Genus SEMEIOPHORUS, Gould.
C h a r a c t e r e s G e n e r i c i .
Characteres ut in genere Macrodipteryx dido, nisi quod remiges sextus, septimus, et octavus gradatim elongati fiunt, usque
ad nonum, qui his, sicut vexillum, preestat, barbasque fe r t per totam longitudinem.
SEMEIOPHORUS (.M A C R O D IP T E R Y X ?) VEXILLARIUS, Gould.
Semeioph. capite, alarum tedricibus, dor so, scapularibusque longioribus nigris, cervino, rufoque adspersis; nucha, torque,
castaneo omatd ; scapularibus brevioribus nigrescenti-fuscis rufo irroratis, et extils cervino late marginatis; alis nigre-
scenti-fuscis, primariis et ad basin, et apicem, secondariisque ad apicem albis; caudd nigrescente; fusco, et cervino,
necnonfasciis irregularibus nigris omatd ; mento cinereo, et fusco, picto ; guld sagittam albamferente; pectore rufo,
fuscoque omato ; abdomine cinerescenti-albo, fasciis nigrescentibus august is crebre not a to ; rostro pedibusque brun-
neis.
Long. tot. 10 unc.; rostri, 1 ; alee, 28; caudee, 5-$-; tarsi, 1.
Head, wing-coverts, back, and the longest of the scapularies black, mottled with buff and rufous; round the back
of the neck an irregular collar of reddish chestnut; shortest of the scapularies brownish black sprinkled with
rufous, and w ith a broad stripe of buff along their outer margin; wings blackish brown, the base and tips of
the primaries and the tips of the secondaries white; tail mottled blackish brown and reddish buff, crossed by
large blotches of blackish brown, forming a series of irregular b a rs ; chin mottled grey and b rown; in the
centre of the throat an arrow-head-shaped m ark of pure white; remainder of the throat and chest mottled
rufous and dark b rown; abdomen greyish white, crossed by numerous narrow bars of brownish black, fading
off into greyish white without bars on the vent and under tail-coverts; bill and feet light brown.
Semeiophorus (Macrodipteryx ?) vexillarius, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. Part VI. 1838.
T he general structure o f this species is precisely the same as th at o f the Macrodipteryx Africanus, Swains,
and it doubtless represents th at bird on the opposite side o f the African continent; still, as the form o f the
wing is very different, I have ventured to propose for it a separate generic station, leaving future research to
prove whether I have taken a correct view o f the subject.
Little is known respecting this singular species further than that it inhabits the islands lying between those
o f Bourbon and Madagascar; th at it is numerous on the shores o f the Red Sea and in the Island o f Scutra.
The figure is o f the natural size.