56 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 223 



Bolstering Delacour's argument is the generally overlooked and 

 quite inadequately published note of II. Neunzig (1931, p. 546), the 

 gist of which is as follows: Neunzig took some combassous "of the 

 Senegal form" and treated them with certain glandular extracts 

 ("mit besthnmter Driisenpraparaten"). Two of his experimental 

 birds developed elongated median rectrices after the molt; one had 

 them about 15 mm. longer than normal, and the other about 40 mm. 

 longer, or about 80 mm. in total length. These short-tailed birds 

 thereby became more similar to the long-tailed Vidua hypocherina. 

 Unfortunately, Neunzig did not indicate the glandular preparations 

 used and the dosage, time, and intervals involved; however, his results 

 seem to indicate that the species of Hypochera and Vidua, especially 

 Vidua hypocherina, are very closely related. 



Uncertainty has arisen, however, about the kind of birds that Neun- 

 zig used. While he refers to them as of "the Senegal form," the tax- 

 onomy of the combassous, even now not wholly clear, was certainly 

 poorly understood and much confused in 1931. Possibly his birds 

 came from eastern Africa and were of a species then considered the 

 same as the one occurring in Senegal. There is the annoying fact that 

 in eastern and northeastern Africa, the long-tailed blue Avidow bird, 

 Vidua hypocherina, is found; one cannot, therefore, rule out the possi- 

 bility that Neunzig may have had some birds of this species mixed up 

 with his combassous, especially if he began his experiments with birds 

 in the brown "off-season" plumage, when it is very difficult to tell 

 them apart. Inasmuch as he reported that the birds developing 

 lengthened retrices did so after the molt, the experiment probably was 

 started before the molt — with birds in the off-season plumage. 

 Against this possibility one must admit that an aviculturist of Neun- 

 zig's experience would likely have been alert to the need for knowing 

 exactly the birds that he was studying. Furthermore, in East Africa, 

 the combassous are more generally available for capture for the avicul- 

 tural trade than the blue widow bhxls. Neunzig should publish the 

 full details of his work, or the experiment should be repeated under 

 better conditions, and fully recorded. 



If further evidence should corroborate Neunzig's undocumented 

 results, the case for reducing Hypochera to not more than a subgenus 

 of Viduxi would be much strengthened. No doubt the two are closely 

 related, and even without further evidence a good case may be made 

 for putting them together. In his recent book Boetticher (1952, 

 p. 60, footnote) referred to the fact that Neunzig once told him of 

 two of his specimens of '^Hypochera chalybeata" acquiring elongated 

 retrices. This statement probably refers to the same experiment 

 discussed above, but gives a more definite identification of the birds. 



