25 



Society ' for 1870, gives the followiug particulars respecting this species 

 which was obtained by Mr. W. Jesse, during the late Abyssinian Expedi- 

 tion. " Iris brown ; beak light horn-colour at the tip, base thickly 

 covered with a white rough coating, appai-ently not horn, and rather 

 soft ; legs and feet dirty grey. 



" I only procured and observed this bird on the Anseba; it was not 

 very plentiful. Mr. ^Y. T. Blanford shot one without the white rough 

 covering at the base of the beak, possibly a young bird. Those seen 

 were in company with a flock of Lamjjrocolius cluihjhwus. Perhaps the 

 peculiarity about the base of both mandibles may be better described as 

 excrescences." 



I here add Mr. W. T. Blanford's notes — " I saw this bird only on the 

 Anseba. It is quite Starling-like in its habits and flight, and belongs, I 

 think, to this family rather than to the FringilUdce. I frequently saw it 

 associating with Lamprotornis cencus, Lamprocolius chahjhceiis^ L. chrysogaster, 

 hunting for insects on the ground, especially about cattle pens. The 

 massive nests are not unlike those of Sturnojmster contra. All which I 

 saw were in high Acacia-trees, but the breeding season was over long 

 before July." 



The plant in this plate is Tinnea cethiopica from Tropical Africa. 

 Specimens examined. 



The figures (Plate IV. fig. 1. 11) are taken from Nos, 1 and 3, in 

 my collection, f size. 



