of Novih-eustern Africa. 89 



Abyssinia, in Sennaar, and on the Sobat, White, and Gazelle 

 Rivers. It lives usually in pairs, in bushes and dry grass, if 

 possible in the vicinity of water, and ascends in Abyssinia to 

 10,000 feet above the sea-level. It is particularly abundant 

 about Lake Tana, and near Gondar. It is, like its allies, a 

 lively, active little bird, with a loud and agreeable song. Like 

 most of the Bush-wrens, this species presents two distinct rictal 

 bristles on each side. 



Found also in South Africa (Smith) ; and West Africa, 

 Abomey (Fraser). 



7 a. Drymceca superciliosa. 



DrymcBca superciliosa, Swains., W. Afr. ii. p. 40, pi. 2. Dry- 

 moeca affinis, Smith, S. Afr. tab. 77, 1 (?). 



Simillima Drymoeca mystacece, at minor, supra magis rufescente 



tincta, uropygio subrufescenti-fulvo ; margine remigum, 



tectricum alse et rectricuin pallide rufescenti-fulvidis ; 



tibialibus magis rufescenti lavatis. 



Long. tot. circa 4i", rostr. a fr. 4i"', al. 1" 81'", tars. 7|"', 



caud. 2" 1'". 



A bird obtained by us in the month of December in Sennaar, 

 now in the Museum at Stuttgart, perfectly agrees in size and 

 colour with a specimen in the Berlin IMuseum marked " Dry- 

 moeca gracilis" from Senegambia. But the plumage of the 

 latter, which I should regard as D. superciliosa, Sw., is more 

 faded, the bill somewhat shorter and stronger, and the tail about 

 1'" shorter. An example in the Stuttgart Museum labelled 

 '^ Malurus gracilis," from South Africa, which may be identical 

 with Drymoeca affinis, Smith, is likewise not essentially dif- 

 ferent from either of the above-mentioned — the wing measuring 

 1" 8'8"', the tail 2" ; and I found in this South- African specimen 

 only one, instead of two rictal bristles. It is possible that the 

 southern and western forms coincide with Drymoeca mystacea, 

 Riipp. ; and in this case the synonymy would take the fol- 

 lowing form : — 



Drymceca superciliosa, Swains. (1837) ; D. mystacea, Riipp. 

 (1845) ; D. affinis. Smith (1849) ; D. gracilis, Hartl. W. Afr. 

 No. 167 (1857). 



