11. PHIL^TERUS. 249 



brown margins ; crown of head tawn}- rufous as far as the n ape ; 

 hind neck like the back ; lores and a distinct eyebrow white ; eye- 

 lid and feathers below the eye white ; ear-coverts rufous-brown, 

 surmounted by a narrow line of tawny rufous ; cheeks whitish, 

 followed by a broad malar stripe of black ; throat white ; fore neck 

 and remainder of under surface pale ashy, whiter on the lower breast 

 and abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts 

 and axillaries ashy whitish ; quills below dusky, isabelline along 

 the inner edge : " bill and feet rufous horn-colour : iris dusky 

 rufous " {Heuglin). Total length 6-3 inches, culmen 0*65, wing 

 3-5, tail 2-5, tarsus 0-8. 



Hab. Senegambia to the Niger. N.E. Africa, from Bogos-Land 

 to Shoa. 



a. Ad. sk. Senegambia. Purchased. 



h. Ad. sk. Bogos-Land {Esler). Sharpe Coll. 



c. Ad. sk. Shoa {Sir W. C. Harris). India Museum. 



d, e.S ad. sk. Shoa, Nov. (0. Antinori). Shelley Coll. 



11. PHIL.ffiTERUS. 



Type. 



Philetairus, Smith in Charlesiv. Mag. 1837, p. 5-3G P. socius. 



Range. Confined to Africa. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Upper plumage and flanks scaly, with white edges to 



the feathers ; head brown socius, p. 249. 



b. No scaly markings on buck or flanks. 



«'. Bm black ; head pearly grey ; under surface of ^ ^^,^^^^^j. 250. 

 body drab-brown like the back <. dorvili<i ii '^51 



b'. Bill yellow; head black; under surface of body ' ^) P- " • 



white, with black on the sides of the body and 

 in the centre of the breast cabanisi, p. 251. 



1. PhUsBterus socius. 



Social Grosbeak, Patersons Toyaye, p. 12G, pi. 19. 



Loxia socia, Lath. Ind. Or 11. i. p. 08I (1790, ex Futerson). 



Coccothraustes socia, Vieill. N. Diet, d'llist. Nat. xiii. p. 540 (1817). 



Ploceus socius, Cuv. Begne Anim. i. p. 384 (1817). 



Phiheterus lepidus. Smith in Charlesw. Mag. 18.37, p. 530 ; id. lU. 



Zool. S. Afr., Aves, pi. 8 (1838). 

 Euplectes lepidus, Sivains. An. in Menay. p. 309 (1837) ; C'haj)?n. 



Trav. S. Afr., App. p. 401 (18u8). 

 Philfeterus socius, Oray, Gen. B. ii. p. 353 (1849) ; Bp. Consp. i. 



p. 445 (1850) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 186 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 



1871, p. 253; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 61 (lb71) ; G'urney in 



Anderss. B. Dam.-Ld. p. 167 (1872) ; Roluh >.y Von Pelz. Beitr. 



Orn. Siidafr. p. 119 (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard'n B. S. Afr. p. 449 



(1884) ; SheUey, Ibis, 1886, p. 307. 



Adult male. General colour above brown, the feathers of the 



