78 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 223 



to predict that the egg will be pure white and of the dimensions given 

 above. Bannerman (1953, p. 1499) cited J. Vincent's statement, but 

 his account credited the egg to the West African race, Vidua funerea 

 wilsoni, to which it does not belong. 



One female, collected by J. Vincent, appeared to be getting ready to 

 lay 6 eggs; at least it showed that many enlarged ova. 



Hosts 



Three species of weaver birds have been reported as hosts of the 

 dusky combassou, but, while some of the instances are highly probable, 

 not one can be considered as proved. I know of no completely au- 

 thentic eggs or nestlings of this parasite having been collected. All 

 that can be said in critical support of the individual cases is presented 

 below in such detail as is available and as seems worthwhile. Ob- 

 viously, here is another opportunity for naturalists resident within the 

 range of the bird to make a definite contribution to our knowledge. 



Red-bellied fire finch: Estrilda senegala (Linnaeus) ™ 



At Oshikanga, South-West Africa, just south of the Angola border, 

 in May 1937, A. Roberts (1939, pp. 115-117) found a nest of this fire 

 finch (race E. s. rendallii ^') with 3 egg-s in it. One of the eggs was larger 

 than the others, this egg measuring 15.2 by 12.3 mm., as compared 

 with 14.5 by 11.9 mm. and 14 by 11 mm., the measurements of 

 the other two. Roberts never saw the fh'e finches at the nest, which 

 was apparently deserted, but on several occasions he saw a male 

 dusky combassou near it. Inasmuch as no other combassous were 

 seen in the area, he assumed that the larger egg was referrable to this 

 species — hardly a safe identification even though it may be a con-ect 

 one. Winterbottom (1951, p. 38) listed this fire finch as a victim of 

 the dusky combassou without further data, undoubtedly on the basis 

 of Roberts' record. 



Gill (1945, p. 32), based on Roberts, listed Lagonosticia rubricata'^^ 

 as a host. He may have mistaken this species for Estrilda senegala 

 as I know of no record of the dark fire finch in this capacity. 



There is reason to ask whether all these statements actually refer 

 to the dusky combassou. Vidua funerea. True, this is the name used 

 by Roberts for the combassou seen at Oshikanga, but the bird may 

 actually have been the glossy combassou, V. amauropteryx. This 

 species is known to occur in South-West Africa, while V. funerea has 

 not been recorded south of Angola in the western part of the continent. 



" Fringilla senegala Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, vol. 1, 17fi6, p. 320 (Senegal). 

 " Lagonosticta senegala rendalli Hartert, Nov. ZooL, vol. 5, 1898, p. 72 (Upper Shire River). 

 " Fringilla ruhricata Llchtensteln, Verzeichnlss der Doubletten des zoologischen Museum . . ., 1823, p. 

 27 (Kafflrland). 



