22 IREISORID^. 



1. Scoptelus aterrimus. 



Lesser Black Promerops, Lath. Gen. Hist. iv. p. Ill (1822). 

 Promerops aterrimus, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiv. pt. 1, p. 257 



(1826) ; Hnril. Verz. Brem. Samml. p. 16 (1844). 

 Promerops pusillus, Swains, B. W. Afr. ii. p. 120 (1837). 

 Irrisor aterrimus, Gray, Gen. B. i. 'p. 90 (1847) ; id. Hand-l. B. i. 



p. 104, no. 1267 (1869). 

 RLinopomastes pusillus, Bj). Consp. i. p. 411 (1850); Reichenh. 



Handb. Scanasores, p. 326 (1853). 

 L-risor pusillus, Hard. Orn. W.-Afi: p. 43 (1837) ; id. J.f 0. 1861, 



p. 108. 



Adult {female ?). Glossy purple, more steel-blue on the anterior 

 portion of the crown, wings, and tail ; under surface from the 

 throat to the vent blacker ; wing with a central white band, the 

 outer webs of the first, second, and third quills black ; tips of all 

 the quills grey with a darker edge ; outermost primary-coverts 

 steel-blue, the next six white ; bill dark horn-colour, feet black. 

 Total length about 8-8 inches, wing 3-9, tail 4-7, bill 1-2, tarsus 0-7. 



Young. Similar to the adult, but browner on the sides of the 

 head and on the whole of the under surface. 



I have not seen an authentic adult male specimen of this species. 

 It probably has the primaries nearly wholly steel-blue towards 

 the tips, with hardly any trace of grey colour characteristic of the 

 females in the allied forms. 



Drs. Pinsch and Hartlaub have recorded this species from Damara- 

 Land from an examination of young specimens, and have been 

 followed by Guruey. These specimens, when re-examined, will most 

 probably be found to belong to Rhinopomastus cyanomelas, as urged 

 by Mr. Sharpe. 



Hah. Senegambia. 



a. Ad. sk. Senegambia. Shelley Coll. 



b, c. Ad. et juv. S. Louis, Senegal (i. Tweeddale Coll. 

 sk. Lagluize). 



d. Imm. sk. Senegambia. 



2. Scoptelus notatus. 



Epimaehus cyanomelas {nee V.), Riljsp. Neue Wirb. p. 79 (1835-40). 

 Promerops c3anomelas (»iec V.), Riipp. Syst. fe&ws. p. 28 (1845) ; 



Heugl. Syst. Uebers. p. 20 (1856). 

 Rhinopomastes cyanomelas {nee V.), Ho)-sf. Sf Moore, Cat. B. Mus. 



E. I. Co. ii. p. 727 (1854, spec. A). 

 Scoptelus aterrimus {nee Steph.), Cab. ^" Heine., Mus. Hein. Th. ii. 



p. 129 (1860) ; Antin. 8f Salvad. Yiagg. Bvgos, p. 61 (1873) ; 



Sharpe in Bayard's B. S. Afr. p. 140 (1875). 

 Irrisor cyanomelas (nee V.), Heugl. J.f O. 1864, p. 263. 

 Rhinopomastes pusiUus {nee Sw.), Antin. Cat. deser. Ucc. p. 32 



(1854) ; Suhad. Atti R. Accad. Torin. v. p. 729 (1870). 

 Irrisor aterrimus {nee Steph.), Cab. in Von der Decken's Reis. iii. 



p. 34 (1869); Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr.i. p. 219 (1869) ; Blanf. 



