Place.
the leffer wing coverts are white, the greater black, with rufous
edges; qu'ills of this laft colour.; the tail is compofed of twelve
feathers; the two middle ones exceed the others by five inches
and a half; the next on each fide are one inch fhorter, thefe are
deep black; the others, which are fhort, and of equal length, are
of a dull brown-colour, margined with pale brown, and marked
each with a white fpot at the inner web: legs flefh-coloqr,
I have a great fufpicion that the two laft birds are one and the
fame, though the marks of the upper part may be different, as
we know that all the Whidah Birds vary exceedingly, both in
different times of the year, as well as age : whoever obferves the
ficures referred to in the fynonyms, will be of my opinion.
Buffon thinks, that both this and the laft bird have twelve feathers
in the tail, like others of this clafs, and that the four long
feathers are fupernumerary ones, as in the Peacock; but I can
affure him, that in the long-tailed there are only twelve in
a ll; and in the prefent one, had they been otherwife, fo accurate
a deferiber as Edwards could not have failed mentioning it*
This laft author obferves, that the bird foon gains again the long
feathers after moulting, contrary to the Whidah Bird,. which ■ is
often half a year without them.
This fpecies is found at Angola. The laft is faid to come from
India \ but I have feen fpecimens of the laft, which were faid to
come likewife from Angola, and is an additional reafon for my
thinking them the fame bird.
)
Emberiza regia, Lin. $yft. 1. p. 313. 23.
La Veuve de la Cote d’Afrique, Brif. orn. iii. .p. 129. 28. pi. 9. f. I P / .
enl. 8. f. 1.
Le Veuve a quatre brins, Buf. oif*W. p. 15S. pi. 5.
Br. Muf. Lev. Muf.
W M of a Linnet; length to the fhorter tail feather near four
inches and a half. Bill red: the upper parts of the plumage
are black: fides of the head even with the eyes, the under parts,,
and round the neck, are rufous; the hind part of the neck
fpotted with black: lower part of the thighs and vent black : the
four middle tail feathers are nine or ten inches long,, and are
webbed only for about two inches at the ends ; the reft of them
are fimple fhafts, with fcarcely the leaf! perceivable rudiment of
a web; the others are even, fhort, and black: legs red..
The female is brown, and has not the long tail feathers.,
Thefe birds moult twice in a year, and in the winter moult
the male becomes very little fuperior to a. Linnet in colour,,
having the plumage nearly like it,, only, the grey a little
brighter.
Inhabits Africa, from the coafts of which thefe birds are imported
into England; but is a much fcarcer fpecies than the
Whidah one.
I have one of thefe birds in my CoHeftion ; but the upper parts
of the plumage are not black,, confiding only of two kinds of
brown, the darkeffi occupying the middle of the feather,, not
greatly unlike the back of a hen Houfe Sparrow : the tail dufky,,
with pale rufous margins,.
19.
+. SHAFTTAILED
E.
Descr iptioh.
Female.
Place.