482 PLOCEIDJJ. 



5, Malimbus cassini. 



Sycobius cassini, Elliot, Ibis, 18o9, p. y92 ; Cass. Juurn. Philad. Acad. 



' (•2)\. p. 180(18(3:2). 

 Maliinbus cassini, arai/, llmul-l. B. ii. p. 43, no. G(50S (1870) ; 

 Elliot, Ibis, 1876, p. 401, pi. 1;5. fig. 1 ; Shelk-y, Ibis, 1887, p. 41. 



Adult male. Black all over, including the under tail-eoverts ; but 

 "with the head, nape, hind neck, fore neck, aud chest scarlet ver- 

 milion. Total length 6 inches, culmcn 0*8, wing 3-55, tail 2, 

 tarsus O'S. 



Voutif/. Similar to the adult, but dusky and more ashy black ; 

 below dark ashy grey, the crimson colour of the head dull and ex- 

 tending over the sides of the face, throat, and chest. 



Jlab. West Africa from Gaboon to Angola. 



a. Ad. sk. Gaboon. M. Verreaux. (Type 



of species.) 



b. Ad. sk. Gaboon. Sliarpe Coll. 



c. Ad. sk. Fernaud Vaz {Marche et M. Bouvier. 



De Compi(-(ine). 



d. Juv. sk. Loauda (/. Thompson). Shelley Coll. 



6. Malimbus scutatus. 



Sycobius scutatus, Cass. Proc. Philad. Acad. 1840, p. 157 ; id. Joum. 



Philad. Arad. i. p. 297, pi. 41. figs. 1, 2 (1850); i>>. Coiisp.l 



p. 439 (1850); llavtl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 132 (1857); Enchenb. 



Sim/v. p. 90 (18G1); Sharpe, Ibis, 18G9, p. 191, 1870, p. 472; 



Btittik. Notes Leyden 3Ins. vii. p. 196 (1885), viii. p. 259 (1886), 



X. p. 90 (1888), ki. pp. 124, 133 (1889). 

 MnWmhus scutatm, Gray, Hmid-l. B. ii. p. 43, no. 6605 (1870); 



Shaipe, Cat. Afr. i?.'p. GO (1871); Ussher, Ibis, 1874, p. 08; 



Elliot, Ibis, 1876, p. 460. 

 Malimbus rubropersonatus, Shelley, Ibis, 1887, p. 41, pi. ii. fig. 2. 



Adult male. Glossy black above and below ; the entire crown, 

 hind neck, and sides of neck scarlet, extending in a broad band 

 across the fore neck and chest ; the vent and under tail-coverts also 

 scarlet: "bill black; feet greyish brown; iris dark brown " (J'. 

 Bilttilofi'r). Total length 6 inches, culmen 0-65, wing 3-(5, tail 2, 

 tarsus O'So. 



Adult female. Differs from the male in wanting the scarlet on the 

 head and neck, these parts being black like the rest of the head. 

 Total length 5'5 inches, culmen 0-7, wing 3"4, tail 1'95, tarsus 0"85. 



Yoang (M. rabrojiersonatus, Shelley). Differs from the adult in 

 having the forehead scarlet, the sides of the face washed with scarlet, 

 and tlie whole of the throat, fore neck, and chest pale scarlet. 



1 have no doubt that this is the young plumage of M. scutatus, as 

 it has the scarlet under tail-coverts from the nestling stage. An 

 otherwise fully adult bird still has a few red leathers in the throat 

 and a few black feathers in the crown, and there are other inter- 

 mediate specimens in the Museum. One bird from Cameroons has 

 a broad black lino across the scarlet chest, joining the black throat 



