460 Mr. D. G. Elliot on the Genus Malimbus, 



as the female. In the ' Anal^-se/ where he changed the name 

 of the genus to Sijcobius, he gives no Latin name to the 

 species, but calls it the Malinibe huppe; and in the 'Nou- 

 veau Dictionnaire/ three years afterwards, he places it in the 

 genus Ploceus. 



The young do not much resemble the adults in plumage, 

 and might not unnaturally be deemed to belong to different 

 species. 



Prof. Boccage (/. c), describes a specimen of this genus 

 from Rio Quito, Cabinda, which is evidently, as he states, 

 in immature plumage. Judging from his description, I am 

 inclined to think it is one of the phases of plumage assumed 

 at a certain age by the young of this species. 



Male. Black. Head crested. Cheeks, throat, top of head 

 and crest, and upper part of breast bright red. Bill and feet 

 black. Total length 7 inches, wing 3^, tail 3, bill f . 



Female. Head not crested. Smaller than the male, dusky 

 black, beneath fuliginous. Bill flesh-colour. 



Young. No crest. Top of head, nape, side of neck, throat, 

 and breast crimson. Front and rest of plumage black. 



Still younger. Head and neck and iipper part of breast 

 light red, forehead blackish. "Wings and back light purplish 

 brown. Underneath light greyish brown. Bill light brown. 



FiCOPHAGUS. 



Malimbus scutatus. 



Sycobius scutatus, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1849, 

 p. 157; id. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil. vol. i. p. 297, pi. 41. 

 figs. 1, 2, c? ?; Hartl. Syst. Ornith. W.Afr. p. 132. sp. 400; 

 Sharpe, Ibis, 1870, p. 472, 1869, p. 191. sp. 32; Bonap. 

 Consp. Gen. Av. vol. i. p. 439. sp. 5. 



Malimbus scutatus, Sharpe, Cat. Afr. Birds, p. 60. sp. 573; 

 Ussher, Ibis, 1874, p. 68. sp. 133. 



Hab. Fantee {Sharpe) ; Denkera, Gold Coast (Ussher) ; 

 Rio Boutry (Pel) ; Sierra Leone (MacDoivell) ; river Muni 

 [Du Chaillu) . 



This handsome species was described by Cassin as long 

 ago as 1849, in the 'Proceedings' of the Philadelphia Aca- 



