THE FINCHES AND WEAVER KIKDS OF THE SUDAN 171 



and the tail black washed with ciiiuson. In the male a scarlet "mask" covers the 

 forehead, sides of face, and part of throat. Eest of throat and crop bright "old 

 gold" colour. Breast and sides barred with olive-brown and white, centre of abdomen 

 whitish. The females are duller, lacking the scarlet mask and the golden-yellow 

 crop. This red-faced iineh, whicli frequents thorn bush, and is generally met with 

 in pairs or only small parties, occurs from Kassala and Sennar across the Sudan to 

 Kordofan and the Bahr-El-Ghazal. I am not quite certain how far south it goes 

 on the White Nile. From Shambe south, the next species appears to take its place. 



58. Pytelia soudanensis, Sharpe (Sudan Red-faced Pytelia). A southern ally of 

 the last, very closely resembling it, and differing principally in the white bars on 

 the lower surface becoming pairs of white spots on the breast, and in the dark bars 

 being bolder. 



To distinguish the range of these two closely-allied forms as well as I am able 

 to, I give the localities of my specimens of both : 



F. citen'or, Roseires, Eahad River, Gedaref, 20 miles west of Omdurman, 

 El Obeid, Wau, Pongo River, Chak Chak. 



P. soudaneusis, Shambe, Bor, Mongalla. 



The whole of the 'Estrildinse feed principally on grass seeds, and, with perhaps 

 the exception of the Silverbill, seem to do no damage. 



The next group contains some very destructive birds. 



Sub-family : Ploceinse 

 Genus : Spermospiza 



59. Spermospiza ruficapiUa, Shelley (Red-headed Blue-bill). Length, G'3 inches, .Sub-family: 

 wing, 2-8. Head, front of neck, and sides of throat, bright glossy crimson ; upper ■^''""'""*" 

 tail coverts duller crimson. Rest of the plumage dark slate-grey, the underparts 



with spots and bars of white. Bill blue with orange edges. 



Discovered by Bmin in the Bahr-El-Ghazal, and apparently only obtained once 

 since, in East Africa. 

 Genus : Sporopipes 



60. Sporopipes frontalis, Daud (Spotted-fronted Weaver). Length, 4-5 inches, 

 wing, 2-5. Above ashy-brown ; feathers of the forehead, and of a moustache, scale- 

 like, black with tiny white points. Back of the head cinnamon, with black centres 

 to the feathers on the crown. Underparts white, tinged with brown. Common, 

 but not in large flights, in Kordofan and on the Upper Nile. I have it from El 

 Obeid and Mongalla. Builds an untidy sparrow-like nest, which the family resort 

 to at night long after the young have flown. 



Genus : Amhlyospiza 



61. Amblyospiza melanota, Heugl. (Heuglin's Grosbeak Weaver). Length, 

 7'3 inches, wing, 3-8. Male : forehead, as far back as the base of the bill extends, 

 and a patch on the bases of the wing feathers, white. Upper jjarts mostly deep 

 blackish-chocolate, becoming a more cinnamon-brown on the head and neck. 

 Beneath dark greyish, with paler edges on abdomen and towards tail. Females 

 are mostly dull brown above with paler edges to the feathers, and beneath white 

 streaked with dark brown ; without the white forehead and wing patch of the 

 males. Upper Nile. Emin found it abundant at Lado. I have it from Kenisa, 

 Gigging, and Rejaf. These Weavers look, from their immense bills, as though they 

 would work havoc among any grain crop ; but, as a matter of fact, they appear to 



