2g2 NOVITATES ZOOLOOICAE XXV. 1918. 



species the females when adult assume horny yellow bills which arc retained. In 

 males the bill remains crimson. Another point of interest with regard to the 

 Quelea is, that in all my adult specimens (4) of Q. qiielea from Lake Edward and 

 Toro, the cheeks and throats are dark chocolate-brown, not black as in specimens 

 of Q. aethiopica (') from Nairobi and chstriet. These points are not mentioned 

 in Shelley's Birds of Ajrica, vol. iv., nor in Reichenow's work. 



We have taken the eggs or young of V. serenu from the nests of the follow- 

 ing : Most commonly, EstriUa massaica, E. rhodopijga, E. delamerei once, and 

 Lagonosticta riiberrima, more often one egg or young to each nest, but occasionally 

 two are found. 



The young in nestling plumage vary somewhat, some being uniform on the 

 back and wings, others showing dark centres to some of the feathers of the mantle 

 and inner secondaries. 



FKIITGILZiIDAE. 

 2->. *Poliospizastriolata affinis Reich w. (Striated Serin Finch) (PI, III.) 



(J 4, ? 3. 



23. *Poliospiza albifrons Sharpe (White-faced Serin Finch). 

 (J 7, $ 5. Both exceedingly common on the mountain. 



24. Serinus shelleyi Neum. (Shelley's Large Yellow Serin Finch). 

 1 . A few were seen but not in the dense forest. 



o 



25. Serinus flavivertex Blanf. (Yellow-barred Serin Finch). 



cJ 1, ? 2, imm. o 1. A very distinct species, with the yellow bars on the 

 wings most noticeable. 



Young birds have the breast heavily streaked with black, and the mantle 

 brownish. 



26. Anomalospiza imberbis Cab. (Canary-hke Bishop Finch). 



(J 2, $ 1. I have referred the birds in the present collection to this species 

 with some hesitation, for they certainly do not agree in all particulars with the 

 description and figure of A. imberbis in Shelley's Birds of Africa, vol. iv. pt. 1. 

 Birds which agree most closely are those which have just come through the 

 breeding season and arc well worn ; these have the feathers of the mantle sharply 

 pointed as depicted in the plate and are of a blackish brown with yellowish 

 edges, whereas in clean fresh-plumaged birds the feathers of the mantle, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts and also the scapulars, olive greenish yellow with dark 

 shaft streaks and edged with grey, giving to the upper surface of the bird a more 

 or less uniform greyish green colour, the dark shaft streaks not being visible. 



Birds from Lamu agree fairly well. 



In the case of the females, my specimens are much whiter on the underside 

 than in the case with the female figured. Judging from my series (30 speci- 

 mens) I am inclined to think that the female depicted is not quite mature. 



As 1 can find no description of the immature bird in first plumage 1 give 

 the following; Undersurface clear buff, with slight yellowish wash, thrown 



