SAXICOLA INFUSCATA.—S m it h .
A vesS P late XXVIII. M ale.
S. supra 'griseo-brunnea; gula guttureque sordide albis ; pectore abdomineque flavo-griseis, plus minusve
brunneo-tinctis; alarum tectricibus, remigibus, rectricibusque fuscis, partim sordide albo-marginatis.
Rostro pedibusque nigro-brunneis.
Longitudo corporis cum capite 4 uuq. ; caudee 3^ unc.
Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, the hack and sides of
the neck, the interscapulars and the hack rusty broccoli-brown ; the chin and
the throat dirty white ; the breast, belly, and thighs, yellowish grey, more or
less deeply tinted with brown. Lesser wing coverts, primary and secondary
quill coverts, quill feathers and tail umber-brown, the coverts and the
secondary quill feathers edged and tipt with dirty white, the primary quill
feathers towards their bases and the lateral tail feathers, particularly the
outermost one of each side, margined externally with the same colour. Bill,
feet, and claws, liver-brown; eyes dark brown.
F orm, &c.—Figure robust. Bill strong, rather broad at base and the
cutting edges distinctly inflected, apex of upper mandible slightly hooked.
Wings rounded, and when folded, reach to the commencement of the last half
of the tail; the first quill feather rudimentary, the third and fourth longest
and equal, the fifth is slightly shorter than the fourth, and the second and
sixth are of equal length, and about three lines shorter than the third. Tail
square at the point. Tarsi long, and rather robust, anteriorly scutellated,
posteriorly entire ; claws long, strong, and moderately curved.
DIMENSIONS.
Length from the point of the bill
Inches.
to H | Length of the tarsus...............
Inches.
....... 1
the tip of the tail.......... ... 7 6 of the outer toe........... ....... 0 Bi
Length of the bill from the gape.. 0 I 0| ’ of the middle toe......... ...... 0
of the wings when folded. 4 9 of the inner toe........... ....... 0 3
of the tail....,................ ... 3 | of the hinder toe...... .. ...... 0 3*
The colours of the female differ little if at all from those of the male.
This is the largest and rarest of the South African Saxicolce. It appears to be principally, if
not entirely restricted to the districts between the Oliphant and Orange Rivers, and seldom