow is creamy white and very conspicuous, and the entire abdomen is also creamy white. Canon Tristram's collection likewise contains two examples, one marked M. rufipilea from Kuruman : the admixture of grey in the rufous and the unfailing character of the quills shows that it is M. apiata, notwithstanding the general rufous appearance. It is |