THE FINCHES AND WEAVEE BIRDS OF THE SUDAN 163 



3. Emheriza hortulana, Linn. (The Ortolan). Length, 6-2 inches; wing, 3-6. 

 Above brown with dusky streaks ; throat pale-yellow ; a patch on the crop and 

 most of the head olive colour ; rest of underparts pale-rufous. Winter visitor to 

 the northern Sudan. Abundant at Erkowit, and sometimes at Khartoum. 



4. JJniierf'za c«s'ta, Cretzschm. (Cretzschmar's Bunting). Length, 6 inches ; wing, 

 3-2. Very similar to the Ortolan, but with crop and head grey, not olive, and throat 

 rufous. Winter visitor, very common over the northern Sudan. 



Genus : Friugillaria 



5. Fringillaria striolala, Liclit. (Striolated Rock Bunting). 



6. Fringillaria septemstriata, Eiipp. (Red-winged Rock Bunting). 



These are smaller Buntings of rock-frequenting habits. There is no white on 

 the tail. The head is striped with black and white in adults, and brown with black 

 streaks in the young. Back brown streaked with black. Under surface rufous, 

 and wing feathers partly rufous-chestnut. 



F. striolata has black on the throat and crop. The chestnut on the wing feathers 

 does not quite cross the inner webs. Length, 5-1 inches ; wing, 2-75. Rocky localities 

 from Shendi north. I have it from Port Sudan. Resident. 



F. septemstriata has the crop rufous, the black of the throat not extending on to it. 

 The chestnut on the wings completely crosses the inner webs of the primaries for part 

 of their length. Length, 5-5 inches ; wing, 3-1. Rocky localities in the northern Sudan. 

 I have it from the Setit, Blue Nile, and Chak Chak. Resident. 



I have never seen any of the above Buntings settling on the heads of growing 

 grain. They feed mostly on the ground, and seem to do no damage. 



Sub-family : Fringillinse 



Genus : Erythrospisa 



7. Erythrospiza githaginea, Licht. (Desert Trumpeter Bullfinch). Length, 4-8 Sub-family: 

 inches ; wing, 3'4. Sandy-brown, washed with rose-pink. Bill red. A resident desert ""'^^ 

 bird, ranging south to 18' N. in the Bayuda Desert. Frequents cultivation near desert, 

 clustering on mustard and heads of small grain or seed. Not numerous enough to do 



serious damage. 

 Genus : Serinus 



8. Serinus nig riceps, Rupp. (Abyssinian Black-headed Serin). Length, 4-8 inches; 

 wing, 2'7. Yellow beneath, and olive and yellow above ; head and throat jet-black in 

 males. Recorded from Dongola. I know nothing of it. 



9. Serinus icterus, Bonn, et Vieill. (Yellow-fronted Serin). Length, 4-2 inches; 

 wing, 2-7. Plumage green and yellow. Common in the Bahr-El-Ghazal and on the 

 Upper Blue Nile. Resident. A forest finch mostly. Probably does no damage. 



10. Serinus leucopijgius, Sundev. (White-rumped Grey Serin). Length, 4 inches; 

 wing, 2'6. Grey with white rump. Common and widely distributed over most of the 

 Sudan. Attacks growing grain, but does not collect in very great numbers, and the 

 damage it does is probably slight. 



Genus : Poliospiza 



11. Poliospiza canicapiUa, Du Bus. (Senegal Seed-eater). Length, 5-2 inches; 

 wing, 29. Brownish-grey, the crown streaked with whitish. Very scarce. I have 

 only met with it once, between Wau and Chak Chak. A seed-eater from Jebel Ahmed 

 Aga, too young to identity, perhaps also belongs to this species. 



