COSSIPHA HUMERALIS—S mith.
A ves.— P late XLVIII.—Male.
C. capita supra, cervicc, regione interscapulari, dorsoque summo nigro-griseis, mfo-brunnco-tinctis;
dorso imo flayo-rufo, griseo-tincto; uropygio, caudae tectricibus superioribus, rectricibusque versus
basin rufo-aurantiis, duabus intermediis, apicibusque reliquorum rubro-brunneis; superciliis, teenio-
laque frontali albis; capitis et ccrvicis lateribns, fasciaque pectorali interrupta nigris; fascia humerali
alba; subtus alba postic6 rufo-aurantio-tincta.
Longitudo ab apice rostri ad basin caudse 3 unc. 11^ lin. ; caudse 3 line. 2 lin.
Bessonornis humebalis, Smith.*—Rep. of Exped. App. pp. 46, June 1836.
C olour.—The upper parts of the head and the neck, together with the
interscapulars and the anterior half of the back blackish grey, with a faint
tinge of reddish brown ; the rest of the back, gall-stone yellow, obscured by a
tint of grey. The rump, upper tail coverts, and the greater portion of the tail
clear deep orange, the two middle feathers of the latter and the tips of the
others deep reddish brown. Eye-brows white, and united anteriorly by means of
a narrow band of the same colour, which stretches across the forehead. The
sides of the head, including the eyes, the feathers at base of upper mandible
in front of the white band, the sides of the neck, and a curved blotch on each
side of breast, black. The chin, throat, and breast, pure white; the belly
white, with a faint tinge of Dutch-orange; the flanks and under tail coverts
pale Dutch-orange; the thighs greyish brown, pencilled with dusky white.
Lesser wing coverts black, several of those close to shoulders broadly tipped
with white; the primary and secondary quill coverts brownish red, a few
of the latter broadly edged externally with white, and form with the white
which variegates several of the lesser wing coverts an oblique white band on
the anterior part of the wing. Quill feathers brown grey, narrowly margined
externally with clear greyish white. Bill liver-brown ; feet purplish brown ;
eyes dark brown.
F orm, &c.—Figure slender; bill nearly straight, triangular at the base,
* This bird is too strongly allied to Cossypha, as characterised by Vigors, to warrant my continuing to
view it as belonging to. an independent group.