31. SPOKJEGINTHUS. 325 



eyebrow and sides of face, the latter being dark ashy olive-browa 

 like the head ; under surface of body yellow, not scarlet, except on 

 the under tail-coverts. Total length 3"5 inches, culmen 0'35, wing 

 I'T, tail I'io, tarsus O'-i. 



Yuuiu/ males are not so scarlet underneath as the old birds, but 

 are yellow like the females. 



Hub. The greater part of the Ethiopian Region, but apparently 

 locally distributed. 



a. Ad. St. Natal. Purchased. 



b. Ad. sk. Umlazi Elver, Natal {T. Shelley Coll. 



Z. Ay res). 



c. Ad. sk. Natal {T. L. Ai/res). Seebohui Coll. 

 <f, e. cJ ;/. 2 ad. sk. Newcastle, Sept., Feb. Shelley Coll. 



{Vapt. Saoile Reid). 

 g. (S ; /*, i. 2 ^^-i Potcbefstroom, Transvaal, J. H. Guruey, Esq. [P.]. 



7c, I. Juv.sk. July, Aug., ()ct.{2\Ai/reg). 



m. Ad. sk. Potchetstruoui, Oct. 23 Forbes Coll. 



(T. Ai/res). 

 n-s. c? ad. et juv. ; Lado, Equatorial Africa, Emiu Pasha [P.]. 



t, u, v. 5 ad. sk. March. 



tc. Ad. sk. Shonga, 11. Niger, Dec. 1 Forbes Coll. 



( IV. A. F.). 

 .(•. Ad. sk. S. Louis, Senegal (Z. Za- Tweeddale Coll. 



fflaize). 



4. Sporaeginthus melpodus. 



Bengali a joues Oranges, Fiei/l. Ois. Chant, p. 26, pi. 7 (1805). 

 Friugilla melpoda, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Acit. xii. p. 177 (1817). 

 Estrelda melpoda, Grci!/, Gen. B. ii. p. 3(J9 (1849) ; Bp. Consp. Av. 



i. p. 4(30 (1800; ; Hartl. Om. W.-Afr. p. 141 (18.57) ; Cass. Proc. 



Philad. Acad. 1859, p. 138 ; Heine, J. f. O. 1,^00, p. 141 ; Hart!. J. 



f. O. 18U1, p. 258 ; ^'Sharpe, Ibis, 1870, p. 482 ; H/wllei/ .^ Buckley, 



Ibis, 1872, p. 290; Iieichen.J;f. 0. 1875, p. 41; 8/iarpe i^- Bomier, 



Bull. Soc. Zoiil. France, iii. p. 76(1878); Oiistalet, Nouv. Arch. 



Mus. (2) ii. Bull. p. 112 (1S79) ; Bocage, Orn. Angola, p. 358 



(1881); Forbes, Ibis, 1683, p. 510; iShelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 565 ; 



Bdttik. Notes Zeyden Mus. viii. p. 260 (1886) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1886, 



p. 332. 

 Frmgilla lippa, Zicht. Mus. BeroL, teste Bp. Consp. p. 468 (1850). 

 Habropvga melpoda, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 169, note (1850) ; Sharpe, 



Cut. Afr. B. p. 66 (1871); Cab. J.f. O. I860, p. 464; Beichen. J. 



f. O. 1887, p. 301. 

 Melpoda lippa, Beichenb. Singv. p. 26, pi. vii. figs. 62-G4 (1861). 

 Estrilda melpoda, Gray, Hund-l. B. ii, p. 51, no. 6702 (1870). 



Adult viale. General colour above light chocolate-brown ; wing- 

 coverts like the back ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills 

 dusky brown, edged with chocolate-brown ; upper tail-coverts dark 

 crimson ; tail-feathers black, the outer feathers edged with ashy 

 near the ends of the outer web ; crown of head slaty grey, con- 

 trasting witli the back ; lores, feathers round the eye, and ear- 

 coverts scarlet ; eyelid whitish ; feathers at base of mandible, 



