48 Capt. G. E. Shelley on two new African Birds. 



e'. Forehead black, shading into 

 brown towards the nape, and 

 •with buff edges to the fea- 

 thers of the forehead ; with 

 no black centres to the fea- 

 thers of the throat, which 

 are tipped and edged with [Shelley. 



buff 9. sqiiaimilafus, 



b^. Rump white 10. hartlnuhi, Bocage. 



i\ Head white. 

 i'^. Breast and mantle brown. 



b^. Hump brown, only slightly paler than [Cretzschm. 



the back 11. leucocephahis, 



c^. Rump white, contrasting strongly with 



the back 12. leucopygius, Riipp. 



c^. Head, neck, and entire body white .... 13. bicolor, Jard. 

 b. Bill yellow. 



P. Crown ashy grey, like the remainder of 



the head, throat, and crop 14. atripennis, Hartl. 



c'. Crown black, contrasting with the ashy- 

 grey forehead, sides of the head, and 

 throat ; crop maroon-brown, like the 

 breast 15. liaynesi, Sharpe. 



C. kirki is very closely allied to C jardinii, but should, I 

 consider, be kept specifically distinct. 



C. plebeius, from N.E. Africa, has a very near represen- 

 tative in C. platycercus from W. Africa, where the latter is 

 apparently represented by two races — one from the Gambia, 

 the true C. platycercus, Swains., and the other from the Gold 

 Coast, the C. plebeius, Hartl. (Orn. W.Afr. p. 79). 



These two races only differ in the Gold-Coast specimens 

 having the cheeks and ear-coverts more strongly washed with 

 white, and in this respect closely agree with the figure given 

 by Cretzschmar ; the throat and breast in that figure best 

 agree with the W. -African forms, while in the crown and 

 mantle it most nearly represents the N.E. -African bird, for 

 which there can be no doubt it is intended. Although these 

 birds are closely allied, I think that the name C. plebeius 

 should be kept for the N.E. -African, and C. platycercus for 

 the W.-African form, and that the Gold-Coast race should 

 not be separated from C.jjlatycercus. C. hypostictus, Cab. & 



