58. SPEEMOSPIZA. 499 



de Zool. 1852, p. 5U; Haiti. Oni. W.-Afr. p. ]3S (1857); Cass, 

 I'roc. Philad. Acad. 1859, p. 137; Reichenb. Swyv. p. 52, Taf. xxi. 

 tigs. 182, 183 (1861) ; Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 49, no. 01570 (1870) ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 08 (1871) ; Biittik. Notes Ley den Mus. vi. 

 p. 198 (1885); Shelley, Ibis, 1880, p. 310; Biittik. Notes Leyderi 

 Mas. vii. p. 198, viii. p. 200 (1880), x. p. Ul (1888). 

 Spermospiza guttata, SAarjje, ibis, 1809, p. 384 ( $ ). 



A(hd male. General colour above blue-black, with a slight gloss ; 

 on the upper tail-coverts a scarcelj' distinguishable wash of dull 

 crimson ; wings and tail black ; sides of face, ear-coverts, and fore 

 part of cheeks black, as also a narrow line along the base of the 

 chin ; throat, breast, and sides of body bright crimson ; lower 

 breast, abdomen, flanks, thighs, under tail-coverts, under wing- 

 coverts, and axillaries black : " bill metallic cyanean blue, the tip 

 and edges vermilion ; feet sooty brown ; iris red ; eyelid milky 

 white" (J. Biittihifer). Total length 5-2 inches, culmen 65, 

 wing 2'7, tail 2'1, tarsus 0-85. 



Adult female. Different from the male. General colour above 

 dark slaty grey, the upper tail-coverts conspicuously dull crimson ; 

 wing-coverts like the back, the bastard-wing, primarj'-coverts, and 

 quills blackish brown, edged with slaty grey ; tail-feathers black ; 

 crown of head dull crimson, the occiput and nape slaty grey like the 

 hind neck ; lores, eyebrow, feathers round eye, sides of face, ear- 

 coverts, and cheeks dull crimson ; throat, fore neck, and breast 

 bright crimson ; lower breast and abdomen blackish, with twin spots 

 of white near the end of the feathers ; sides of body blight crimson ; 

 flanks dark slaty grey, also spotted with white ; thighs and under 

 tail-coverts dark slaty grey ; under wing-coverts and axillaries slaty 

 grey, spotted with white ; quills below dusky, ashy along the inner 

 edge : " bill metallic blue, the tips and edges vermilion ; feet sooty 

 brown ; eyelid milky white ; iris red " (BiittiAofer). Total length 

 4-8 inches, culmen 0-65, wing 2-6, tail 1'95, tarsus 0-75. 



Young male. Dull slaty grey like the female, but more dusky ; 

 the dark crimson iipper tail-coverts very distinct ; head blackish 

 slate-colour, with verj^ little a^ipearance of crimson ; under surface 

 of body dusky slate-colour, the feathers of the throat, breast, and 

 sides of body edged with dull red. 



Ilab. West Africa from Senegambia to Abeokuta. 



a. (5 ad. sk. West Africa. Tweeddale CoU. 



b, c, d. cJ 5 ad. et West Africa. Shelley Coll. 

 juv. sk. 



e. 9 ad. sk. Abeokuta. F. Nicholson, Esq. 



[P-]- 



.fjff- S 2 ad. sk. A.shantee. Gould Coll. 



h. iS ad. sk. Accra {Capt. Haynes). Sharpe Coll. 



i. Ad. St. Fantee. Capt. Moloney [P.]. 



h, I. d' ; ni, 71. 2 Fantee (H. T. Ussher). Shelley Coll. 



ad. sk. 



0. cJ juv. sk. Fantee. A. Swanzy, Esq. [P.]. 



p,q- c? $ad.; r. 5 Deukeia {Auhinn). Shafpe Coll. 



juv. sk. 



2k2 



