242 PLOCEID^. 



? Euplectes strictus, Hartl Orn. W.-Afr. p. 129, note (1857) ; Gray, 



Hand-l. M- ii. p. 46, no. 6644 (1870). 

 Euplectes habessinica, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. i. pt. 2, p. 575 



(1870, pt.)*. 

 Euplectes scioanus, Salvad. Ann. Mm. Civic. Genov. (2) i. p. 185 



(1884),: id. op. cit. (2) vi. p. 289 (1888). 

 Euplectes taha scioauus, Reiclien. J.f. O. 1885, p. 218. 

 Pyi'omelana scioana, Shelley, Ibis, 1886, p. 354. 



Adult male. General colour above golden yellow, except on the 

 mantle, which forms a black band across and separates the head 

 and neck from the back and rump ; entire crown of head, hind neck, 

 and sides of neck golden yellow ; mantle and scapulars black, some 

 of the feathers fringed with golden yellow, more broadly where they 

 adjoin the back, which, with the rump and upper tail-coverts, is 

 golden yeUow ; wing-coverts and quills edged with whity brown, 

 lighter on the greater coverts and quills, except near the base of the 

 secondaries, where the latter are margined with yellowish ; tail- 

 feathers dark brown, margined with yellowish buff ; lores and a 

 narrow line across the base of the forehead black, the adjoining part 

 of the forehead being slightly tinged with rufous ; a narrow lino 

 surrounding the eye, sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, and uudor- 

 surface of body black, the fore neck with concealed yellow bases to 

 the feathers ; thighs, vent, and under tail-coverts golden yellow ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts pale tawny buff, with dusky 

 bases ; quills dusky below, ashy fulvous along the inner web : " biU 

 black ; feet duskj" ; iris chestnut " (Antinori). Total length 

 5-7 inches, culmen 0'5.5, wing 2"75, tail 1-75, tarsus 0-75. 



Similar to P. talia, but much larger ; the feathers of the fore neck 

 with concealed yellow bases, and the sides of the breast without the 

 yellow patch conspicuous in P. taJia. 



Hah. kShoa, extending into Abyssinia. 



a, b. (S ad. sk. Tuor-Hamesch, Shoa, Aug. 18, Shelley Coll. 



1 877 {A. Antinori). 



14. Pyromelana taha. 



Euplectes taha, Stnifh, Meport Exped. C. Afr. p. 50 (1836) ; id. III. 



Zool. S. Afr. pi. vii. (1849) ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 447 (1850) ; Layard, 



Ibis, 1868, p. 267 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 294 ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. 



p. 62 (1871) ; Gurney, in Anderss. B. Dam.-Ld. p. 171 (1872) ; 



Gurney, Ibis, 1873, p. 255 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 79 ; Barratt, 



Ibis, 1876, p. 206; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. v. p. 255 (1876) ; id. Orn. 



Angola, p. 338 (1877-81). 

 Ploceus dubius, Smith, Report Exped. C. Afr. p. 50 (1836). 

 Ploceus taha. Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 252 (1849) ; Laijard, B. S. Afr. 



p. 184 (1867) ; Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 46, no. 6645 (1870). 



* Dr. Hartlaub has been so kind as to examiue for me all the specimens of 

 this species in the Museums of Frankfort and Stuttgart ; and he finds tliat all 

 the specimens of true P. afra are from West Africa, and neither museum pos- 

 sesses a single example from N.E. Africa. Count Salvadori also tells me that the 

 Kassala specimen procured by the late Marquis Antinori {I. c.) is P. ladoeiisis. 



