Transvaal and Umzeilla's Country. 59 



was searching for food amongst the leaves of a wild date-tree 

 growing in the thick underwood, and the other was hopping 

 about in some high grass and reeds, from whence it flew, 

 when disturbed, into a tree, where I shot it. 



[The specimen shot on 14th June is in tlie full breeding- 

 plumage of the male bird ; the other shot on 10th June, 

 which is also marked as a male by Mr. Ayres, agrees with 

 the description of the female given in Sharpe's ' Layard,' 

 p. 436, and seems therefore not to have yet acquired its 

 nuptial dress. Mr. Ayres descriu.^s the latter specimen as 

 having the " Eyes light brown, the legs ash-coloured, and 

 the bill light brown, with the base of the lower mandible 

 flesh-coloured. — J. H. G.] 



399. Malimbus RUBRicEPS (Sund.). Red-headed Weaver- 

 bird. 



Two females, shot at Rovi-rand, 17th June, 1885. Length 

 5^ inches, wing 3^, tail 2. Eye reddish brown ; bill orange ; 

 legs flesh-coloured. 



I found a small flock of six or eight of these birds, some 

 of which were feeding on the ground, and others perched on 

 low thorn-bushes ; I killed two at a shot, both females, but 

 they all appeared to be in the same dull plumage. I do not 

 remember to have previously met with this species. 



[The present specimens appear to have been killed beyond 

 the Transvaal boundary ; but I enumerate the species as 

 belonging to Transvaal, it having been there obtained by 

 Dr. F. H. Guillemard. The females sent by Mr. Ayres agree 

 with the description given by Dr. Guillemard in ' The Field ' 

 newspaper of 13th November, 1880, p. 714, and quoted in 

 Sharpe's edition of Layard's ' Birds of South Africa,^ p. 445. 

 I think it probable that the small flock from which these 

 females were obtained may have also comprised male birds 

 which had not attained their nuptial dress. 



The Weaver- bird described by Du Bocage {' Birds of An- 

 gola,' p. 33 i) under the title of Sycobius rubriceps, and 

 identified by him with the present species, is stated in his 

 description to have '' la region auriculaire noiratre,'^ which 



