4. puiopxEKA. 281 



hinder part of cheeks, and sides of neck very deep chocolate-bro^Ti ; 

 fore part of cheeks, throat, and entire under surface of body white, 

 the breast browner ; thighs and under wing-coTerts brown ; under 

 tail-coverts white, like the abdomen. Total length 9'5 inches, cul- 

 men 0-8, wing 5, tail 4-1, tarsus 1. 

 Hah. North-east Africa. 



a. Ad. sk. Abyssinia. .Sir W. C. Harris [C.]. 



4. PffiOPTEEA. „,_ 



Type. 



Poeoptera, Bp. C. H. xxxviii. p. 381 P. lugubris. 



Myiopsar, Cuhanis, J.f. O. 1876, p. 93 P. lugubris. 



Eange. Confined to Western Africa. 



1. Poeoptera lugubris*. 



Poeoptera lusubris, Bp. C. R. xxxviii. p. 381 ; Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 



p. 09. " _ 



Thamuobia lugubris, Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 212. 

 Myiopsar cryptopjTrbus, Cabanis, J. f. O. 1876, p. 93. 



Adult male. General colour above glossy purple, the least and 

 median coverts coloured like the back ; the greater series of wing- 

 coverts light brown, edged with whity brown ; the primary-coverts 

 and bastard wing darker brown, with slight purple gloss ; quills 

 rather darker brown, shghtly shaded with puqjle towards their tips ; 

 the secondaries externally whity brown ; tail strongly graduated, 

 blackish, glossed with greenish purple on the edges of the feathers ; 

 entire under surface of body glossy purple, including the under 

 wing- and tail-coverts ; lower surface of quills dusky brown, in- 

 clining to ashy brown on the inner webs, and slightly washed with 

 rufous near the base of the primaries : bill and legs black. Total 

 length S-o inches, culmen U"<), wing y-o5, tail 4-4.5, tarsus 0-7. 



Adult female. Different from the male. Greyish above, with a 

 very distinct steel-blue gloss ; wing-coverts like the back, the greater 

 series dark brown, glossed with steel-blue on the outer webs ; quills 

 blackish brown, the inner webs rufous for the greater part of their 

 extent ; tail blackish, glossed with steel-green on both webs ; under 

 surface of bod}- ashy grey, with a gloss of steel-green ; the wing- 

 coverts like the breast ; quills blackish below, the rulbus inner webs 

 showing very plainly. Total length 7"G inches, culmen 0-55, wing 3"3, 

 tail 3-8, tarsus 0-75. 



Hab. West Africa : from the Gold Coast to the Congo. 



a, b. cS 2 ad. sk. Forests of Denkera, interior Mr. St. Thomas D. 

 of Fantee. Aubinn [C.]. 



* Prince Bona])arte seems to have named this species without due cousidera- 

 tion, and it is quite open to question whether tliis name should be accepted. 

 He has confused it wtli Mi'»ic(tj)a /I'ffiihris of Miiller, to which it bears no re- 

 seniWance at all. Dr. Hartlaub has adopted Bonajwrte's name, and I follow 

 him, but not without doubt as to the reception of the title by future students. 



vol.. III. V 



