9. PTEOMELANA. 239 



y. S tiem. sk. Inyati, Sept. 29 {F. Oates). W. E. & C. G. Gates, 



Esqrs. IP.]. 

 z. S ad. sk. Hope Fontein, near Giibule- W. E. & C. G. Oates, 



weyo, Matabele-Land, Dec. Esq^rs. [P.] 



{F. Oates). 



Subsp. fo. Pyromelana phoenicomera *. 



Euplectes pboenicomerus, Gray, Ann. ^ Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) x.p. 444 

 (1862); Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 616; Reichen. J. f. O. 1875, 

 p. 50. 



Coliuspasser capensis, Shelley, P. Z. S. 1887, p. 126. 



Adult male. Similar to P. capensis, but very much smaller, and 

 the yellow paler and more of a bright lemon-yellow than golden in 

 intensity. Total length 5 inches, culmen 0-6, wing 2-85, tail 1"7, 

 tarsus 0-95. 



Adult female. Similar to the female of P. capensis, but very much 

 smaller, and having the lower back and rump deep ochreous brown, 

 with scarcely any olive tinge. Total length 4*5 inches, culmen 0'5, 

 wing 2-6, tail 1-3, tarsus 0'8. 



Captain Shelley has united P. phoenicomera of the Cameroons to 

 P. capensis ; and, indeed, he only recognizes one species where I can 

 trace three races with well-defined geographical ranges. 



The true P. capensis has the wing [ ^ ] 3-1-3-4, [ $ ] 3-1-3-2 ; 

 P. minor varies from 2-75 to 3-15 in the males, and from 2'57 to 2*9 

 in the females; but P. pluenicomera has the wing 2*7-2'8 in the 

 males and 2 5 in the females. 



The bill is extremely large in the males of P. capensis, but it is 

 difficult to draw the line between them and P. minor, while P. 

 phoenicomera has a still smaller bill. The female is also much 

 darker below and has less distinct stripes. 



Hab. Confined to the Cameroons Mountains in Western Africa. 



a. c? ; 6, c. 2 ad.; Cameroons Mountains, Sir E.. Burton [P.]. 



d. Juv. sk. 7000 feet. (Types of species.) 



e,f. S 2 ad.; ff. Cameroons Mountains, H. H. Johnston, Esq. 



cJ imm. sk. Oct., 8000 feet. [P.]. 



h, i. cS ad. sk. Cameroons Mountains, H. H. Johnston, Esq. 



Nov., 10,000 feet. [P.]. 



k,l- 6 2 ad. sk. Cameroons Mountains, Shelley Coll. 

 Sept., 9-10,000 feet 

 (H. H. Johnston). 



11. Pyromelana xanthomelsBna. 



Euplectes xanthomelas, Rilpp. Neue Wirb., Vog. p. 94 (1835-40) ; id. 

 Si/st. Uebers. p. 76, pi. 28 (1845); Bp. donsp. i. p. 447 (1850); 

 Heugl. Syst. Uebers. p. 38 (1856) ; Antin. Cat. descrr. Ucc. p. 68 



* This name is somewhat inapplicable for a bird which is half black and 

 half yellow ! 



