9. PTROMELANA. 237 



Coccothraustes capensis, Vieill. N. Diet, d'llist. Nut. xiii. p. 527 



(1817). 

 Fringilla phalerata, Licht. Verz. Douhl. p. 22 (1823). 

 Oryx capeusis, Less. Traits, p. 438 (1831). 



Corytlius capensis, Hahn 1^- Kiister, Vdg. Lief. x. Taf. 4 (1834). 

 Euplectes capensis, Su-ains. B. W. Afr. i. p. 180 (1837) ; Bp. Corv^p. 



i. p. 447 (1850); Grill, Zoul. Anteckn. pp. 10,22 (18.58); Sclater, 



P. Z. S. 1866, p. 23 ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 62 (1871, pt.). 

 Ploceus capensis, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 352 (1860) ; Pelz. Bcis. Novara, 



Vdg. p. 90 (1865); Laijard, B. S. Afr. p. 184 (1867); Gray, 



Iland-l. B. ii. p. 45, no. 6633 (1869). 

 Orynx capensis, Cab. Mus. Hein. Th. i. p. 177 (1850). 

 Pvromelana capensis, Sharpe, ed. Layard^s B. S. Afr. pp. 463, 849 



'(1884, pt.). 

 Coliuspasser capensis, Shelley, Ibis, 1886, p. 349. 



Adult male. Yelvety black, -with a slight gloss as far as the middle 

 of the back ; the lower back and rump bright golden yellow ; sca- 

 pulars brown, with longitudinal blackish centres and washed with 

 bright yellow ; lesser and median wing-coverts golden yellow ; greater 

 coverts, bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, edged 

 with lighter brown, washed with yellow on the outer margins ; 

 upper tail-coverts and tail black ; entire head and neck and under 

 surface glossy velvety black ; thighs brown ; under wing-coverts 

 pale isabelline buff, edged with yellow ; edge of wing bright yellow ; 

 quills dusk}^ below, isabelline along the inner webs. Total length 

 6-7 inches, culmen 0-7, wing 3'4, tail 2-4, tarsus 0*95. 



Adult female. Different from the male. General colour above 

 brown, very broadly streaked with blackish centres to the feathers, 

 those of the upper back with whity-brown edges ; lower back and 

 rump dull olive-yellow, streaked with dusky brown ; scapulars like 

 the back ; upper tail-coverts light brown, darker in the centre ; 

 lesser and median wing-coverts dark brown, edged with olive-yellow ; 

 greater coverts, bastard-wing, primary-coverts, quills, and tail- 

 feathers dark brown, edged with whity brown, washed with olive- 

 yellow ; crown of head like the back, but with a slight wash of yellow ; 

 lores and an ill-defined eyebrow olive-yellow ; feathers round eye 

 whitish ; sides of face and ear-coverts dark brown : cheeks and 

 under surface of body whity brown ; the cheeks, throat, sides of neck, 

 and fore neck narrowly streaked with dark brown, with a tinge of 

 yellow on the fore part of the cheeks ; abdomen uniform whitish ; 

 the sides of the body and flanks broadly and distinctly streaked with 

 blackish brown ; thighs and under tail-coverts uniform isabelline ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries isabelline buff washed with golden 

 yellow ; quills below dusky, isabelline along the inner edge. Total 

 length 6 inches, culmen 0-65, wing 3-3, tail 2-2, tarsus 0-95. 



Nab. South Africa, confined to the western districts of the Cape 

 Colony. 



a, b, c. 2 ad. sk. South Africa {E. L. Layard). Sharpe CoU. 



d. ^ ad. sk. South Africa. Forbes Coll. 



e,f. (S ad. sk. South Africa. Sharpe Coll. 



