-BlE m ip o d it j s MPURABA, A-mic.B-Ienude
(A»es _ A 4 e l6te |i:
HEMIPODIUS LEPURANA.—S m ith .
A ves.—P late XYI. (M ale and F emale.)
Mas.—supra pallide rufus, lineis nigro-brunneis undatis variegatus; interscapularibus albo-marginatis,
gula alba; pectoris abdominisque lateribus lactifloreis,* plumis versus apicem macula brunnea
sagittate; pectore in medio nitide rufo; abdomine albo. Oculis pallide.rubro-flavis; rostro pedibusque
pallide lilacinis flavo-umbratis.
Longitudq 5 unc.
Fem.— cervicis parte posteriore pallide cinnamomea albo-striata; interscapularibus dorsoque nigro-brun-
neo, rufoque fasciatis et albo-striatis; pectoris lateribus maculis ovatis brunneis longitudinalibus.
Ortygis Lepurana, Rep. of Exped. App. page 55, June 1836.
C olour. — (Male.) Above, the ground-colour is intermediate between pale
rufous and light chesnut; on the upper surface of the head the feathers are
indistinctly barred with brown ; on the neck, back, and shoulders, nearest to
the body they are crossed by numerous slender black-brown bars, or irregular
crescents, and some of the shoulder coverts are besides delicately margined
with white. The eyebrows, sides of the head, and a stripe between the base
of the bill and nape of the neck rusty white, the feathers of the two first finely
tipped with brown. The inner vanes of the secondary quill coverts pale
rufous ; the outer vanes straw yellow inclined to white, and each of the latter
is crossed obliquely near its point by a well defined brown bar, the inner extremity
of which terminates in an acute point. Primary quill coverts dark
brown ; the primary and secondary quill feathers greyish brown, the outer
vanes of the former finely edged with a pale buff colour, those of the latter
broadly edged with cream yellow, and partially barred with the same colour.
Tail pale rufous, and crossed hy numerous delicate waved brown lines. Chin
and throat dull white ; the middle of the breast pale Dutch orange, with a few
minute brown dots; sides of the breast and belly white, with a yellowish
tinge, each feather with an arrow-shaped brown spot near its point; centre
of the belly, and the thighs, white; vent, and under tail-coverts, very pale
buff-orange ; bill and legs pale lilac; eyes pale reddish-yellow.
F orm, &c.—Typical; bill moderately long and slender; in form approaching
that of the smaller rails (Porzana, Vieill.); tail rather elongated, graduated
and pointed; wings when folded reach nearly to the commencement
of the last half of the ta il; the first, second, and third quill feathers longest,
and nearly of equal length; the tertiaries slightly shorter than the longest
quill feathers ; tarsi rather slender, in front coated with two rows of scales,
* Kirby’s Introduction to Entomology, vol. iv. p. 287.