MEGALURUS ALBOLIMBATUS.
White-edged Reed-Warbler.

Poodytes albolimbatus, D’ Albert. & Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. xiv. p. 87 (1879).—Salvad. op. cit. xvi.

p. 189 (1880).—id. Orn. Papuasia e delle Molucche, p. 422 (1881).
Megalurus albolimbatus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. vol. vii. p. 129 (1883).

 

Count Satvapori has placed the present bird in Cabanis’s genus Poodytes, the type of which was the
Australian Megalurus gramineus. We cannot, however, separate either the last-named bird or JZ. albo-
limbatus generically from the other species of Megalurus.

In the last-named genus there are two sections, one in which the upper tail-coverts are streaked with dark
brown centres, and the other with the tail-coverts uniform. To this latter section belong AZ. timoriensis
and the subject of the present article. JZ. albolimbatus is a much smaller bird than M. timoriensis, and
is distinguished by the conspicuous white edgings to the inner secondaries and the dark brown centres to
the tail-feathers.

The following descriptions are from the male and female originally described by Count Salvadori :—

“* Adult male (Fly River ; D’Albertis: type of species). General colour above ferruginous, the head, lower
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts uniform, excepting a slight indication of dusky striations on the head ;
mantle and upper back more fulvous, the feathers broadly centred with black ; wing-coverts black, with
rufous-buff margins, a little paler on the outer median coverts and bastard-wing feathers ; quills black, edged
with rufous-buff, the inner secondaries conspicuously bordered with white on both webs, all the other quills
narrowly fringed with whitish at the tips; tail-feathers dusky brown, with broad margins of dull rufous ;
lores and a distinct eyebrow yellowish buff, the latter whiter; feathers round the eye and ear-coverts
yellowish buff, rufescent along the upper edge of the ear-coverts; cheeks, throat, and under surface of body
white, with a wash of yellowish buff on the fore neck and chest, deepening into tawny fulvous on the flanks
and thighs, the under tail-coverts again a little paler; under wing-coverts pale fulvous, the quills ashy brown
below, pale rufescent along the edge of the inner web; ‘bill brown, the lower mandible whitish ; feet
fleshy ; iris chestnut’ (D’ dlbertis). ‘Total length 5-4 inches, culmen 0-65, wing 2°25, tail 3°35, tarsus 0°85.

« Adult female. Similar in plumage to the male, but a little duller. Total length 5-3 inches, culmen 0°6,
wing 2°15, tail 2°35, tarsus 0:85.”

The figures in the Plate represent the male and female birds, of the natural size. They are drawn from
the types lent to us by the Marquis Doria, whose kindness in sending us over many valuable specimens for
the purposes of the present work we have much gratification in publicly acknowledging.

[R. B. S.]

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