THE FINCHES AND WEAVEH BIEDS OF THE SUDAN 169 



Genus : Ureeginthus 



42. UrcVijiiithHs hriiijal iia, Linn. (Cordon Bleu Waxbill). Estrilda phwiiirotis is 

 a couimon synonym. Length, 4-5 inches; wing, 2. Above brown, with the lunip and 

 tail blue. Sides of head and underparts blue, excepting the centre of the abdomen 

 and the under tail coverts, which are pale brown. The males have a conspicuous patch 

 of crimson on the cheeks. The Cordon Bleu is common in the Kassala and Sennar 

 Provinces ; in Kordofan, in the Bahr-El-Gliazal, and on the White Nile and Upper 

 Nile. It is a pretty and harmless species, feeding on small seeds. It makes an 

 egg-shaped nest of grass in a bush, and lays white eggs. 



Genus : Eftrilda 



43. Estrihla occidentalis, Fraser and .lard. (Fraser's Waxbill). This is little 

 more than a sub-species of the Common Waxbill, Estrilda antrild. Length, 4'3 inches; 

 wing, 1'75. Above, including the rump, brown, closely crossed with narrow dark bars. 

 Tail dark brown. A crimson stripe through the eye, and face below that white. 

 Breast tinged with pink ; sides brownish with dusky bars ; abdomen and under tail 

 coverts black. Bill wax-red. Often met with on the Blue and White Niles, in 

 small flocks. 



44. Estrilda cinerea, Vieill. (Common Black-rumped W'axbill). Length, 3-4 

 inches ; wing, 1'8. Above brown, with narrow indistinct darker barring. Eump 

 and tail black, with white edges to the outer tail feathers. A crimson stripe through 

 the eye. Cheeks and underparts pinkish-bufi' ; centre of abdomen pink. Bill wax-red. 

 Sennar, Kordofan, White Nile, Upper Nile, and Bahr-El-Ghazal. I have it from Wau, 

 Chak Chak, and Eoseires. 



45. Estrihla rhodopyya, Sundev. (Sundevall's Eed-rumped Waxbill). Length, 

 4 inches ; wing, 1'8. Above brown, finely barred with dusky. A stripe through the 

 eye, and the rump, crimson. Wings and tail brownish-black, with some crimson 

 on the margins. Cheeks and throat huffy white. Beneath brownish, tinged with pink. 

 Bill red. Occurs on the Blue and White Niles. I have often seen flocks of these 

 Waxbills in Khartoum in the winter and spring. Emin found it common at Lado. 



46. Estrilda t:nlij{ant, Vieill. (Northern Zebra Waxbill). Length, 3-8 inches ; 

 wing, 1'7. Upper parts olive-brown. A stripe through the eye and the rump and 

 upper tail coverts crimson. Most of the under surface bright reddish-orange, with 

 the sides strongly barred with olive. Occurs on the Nile from Kaka to Lado. 

 My specimens are from Bor and Lado. 



47. Extn'Ida paliidicola, Heugl. (Heuglin's Pale Waxbill). Length, 4-2 inches ; 

 wing, 1'8. Above brown with very faint barrings, and the top of the head grey. 

 Rump crimson. Cheeks greyish. Underparts bufl'y. Heuglin discovered this little 

 Waxbill at Meshra-El-Eek, and Emin procured it at Lado. I found it abundant in 

 khors between Chak Chak and Dem Zubeir. 



48. Estrilda nigricoUis, Heugl. (Grey Black-faced Waxbill). Length, 4-4 inches ; 

 wing, 1'9. General colour leaden-grey ; rump crimson ; tail black, with some crimson 

 on the margins. Sides of the head and the upper throat jet-black. Beneath pinkish- 

 grey, with some small white spots on the sides. Bill bluish-grey. Heuglin discovered 

 it in the Bahr-El-Ghazal near Wau. (I have followed Captain Shelley in putting this 

 and the next species into the genus Kstrilda. They seem to me to go more naturally 

 into Lagonostictri). 



49. Estrilda laroatii, Eiipp. (Eiippell's Black-throated Waxbill). Length, 4'5 

 inches ; wing, 2-1. Male with the upper parts slaty-grey ; the crown and nape washed 



