62. TEXTOR. 509 



Alecto albirostris, Bji. Consp. i. p. 438 (ISoO ) ; Havtl. J. f. O. 1854, 



p. 105; Antin. Cat. desert: Ucc. p. G2 (18G4). 

 Alectrornis albirostris, Reiehenh. Sinyv. p. 89, pi. xlv. fig. 330 (1861). 



Adult riidc. Black, but with the bill whitish (iu skiu), black at 

 the ends, the basal portion of the culmen swollen into a prominent 

 knob ; also distinguished by the absence of white on the lower 

 surface of the quills : •' bill black, the basal portion covered with a 

 pale yellow fleshy cere ; legs dusky horn-colour " ( IF. T. Blaaford). 

 Total length 8-7 inches, culmen 1, wing 4-95, tail 4-2, tarsus 1-15. 



Adult female. Similar to the male (Von Heuglln). 



Young. Similar to the male, but everywhere brown instead of 

 black ; the feathers showing the same white bases as in the adnlt 

 male ; the wing-coverts with reddish-brown margins, the primaries 

 edged with buffy whitish. Total length 9 inches, culmen 0-9, 

 wing 4"6, tail 3"6, tarsus 1"2. 



The two Senegambian specimens have the bill jet-black, the base 

 of the culmen perfectly smooth and not swollen. Total length 8-3 

 inches, culmen 0-9, wing 5-1, tail 3-85, tarsus 1'15. I cannot 

 determine whether this black bill is a permanent characteristic 

 of Grambian birds or whether it is only a sign of immaturity. 



Hah. Senegambia and K^.E. Africa. 



o, b. Ad. sk. River Gambia. Pm-chased. 



c. Ad. sk. Abyssinia. Dr. Kiippell [C.]. 



d. $ ad. sk. Abyssinia (Dr. E. Eotsch/). Shelley Coll. 



e. [ 2 ] ad.;/. J Maiti, Eogos-Land (Eslcr). Sharpe Coll. 

 juv. sk. 



</. Juv. sk. Anseba Valley (Esler). Shelley Coll. 



h, i. <S ad. sk. Anseba Valley, July. W. T. Blanl'ord, Esq. 



[C.]. 

 k, I, m. J$ Waliko,July21, lSG8(Tr. JesseJ. 



ad. sk. 

 71. (S ad. sk. Nubia. Sharpe Coll. 



2. Textor niger, 



? Le B'luvreuil noir d'Afrique, Briss. Orn. iii. p. 317 (1760). 



P Loxia panicivora, Linn. Si/d. Nat. i. p. 302 (1766) *. 



Bubaloruis niger, Smith, Bep. Evped. Vviitr. Afr. App. p. 52 (1836). 



Textor erythrorhynchus, Smith, III. Zoal. S. Afr. pi. 64 (1841)- 

 Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 350 (1849); Jfartl. J. f. O. 1861, p. 176 • 

 Eeichenb. Sinyv. p. US, Taf. xlv. fig. 329 (1861) : Layard, B. S. Afr. 

 p. 178 (1867); id. Ibis, 1869, p. 78; Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 40, 

 no. 6554 (1870) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 2o5 ; Bm-kley, Ibis, 1874*, 

 p. 379; Bucaye, Orn. Anyola, p. 317 (1881); Sharpe in Ontes' 

 Matabele-Land, App. p. 318 (1881) ; Uolub S, Von Pelz. Beitr 

 Orn. Siidafr. p. 113 (1882); Shelley, Ibis, \m2,^.^b2; Sharpe, ed 



* LinnsEus quotes the Black Bullfinch of Albin (X. H. B. iii. p. 65, pi. 69) 

 which is certainly not a Te.vtor. Brisson's bird may be the present species ■ 

 but Linna;us can hardly be said lo ha\e founded his Loxia panicivora on 

 Bi-isson's description, as he writes ' rostro inearnato,' which looks as if he was 

 thinking of Albin's plates. The name had better be dropped. 



