530 TIMELnDJ3. 



Youncj. Rimilarl}' coloured to the adult, but the character of the 

 plumage more fluffy and the whole bill horn-brown ; the general 

 colour is a trifle duller than in the old bird, and the sides of the 

 chest strongly washed with oHve-grecn. 



Hah. Madagascar and the Comoro islands (Mohilla). 



a,b. 6 ; c. 2 ad. N.E. Madagascar. J. C. Van Dam [0.]. 

 sk. 



d. S ad. sk. Madagascar. Purchased. 



e. (S ad.sk. East of Antananarivo, Rev. Deans Cowan [C.]. 



July 1881. 

 f,q. cJad. ; h. $ Ankafana forest, Betsileo, Rev. Deans Cowan [C.]. 



■juv. sk. March 1881. 



i. 2 ad. sk. Betsileo. Rev. G. A. Shaw [C.]. 



10. MACROSPHENUS. 



Type. 

 Macrosphenus, Cass. Proc. Philad. Acad. 1859, p. 41 ... . M. flavicans. 



This genus is unknown to me; but it is stated by Cassin to 

 be nearly allied to Bcrnieria. As it is unlikely that a species from 

 Gaboon will be generically the same as one from Madagascar, I have 

 kept Macrosphenufi distinct from Bernieria, and have reproduced 

 Cassin's original descriptions. 



General aspect of Ortliotomus (0. sericeus, Temm.), and Eham- 

 phocoenus {R. melanitrus, VieiU.), but with the biU stronger, wider 

 laterally, and more compressed, and with the legs and feet stronger. 

 Bill long, rather strong, straight, wide at base, compressed towards 

 the end ; upper mandible carinated, curved and distinctly notched 

 at the tip ; nostril in a large membrane ; under mandible rather 

 thick, somewhat curved in its outline, ascending towards its tip. 

 "Wing moderate ; first quill spurious ; fourth, fifth, and sixth longest 

 and nearly equal. Tail moderate or rather short. Legs moderate ; 

 claws rather strong, curved. (Cassin, I. c.) 



Range. Gaboon, West Africa. 



1. Macrosphenus flavicans. 



Macrosphenus flavicans, Cass. Proc. Philad. Acad. 1859, p. 42 ; Hartl. 



J.f. O. 1861, p. 162. 

 Criniger flavicans. Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 275, no. 4045 (1869). 



Bill long, straight, curved at the tip, and with a distinct notch ; 

 head above dark greenish cinereous ; throat and neck in front light 

 cinereous ; body above light olive-green, below greeuish yeUow, 

 inclining to saffron-yellow on the flanks ; tibia yellow, mixed with 

 cinereous in its lower third • under wing-coverts silky white ; quills 

 brownish black, edged externally with ashy olive ; tail olive-green, 

 darker on the inner webs ; bill bluish horn-colour ; under mandible 

 white at base, and, viewed from below, having a longitudinal stripe 

 of white throughout its length ; legs light-coloured. Total length 

 about 5 inches, wing 2|, tail 1|, bill from gape |, tarsus |. (Cassia.) 



Hah. Camma river, Gaboon. 



