280 PLOCEID^. 



of the belly and under tail-coverts -whiter ; eyebrows, lores, cheeks, 

 and chin washed with rosy ; tail rather graduated, above black, 

 below smoky brown ; rump and tail-feathers crimson, brown towards 

 the bases of the outer margin ; bill blackish, washed with rosy, 

 with a white spot at the angle of the mouth ; feet dusky, the soles 

 ashy ; iris brown. Total length 3-8 inches, bill from forehead 

 scarcely 0-4, wing 1-85, tail i-6, tarsus 0-6. (Heugliu.) 

 Hah. Gazelle lliver, N.E. Africa. 



10. Lagonosticta polionota. (Plate XI. fig. 2.) 



Lagonosticta polionota, SheUeij, Ibis, 1873, p. 141 ; id Ihis, 188G, 

 p. 325 ; Hartert, J.f. 0. 1886, p. 584. 



Adult male (type of species). General colour above dark slaty 

 brown, with a rosy tinge, especially on the head and hind neck, 

 which are otherwise slaty brown like the back ; rump and upper 

 tail- coverts deep crimson ; wing-coverts and quills slaty brown like 

 the back, also with a slight rosy wash ; tail-feathers black, deep 

 crimson towards the base of the outer web ; base of forehead, lores 

 and eyebrow, sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, throat and breast, 

 and sides of body deep crimson, with a few tiny white spots on the 

 sides of the breast ; abdomen and thighs slaty black : under tail- 

 coverts black; under wing-coverts ochreous buff; quiUs below 

 dusky, ashy along the inner edge : " bill slaty grey ; feet and claws 

 slaty brown, iris dark brown" (G. E. Shelley) ; eye-ring yellowish 

 white (Hartert). Total length 3-8 inches, culmen 0-55, wing 1-95, 

 tail 1*55, tarsus 0'55. 



Hah. West Africa, from the Gold Coast to the Niger. 



fl. cJ ad. sk. West Africa. Purchased. 



b. d "d. sk. Fantee. Sliarpe Coll. 



c, d. (S ad. sk. Cape Coast Castle, March (G. Shelley Coll. 



ja. S.). (Types of species.) 



e. S ad. sk. Cape Coast Castle, March (T. Shelley Coll. 



JE. Buckley). 



11. Lagonosticta congica. (Plate XI. fig. 3.) 



Estrelda rubricata (nee Licht.), Itekhen. J.f. O. 1877, p. 29. 

 Lagonosticta rubricata (nee Licht.), Bocage, Orn. Angola, p. 362 



(1881)._ 

 Lagonosticta poUouota (nee Shellei/), Reichen. J. f. 0. 1887, p. 305 ; 



Hartl. Zool. Jahrb. ii. p. 323 (1887). 



Adult female. Similar to L. polionota, but with a much smaller 

 bill ; the colours very much paler, the head being light slaty grey 

 like the back ; lores crimson, but no crimson on the eyebrow : 

 " ii-is blackish brown " (F. Bolmdorff). Total length 4 inches, 

 culmen 0-45, wing 1'8, tail 1'45, tarsus 0"5o. 



Hah. Upper Congo region. 



a, $ ad. sk. Kassongo, Upper Congo. F. BohudorfF[C.]. 



