I 



9. PYEOMELANA. 229 



aries ; upper tail-coverts bright scarlet like the back ; tail-feathers 

 black, the centre ones edged with sandy brown ; crown of head and 

 hind neck very bright scarlet, the latter surrounded by a " wig " ; a 

 line across the base of the forehead ; lores, eyelid, sides of face, ear- 

 coverts, and fore part of cheeks black, as also the throat ; hinder 

 cheeks, sides of neck, fore neck, and chest bright scarlet ; breast 

 and abdomen glossy velvety black, as well as the sides of body and 

 flanks ; a patch of tawny buff at the sides of the upper breast ; 

 thighs, sides of vent, and under tail-coverts tawny buff, deeper near 

 the vent, the thighs with black bases ; under wing-coverts black ; 

 axillaries pale tawny buff or fulvous with black edgings ; quills 

 below black : " bill black ; feet flesh-colour ; iris brown " {J. Biit- 

 tikofer). Total length 5'2 inches, culmen 0-65, wing 2-9, tail 1-65, 

 tarsus 0"8. 



The winter plumage of the male resembles the plumage of the 

 adult female, and the scarlet dress is assumed by a direct moult. 

 At first the mantle is distinctly browner than the lower back and 

 rump, but it becomes gradually overshaded with scarlet until it 

 entirely resembles the rest of the upper surface. 



Adult female. Similar to the female of P. oryx and tinged with 

 yellow on the eyebrow. It has rather a more massive bill than 

 that species, with blacker wings and tail. Total length 4*5 inches, 

 culmen 0-6, wing 2-oo, tail 1-35, tarsus 0-75. 



Mab. Senegambia to the Niger on the west coast of Africa, 

 apparently absent in the Cameroons and Gaboon, but extending from 

 the Loango coast to the Quanza. Southern Senaar in N.E. Africa, 

 extending as far as the Zanzibar district. 



West Africa (Fraser). Sharpe Coll. 



[Sierra Leone.] Tweeddale Coll. 



Ashantee. Gould Coll. 



Enimill, Wasa, AprO 1872 Sharpe Coll. 



(H. F. BHssett). 



Amomeah {H. F. Blissett). Tweeddale Coll. 



Fantee {H. T. Usslier). Sharpe Coll. 



Fantee (Swanzy). Sharpe Coll. 



Fantee {H. T. 'Ussher). Shelley Coll. 



Fantee. Sharpe Coll. 



Fantee. Capt. Moloney [P.]. 



Cape Coast Castle, Feb. Shelley Coll. 



( (t "P s* ^ 



Ahokobi', Feb. 2G {G. E. S. Sf Shelley ColL 



T. E. B.). 



River Niger. Mrs. Heywood [P.]. 



Abutchi, Eiver Niger, Aug. Forbes Coll. 



{W.A.F.). 



Gaboon {Du Chailhi). Tweeddale Coll. 



Landana, Congo (Z. Petit). Shelley Coll. 



Angola {Furtado d'Antas). Sharpe Coll. 



Bembe, Angola {J. J. Monteiro). Sharpe Coll. 



Zanzibar. F. J. Jackson, Esq. 



[P.]. 



