9. TELOPHoxrs. 129 



black like the others (not ashj' brown or grey), showing, however 

 obsolete remains of the numerous dark cross bands ; all the tail- 

 feathers are tijiped, and the outermost pair also bordered, with fulvous. 

 4. Back, rest of mantle, and hind neck ochraceous. 5. The bill is 

 very stout and extremely high on the culmen, which is strongly 

 curved ; and besides this the upper mandible is furnished with a very 

 strong notch and hook. Bill black ; feet brown. Total length about 

 7 inches, culmen 0-S5, wing 2-8-3, tail 3-2-3-4, tarsus 1-05-1-1. 



Ohs. Two specimens (« and h) have no trace of a white supercilium, 

 and the loral region is entirely black ; two others agree with the 

 type specimen described above. In all other respects the birds agree 

 perfectly with each other, and are sharply distinguished from T. 

 anchietce. Besides these I have had the opportunity of examining 

 the specimens in Capt. Shelley's collection ; and I tind that some 

 of his specimens collected in the same locality have a white super- 

 cilium, whilst others show no trace of it. In T. anchietce we have 

 precisely the same. I therefore conclude that the presence or absence 

 of a white supercilium in the genus Teloplionus is not a specific 

 character. It cannot be due to age, because we find specimens with 

 pale bills and with black bills both possessing and wanting the 

 white supercilium. 



The presence of a light superciliary streak may be said to be 

 characteristic of the genus Teloplionus. We should therefore expect 

 that the female (and of course the young bii'ds) would be less speci- 

 alized and would preserve the common generic character. The bird 

 ■without the supercilium is no doubt the most specialized one, and is 

 therefore probably the male : but I have seen no sexed specimens. 



Hub. West Africa, from the Gold Coast to the Congo. 



W. Africa. L. Fraser, Esq. [C.]. 



(T}-pe of species.) 

 Ashantee. J. Gould, Esq. 



Accra (Jfai/en). E. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



Fantee {Uss/ter). R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



Fantee. E. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



8. Teloplionus ancMetae. 



Telepbonus anchietse, Bocage, Jam. Lish. 1870, p. 344: SheUrii, P Z S 



1881, p. 579. 

 Telepbonus miiiutus, Bocage, Oni. d' Angola, p. 225, pi. iv. 

 Laniarius anchieta;, Sharpe, ed. Layard B. S. Afr. p. 397 (1882). 



Adult. Very similiar to T. minvtus, but a trifle smaller, and 

 especially distinguished from the latter species by the entire absence 

 of any black or even dark brown colouring on the scapulars and the 

 mantle, the whole mantle being of a uniform chestnut-red colour, 

 not ochraceous as in T. minutus. Culmen 0-75 inch, wing 3, tail 

 3"2, tarsus 0"05. 



Obs. The above description is taken from specimens in the 

 collection of Capt. Shelley, some of which have a very distinct 

 -white superciliary streak, whilst in the others the loral and 



VOL. VIII. K 



