Letters, Announcements, ^c, 95 



Camaroptera olivacea, Sund. ; but I am indebted to my friend 

 the Rev. Canon Tristram for calling my attention to the fact 

 that the Damara bird appears to be referable to the more 

 northern species^ Camaroptera brevicaudata (Riipp.)j and I 

 therefore avail myself of the pages of ' The Ibis ■* to correct 

 this error. 



It seems clear to me that C. olivacea and C. brevicaudata 

 are really distinct species, although this has been doubted by 

 some eminent ornithologists, and equally clear that the Da- 

 mara bird is properly referable to C. brevicaudata. 



Mr. Tristram possesses two specimens, a male and female, 

 both obtained by Mr. Andersson at Objimbinque, Damaraland, 

 on the respective dates of 7th July and 29th June, 1866. 



These specimens are almost identical with each other, but 

 they differ in the following details from a female specimen of 

 C. olivacea obtained by Mr. Ayres in Natal : — 



In the Damara birds the whole of the upper surface of the 

 wings is of a golden green, except the quill-feathers, which 

 are only edged with that colour on their anterior margins. 



The upper surface of the head and the whole of the back 

 and tail are dark grey. 



The sides of the head are grey tinged with fawn-colour in 

 the male ; the same tint of fawn pervades the throat, flanks, 

 and tibial feathers in both sexes. 



The chin and central parts of the abdomen are white ; and 

 the under wing-coverts are tinged with bright saffron-yellow. 



The specimen of Camaroptera olivacea from Natal differs 

 from the above in the following particulars : — 



There is no grey on any of the upper parts except the fore- 

 head ; the whole remainder of the upper surface, including 

 the wings and tail, is of a dark olive-green, with a tinge of yel- 

 low ; but this tinge is much less bright and marked than that 

 on the wings of the preceding species, and the yellow on the 

 under wing-coverts is much paler and fainter. 



There is no tinge of fawn on any part of the plumage of 

 the Natal bird ; and all those parts are dark grey which in the 

 Damara bird are tinged with fawn. 



