26 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 223 



from seven marlcs (in Poephila phaeton *°) to one mark (in Pytilia 

 raelha) on the palate, and even none in two species {Pytilia phoeni- 

 coptera and Estrilda melanotis). Usually there are also black marks 

 on the tongue. The mannikins (Amadina, Padda, and Lonchura) 

 have a special pattern involving a horseshoe-shaped dark line or 

 series of blotches on the palate, but lack the reflection tubercles. 



R. Neunzig (1929b) diagrammatically pictured the mouth patterns 

 of several of the viduines, and it is from his paper that the following 

 figures and descriptions derive. Vidua macroura and its commonest 

 host, Estrilda astrild (fig. 1, no. 1) have five black spots on the pinkish 

 roof of the mouth. The three more distal ones are larger than the 

 two medioproximal ones. The middle one of the distal three is some- 

 what bigger than the lateral ones. On the floor of the mouth are two 

 small black spots, one on either side far back near the gape, and a 

 crescentic black mark near the front of the mandible. On the tongue 

 are two small black spots. The pearly colored reflecting tubercles are 

 shaped somewhat like a horseshoe. 



In Vidua Hscheri (fig. 1, no. 2), Neunzig reported a similar pattern, 

 except that on the floor of the mouth the crescentic black mark is 

 extended greatly posterolaterally to form a striking border to the 

 entire lower part of the mouth. The reflection globules are said to be 

 "cornflower" blue with a violet membrane. A similar condition is 

 said to be found in Granatina ianthinogaster, the presumed favorite 

 host species. Neunzig did not state the source of his knowledge of 

 the mouth pattern of the nestling straw-tailed widow bird. As far 

 as I have been able to discover, no one has yet found a nestling of this 

 bird in a nest of any host species, and I cannot find any statement in 

 Neunzig's account to indicate that he had any special data. I can 

 only assume that he must have had a specimen, but in the absence of 

 corroborative data, I think that his description needs to be verified. 



In Vidua hypocherina Neunzig's description was based upon a 

 specimen still partly in juvenal plumage, in the Erlanger collection 

 in the Senckenberg Museum, a not too satisfactory "source specimen" 

 as it may have been old enough to have lost some of its pristine 

 pattern. Possibly his specimen may have been preserved in alcohol 

 as a study skin would not reveal any mouth markings. Neunzig 

 stated that in its buccal pattern, it agreed well with that found in 

 Estrilda erythronotos delamerei (fig. 1, no. 3). As may be seen from the 

 diagram, this pattern is similar to that of E. astrild, but lacks the 

 posterolateral spots on the floor of the mouth, has the antero ventral 

 crescent slightly longer, but not nearly as long as in V. Hscheri, and 

 has the mandibular reflection tubercle larger. 



" Fringilla phaeton Hombron and Jacqulmot, Ann. Scl. Nat. Paris, ser. 2, vol. 16, 1841 (RafiBes Bay 

 Northern Territory, Australia). 



