COT ILL COWANI.
iill
C O T I L E C O ^ k n i , Sharpe.
DEANS COWAN'S SAND-MAETIN.
[1
Colile cotcani, Sharpe, Jo u rn . L inn. Soc., Zool. xvi. p. 322 (1882); id. Cat. Birds in
B rit. Alus. X. p. 104 (1885).
Coti/le 2^(d^(dicola, var. coicani, Milnc-Edwards et Grandid. Hist. Nat. Aladag. xii.
Ois. p. 398 (1883).
C. similis C. p a lu d k o h e cx A fric à m erid io n a li, sed u b ique s a tu r a tio r : subtiis b ru n n e sc eu s, abdomiue p aullo
a lbic ante , e t g n ttu r e a rg eu te s c en ti-a lb o d is tiu g u e u d a .
Hab. in in su la ‘ M ad ag a sc a r ’ d ietà.
A d u li fem a le . (Jciiera! c olour above d a rk so o ty b rown, s lig h tly p a le r o n th e lowe r b a ck ami rum p ; wing-
covcrts like th e back, th e in n e r g re a te r cove rts and in n e r secondaries r a th e r lig h te r and with
slig h tly p a le r m a rg in s ; p rim a ry -co v e rts a n d q u ills very d a rk b row n ; ta il- f e a th e r s ve ry dark
brown, with na rrow p a le r edgings, th e o u te rm o s t fe a th e rs very n a rrow ly f rin g e d w ith w h ite ; lores
b la ck ish ; e a r-eove rts aud sides o f face da rk sooty b rown, th e che cks a n d th ro a t a shy b row u ;
renia iiide r o f u n d e r surface o f body d a rk ashy b rown, in c lu d in g th e th ig h s ; lowe r abdom en
whitish ; u n d e r ta il-co v e rts p u re w h ite ; axilla rie s aud u n d e r w ing-cove rts d a rk a sh y b rown like
th e b re a s t, tlie edge o f th e wing with p a le r ashy m a rg in s to th e fe a th e rs ; q u ills d a rk b rown below,
r a th e r m ore a shy a lo n g th e in n e r web. To ta l len g th -48 inches, c u lm cn 0 '2 5 , wing 3'G3, ta il !•!),
ta rsu s O’-i.
colour. T h e ma le mca.surcs— to ta l len A d u lt male. Sim ila r to th e female i g th -I-“ in ch e s, wing
ta il 1 '9 , ta rsu s 0-4.
Young. Differs from th e ad u lt in h aving r u fo u s m a rg in s to tlic fe a th e rs o f th e up p e r su rfa c e , wing-covcrts,
and secondaries, while th e th ro a t a n d b re a s t a rc also suffused w ith rufous.
On compa ring th is species with th e S o u th-Afric an C. p aludìcola, i t will he fo u u d tlia t th e difference
consists in th e d a rk e r co lo u r o f th e M ad ag a sc a r b ird , which is brown u n d e n ie a tli, w ith a vvell-
nia rked silvery shine o n th e th ro a t a n d fore iicck.
Hub. B ctsileo co u n try , Madagascar.
Foil the discovery of th is new species of Sand-Alartiii wc a rc indebted to th e Rev. Dcaas
Cowan, an energetic missionary in Aladagascar, who occupied his scanty leisure tim e in
collecting objects of n a tu ra l history in th a t wonderful island. Air. Cowan m et with it
in th e forest of Ankafana, in th e western p a rt of th e province of Bctsileo.
Tlic species was discovered too late for it to bo figured in tbo splendid work on tin*
n a tu ra l history of Aladagascar, published by M. Grandidicpj b u t it is mentioned by