( 501 ) 



<? (jnv)., Kalai River (Benguella), 15. ix. 04. (No. 981.) Like the former, 

 but underneath more yellowish, breast and flauks washed with olive. Wing 77 mm. 



39. Ploceus bicolor bicolor Vieill. 



? Pyranga icteromelas Vieillot, Nouv. Did. d' Hist. Nat. (Xouv. Ed.), xxviii. p. 291 (1819 — " Amerique 

 meridionale "). It is most probable that the "Pyranga icteromelas" is the present South 

 African Weaver. Pucheran — Arch. Mus. Hist Nat. vii. 1855, p. 355 — especially tells us that 

 it is the same as Vieillot's Ploceus bicolor, and that it came from West Africa and not from 

 America. Nevertheless Sharpe, Shelley, and Reichenow have rejected the name, and it will 

 doubtless be best to reject it in future, though it is probably referring to our species. The 

 " habitat " is doubtful ; the description of the upperside as uniform deep black is incorrect, if 

 meant for P. bicolor. Moreover, the type is no longer in existence, at least Mr. Hellmayr s 

 careful researches in the Paris Museum failed to turn it up. 



Ploceus bicolor Vieillot, Nouv. Did. d'HUt. Nat. (Nouv. Ed.), xxjtiv. p. 127 (1819— " Senegal " ! 

 Errore ! Terra typica South Africa !). The name bicolor must undoubtedly be adopted for 

 the South African form. Shelley, Ibis, 1887. p. 20, stated already that he examined the type 

 in Paris, and that it was a specimen of the South African form. The locality " Senegal," 

 given by Vieillot. is wrong, only being due to a lapsus of Vieillot. The type in the Paris 

 Museum has been examined by Hellmayr. It has on the label as well as on the wooden stand 

 the words " Sycobrotus bicolor (V.) Type. Afri(|ue australe.' The type specimen agrees well 

 with a male from Pondoland in the Tring Museum. It has no similarity with the West 

 African amaurocephalus. 



Ploceus gregalis Lichtenstein, Verz. Doubl. p. 23 (1823 — "Terr. Caffror") ; Reichenow, Vbg. Afr. 

 iii. p. 32 (1904— " Siidostaf rika "). 



Ploceus bicolor has the upper-surface uniform deep brown, thus differing at 

 a glance from amaurocephalus. 



Our material of P. bicolor bicolor is poor : 



1 ad., " S. Africa, A. Thomson, 1887." (Probably cage-bird.) 



1 ad., Etchowe, Zululand. Woodward coll. 



1 <$, Port St. John's, Pondoland, 27. xi. 02. H. H. Swinny coll. " Kill 

 greyish, darker above. Iris brown ; feet light hazel. Length iS\ in. In the crop 

 remains of insects." (Compared with type in Paris Museum by E. C. Hellmayr.) 



1 cS, Zuurberg, Cape Colony, 3. vi. 05. (Purchased from Rosenberg.) 



1, Ifafa River, Natal. Woodward coll. 



1, " Central Africa" (errore), 1853. Ex Leyland. From the Jardine collection. 



1, Cape of Good Hope. On the back, in Jardine's hand : " Type of figure 

 pi. x. of Orn. Illustr. (n.s.)." Ex Jardine coll. 



1, Cape of Good Hope? (Dr. Dyce's sale.) Ex Jardine coll. 



Ploceus bicolor bicolor is only found in S.E. Africa, as correctly stated by 

 Reichenow and Shelley. 



40. Ploceus bicolor stictifrons (Fischer & Rchw.). 



Cf. Reichenow, Yog. Afr. iii. p. 33. 



We have only five skins collected by J. Brown at Mlangi in Mozambique 

 (frontier of Brit. C. Africa). Four are adult, one juvenile. The latter has the whole 

 throat yellow and the forehead not marked with greyish tips to the feathers. 



41. Ploceus bicolor amaurocephalus (Cab.). 



Sycobrotus amaurocephalus Cabanis, Journ.f. Urn. 1880. p. 349. pi. xxi. fig. 1 (Angola). The figure 



is taken from the type, which is iu very worn and dirty garb, and the back is thus too dark. 

 Ploceus bicolor (non Vieillot !) Reichenow, VBg. Afr, iii. p. 34. 



It is impossible to use the name bicolor for this form, as the type of bicolor 

 is from South Africa and agrees perfectly with other specimens from iSouth Africa. 



