476 PLOCEID^. 



adult female. The young birds are quite rufescent below, and are 

 also tinged with rufous on the upper surface. 

 Ilah. Java, Burmese countries, and Siam, 



r/, 6. (5' ad. sk. Java, (Horsjield). India Museum. 



c. cS ad. sk. Java. Purchased. 



d. cJ ad. sk. Bekassi, Java, Feb. 28 (If. O. Forbes Coll, 



Forbes). 

 cJad.sk. Thatone, Tenasserim, Oct. (i?. C. Tweeddale Coll. 



Beavan). 



f. 2 juv. sk. Tavoy, April 2G ( W. Davison). Hume Coll. 



g. (S ad. sk. Lower Pegu. W. T. Blanford, Esq. 



[P.]. 

 /j_^. ^. q-t,, 2 Pegu, April to July {E. W. 0.). Gates Coll. 



ad.etjuv.sk. 

 %0-x. <S\y,«, «'. Pegu, April to Sept. {E. W. O.). Hume Coll. 



O g^(J_ g]j 



b'-d' S ; e'-i'. 2 Pegu, July to Sept. (E. W. 0.). Forbes Coll. 



ad. et juv. sk. 



k'. Juv. sk. Burmah. Pinwill Coll. 



l'-q\ ^ ad. ; Ptangoon district, June, July Tweeddale Coll. 



r',s'. 2 jiiv.sk. {R. G. W. R.). 



t'. cj ad. sk. Rangoon. Hume Coll. 



u'-x'.S ; y'-a". Tonghoo, June, July {R. G. Tweeddale Coll. 



2 ad. sk. W. R.). 



b" . (S ad. sk. Siam (Sir R. Schomhirgk). Gould Coll. 



54. MELANOPTERYX. „ 



Type. 



Melanopteryx, Reichen. Zool. Jahrb. i. p. 125 (1886). ... M. nigerrima. 

 Range. Confined to West Africa. 



Key to tlie Species. 



a. Entirely black above nigerrima, p. 476. 



b. With a white patch on the hind neck albinucha, p. 477. 



1. Melanopteryx nigerrima. 



Ploceus nigerrimus, VieiU. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxxiv. p. 130 



(1819); Reichen. Zool. Jahrb. i. p. 125 (1886); Hartl. op. cit. ii. 



p. 320 (1887) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1887, p. 38 ; Reichen. J.f. 0. 1887,p. 305, 

 Ploceus niger, Sicai)is. An. in Menag. p. 306 (1837). 

 Sycobius nigerrimus. Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 362 (1849) ; Bp. Consp. i. 



p. 439 (18.50) ; Hartl. 'Orn. W.-Afr. p. 133 (1857) ; Cass. Proc. 



Philad. Acad. 1859, p. 136 ; Hartl. J.f. O. 1861, p. 257. 

 Malimbus nigerrimus. Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 43, no. <5607 (1870); 



Sharpe, P. Z. 8. 1871, p. 612; id. Sr iJmivier, Bull. Soc. Zool. 



France, i. p. 47 (1876) ; Elliot, Ibis, 1876, p. 464 ; Oust. N. Arch. 



Mus. (2) ii. Bull. p. 108 (1879). 

 Hvphantornis nigerrimus, Reichen. Corr. Afrih. Ges. no. x. p. 181 



*(1874) ; id. J.f. O. 1877, p. 26. 



Adult male. Entirely black above and below : " bill black ; feet 

 brownish flesh-colour ; iris golden-yellow " (A. Eeichenow). Total 

 length 0-5 inches, eulmen 0-8, wing 3-3, tail 2-15, tarsus 0-9, 



I 



