422 PLOCEIDiE. 7 



1. Sycobrotus bicolor. 



Pyranga icteromelas, Vieill. N. Diet. cTIIist. Nat. xxviii. p. 291 



(1818) ; Puchei: Arch. Mm. vii. p. 355 (1854). 

 Ploceus bicolor, VieiU. N. Diet, xxxiv. p. 127 (1819) ; Shelleij, Ibis, 



1887, p. 19. 

 Fringilla gregalis, LicJit. Verz. Douhl. p. 2.3 (1823). 

 Ploceus clirysogaster, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 92. 

 Syniplectes chrysoiuus, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. p. 170 (1837). 

 Eupodes xanthosomus, Jard. ^- Selhy, III. Orn. u. s. pi. 10 (1837). 

 Hyphantomis chrysogastra, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 351 (1849). 

 Sycobius gregalis, Gray, t. c. p. 352 (1849) ; Licht. Nomend. Av. p. 50 



(1854). 

 Sycobius bicolor, Gray, t. c. p. 352 (1849); Gurney, Ibw, 18G4, 



p. 352; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 183 (18G7); Gurney, Ibis, 1868, 



p. 51 ; Layard, Ibis, 18G9, p. 74 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard'^s B. S. Afr. 



p. 432 (1881). 

 Symplectes bicolor, Bji. Consp. i. p. 439 (1850); Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 



p. 135 (1857) ; Reichenb. Singv. p. 79, Taf. xxxviii. figs. 288, 289 



(1861). 

 Sycobrotus bicolor, Cab. Mus. Ilcin. Th. i. p. 182 (18-50). 

 Ilj'phaiitornis bicolor, Finsch, J. f. O. 1867, p. 247 ; Gray, Hand-l. 



B. ii. p. 42, no. 6587 (1870) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 78. 

 Symplectes chrysogaster, Reichen, J. f. O. 1885, p. 373. 



Adult male. Blackish chocolate, more decidedly brown on tbc 

 lower back ; rump and upper tail-coverts washed with yellow ; 

 wings black, with an ashy shade on the outer edge of the greater 

 coverts, and especially on the primaries, which are edged with 

 hoary whitish; the secondaries narrowly fringed with yellow; tail- 

 feathers black, edged with ashy ; head a little blacker than the 

 back, the sides of the face and sides of neck also black ; throat 

 black, the feathers of the chin obscured by hoary margins, the throat 

 by yellow edges ; remainder of under surface of body from the fore 

 neck downwards bright yellow, slightly inclining to orange on the 

 chest ; under wing-coverts white, the edge of the wing black ; quills 

 blackish, edged "with ashy along the inner web: " bill very pale 

 hoary grey, shaded with black on the culmen towards the tip ; feet 

 lilac-pink ; iris dark brown "(6r. E. Shelley). Total length 5*7 inches, 

 culmen 0-8, wing 3'45, tail 2, tarsus 0-95. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in plumage. " Bill bluish 

 ash-colour ; iris dark hazel " (F. Ayres). Total length 6 inches, 

 culmen 0-8, wing 3-35, tail 2'05, tarsus 0-9. 



The specimens collected by Mr. T. L. Ayres in March and April 

 are moulting, and those shot in May have white or yellow throats. 

 The dark throats are apparently derived by the falling off of the 

 hoary margins of the throat-feathers. 



Hah. S.E. Africa from Port Elizabeth to Natal. Its occurrence 

 in West Africa seems to us to be extremely doubtful. 



a. Ad. st. South Africa. Purchased. 



b. Ad. sk. East London (T. C. liickard). Sharpe Coll. 



r. Ad. sk. Kingwilliamstown. Major II. II. Tre- 



velyan [P.]. 



