Two Bare Whydahs. 299 



enclosure in the Small Birds' House, in fact, the ardour of the 

 display (? play) seemed to be quite unaffected by the absence 

 of an admiring mate — though of course whether the full dis- 

 play, or merely play, was indulged in or not, appears to be 

 an open question. One fact remains, the two males at the 

 Zoo are very ardent, and while in colour are seldom still, or 

 quiet, for long together, and in spite of the stiff formation of 

 their caudal plumes, compared with the Giant Whydah (Chera 

 procne), are very handsome and interesting birds, as a glance 

 at the plate will readily demonstrate. With Mr. Goodchild's 

 beautiful drawing before us a description seems superfluous, 

 hut 'to do HO would he contre les regies, therefore I must bow to 

 custom (Mr. Goodchild's extracts now make this unnecessary). 

 It is a native of East Africa, and is reputed to be com- 

 mon around Nairobi, but very few birds from East Africa have 

 reached the English market — there certainly is room for this 

 and the following species. 



Since writing the above Mr. Goodchild has kindly sup- 

 plied the following extracts from various issues of the " Ibis." 



Penthetria laticauda (Licht.) 



From Mr. F. J. Jackson's carticle, Ibis, 1899, p. 598. 



Coliuspasser laticmtda Keichenb, Vog". deutsch Ost-Afrikas. 



'"Mau Plateau, 8,700 feet, August 3, 1896. Iris brown; bill, 

 and feet 'black. Plentiful in boggy hollows, where the gri'ass is 

 lojig. I Slaw this bird playing at its game of jumping' up and down. 

 (cf. Ibis, 1891, p. 245). 



Nandi, 6,500 feet, April 12, 1898. Iris brown, bill brown, 

 the lower mandible pale brown at tip, fading" into dusky white 

 at base; feet brown. Still in flocks, consisting' mostly of males 

 in mottled plumage. 



Nandi, 6,500 feet, AprU 16, 1898 Xos. 997—1,000. Q ad 

 et cf juv. All shot out of one larg'e flock. 



From Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe's article " On tb'e Birds 

 collected by Mr. F. J. Jackson, F.Z.S., during- his recent expedi- 

 tion tO' Ug'anda throug^h the tarritory of the Imperial East African 

 Oompany." By R. Bowdler Sharpe, L.L.D., F.Z.S., withf notes by 

 the^ co]lecrf)r. Part T. (Ibis, 1891, p. 233). 



PentJietria latiaauda. 



'"No. 13 cf ad. Elgeyo, July 4, 1890; all 8,000 to 9,000 

 feet. Only seen in long" reeds and bulrushes at thje swampy end 

 of the small lake on the top of Elgeyo. Evidently^ breeding. 



No. 61. cf ad. Lake Nahuro, Masai, July 23, 1890. Bill and 

 leg's black; irides brown. Very plentiful in the long grass neai' 

 Lake Nahuro, 



