76 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 223 



Breeding Season 



The following data give us an outline, of the breeding time of the 

 dusky combassou in the various parts of its range: 



South- West Africa: Oshikanga (just south of the Angola border), May, egg 

 attributed to this species (A. Roberts, 1939, pp. 115-117). 



Natal: Richmond district, no data, egg (A. W. Vincent, 1949, p. 668). 



Nyasaland: April, May, and July, males collected with enlarged gonads 

 (Benson, 1941, pp. 45-46). 



IMozambique: Sul do Save, mid-December, birds collected in breeding condition 

 (Lamm, in litt). Movene, January 28, male collected with enlarged gonads 

 (Lamm, in litt). Northern Mozambique, February, March, May, June, and July 

 specimens collected in breeding condition (J. Vincent, 1936, pp. 112-113). 



Tanganyika: Matengo Highlands, begins to breed in April (Meise, 1937, p, 

 155). Birds in breeding condition in January (Mackworth-Praed and Grant, 

 1955, pp. 1044-1045). 



Belgian Congo: Southeastern Congo, males in breeding plumage from Decem- 

 ber to early June. Kasai, November 19 to May 7 at least. Uelle District, 

 October and November (Chapin, 1954, pp. 564-566). 



Songs and Calls 



The few comments in the literature and the few others sent me by 

 observers suggest that the vocalisms of the dusky combassou are similar 

 to those of other combassous. J. Vincent (1936, pp. 112-113) stated 

 that the "call or twitter" (probably the song) reminded him of that 

 of a linnet both in duration and in tone. He observed that the song 

 is usually given by birds from fairly prominent perches. In this 

 respect, too, this species resembles its congeners. 



According to Irwin (1952, p. 115) the song ceases before the post- 

 nuptial molt commences. In Mashonaland he noted that the males 

 stop singing and begin to flock in the first half of April, even though 

 they are still in full breeding plumage. 



Courtship, Territorial Behavior, and Mating 



The courtship display of the dusky combassou as described by 

 Hamling (1953, p. 16) is essentially similar to that of the pin-tailed 

 widow bird — the former "dancing in the air in front of the hen, al- 

 though much less vigorously and for a much shorter period." The 

 seeming discrepancy in "vigor" may, however, be due to the presence 

 of long rectrices in the pintail, which create an accentuated impression 

 of the jerky, bouncing movements of the bird. I saw both this species. 

 Vidua funerea, and the gloss}^ combassou, V. amauropteryx, displaj^ing 

 in Southern Rhodesia, and did not see any difference between them 

 in this respect. In the Blythswood area, eastern Cape Province, 

 Godfrey (1929, p. 118) saw a male funerea give a, "mid-air display 



