Genus SEMEIOPHORUS, Gould.

CHARACTERES GENERICI.

Characteres ut in genere Macrodipteryx dicto, nist quod remiges sextus, septimus, et octavus gradatim elongats fiunt, usque
ad nonum, qui his, sicut vexillum, prestat, barbasque fert per totam longitudinem.

SEMEIOPHORUS (Mm4CRODIPTERYX?) VEXILLARIUS, Gould.

Semeioph. capite, alarum tectricibus, dorso, scapularibusque longioribus nigris, cervino, rufoque adspersis ; nuchd, torque,
castaneo ornatd ; scapularibus brevioribus nigrescenti-fuscis rufo irroratis, et extis cervino late marginatis ; alis nigre-
scenti-fuscis, primariis et ad basin, et apicem, secondariisque ad apicem albis ; caudd nagrescente, fusco, et cervino,

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4 necnon fasciis irregularibus nigris ornatd ; mento cinereo, et fusco, picto ; gula sagittam albam ferente ; pectore rufo,
2 fuscoque ornato ; abdomine cinerescenti-albo, fasciis nigrescentibus angustis crebré notato ; rostro pedibusque brun-
y nels.
2 Long. tot. 10 wnc.; rostri, 1; ale, 28; caude, 5}; tarsi, 1.
¥; ° . :
Head, wing-coverts, back, and the longest of the scapularies black, mottled with buff and rufous ; round the back

Z of the neck an irregular collar of reddish chestnut ; shortest of the scapularies brownish black sprinkled with
gs rufous, and with 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 bars; chin mottled grey and brown ; in the
centre of the throat an arrow-head-shaped mark of pure white ; remainder of the throat and chest mottled
rufous and dark brown ; 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.

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Semeiophorus (Macrodipteryz ?) vewillarius, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. Part VI. 1838.

 

Tur general structure of this species is precisely the same as that of the Macrodipteryax Africanus, Swains.
§ | I yi prery:
and it doubtless represents that bird on the opposite side of the African continent ; still, as the form of the
wine is very different, I have ventured to propose for it a separate generic station, leaving future research to
§ Wy ? I §
prove whether I have taken a correct view of the subject.
Little is known respecting this singular species further than that it inhabits the islands lying between those
of Bourbon and Madagascar ; that it is numerous on the shores of the Red Sea and in the Island of Scutra.

The figure is of the natural size.