174 THE FINCHES AND VVEAVEB BIRDS OF THE SUDAN 



gold " yellow, inclining to a tinge of chestnut round the black of the throat. Back 

 yellowish-olive-green, with dusky centre streaks to the feathers ; wings blackish, 

 margined with yellow. The female is ashy-brown above, with broad dark centres 

 to the feathers, and an indistinct buff eyebrow ; beneath buff, with a tinge of 

 yellow on the throat. Inhabits the Bahr-El-Ghazal, where Heuglin discovered it, 

 and the Upper Nile. I have a male from Kojali. A rare Weaver, frequenting 

 open forest or scattered trees, and unlikely to cause any damage to agricul-ture. 



71. Hyphantornis ahyssinicus, Gm. (Abyssinian Black-faced Weaver). Length, 

 6-9 inches ; wing, 3-5. Male : a black mask covering the frontal two-thirds of the 

 crown, the whole sides of the head and the throat. Back of the head chestnut, 

 shading into briglit golden-yellow on the nape. Most of upper surface bright golden- 

 yellow, with jet-black mottlings on the shoulders. Wings blackish, broadly margined 

 with yellow. Underparts bright yellow, tinged on the breast with chestnut, this 

 colour margining the mask and shading gradually into the yellow. Bill black. 

 Female : head greenish-olive ; back ashy-brown, with dusky centres to the 

 feathers ; rump and tail olive. Wings brown, margined with pale greenish-yellow. 

 This fine Weaver inhabits the southern Bahr-El-Ghazal, the Upper Nile, and the 

 Upper Blue Nile. I have eight specimens from Mongalla, and six from Eoseires, 

 at both of which places it appears to be common, but I do not know whether it 

 attacks crops. 



72. Hi/phantoniis badius, Cass. (Cassiu's Chestnut Weaver). Length, 5'5 inches ; 

 wing, 2-9. Male : whole head and throat black. Sides of neck, crop, and breast 

 dark chestnut ; sides chestnut mixed with yellow ; centre of abdomen and under- 

 tail coverts yellow. Tail olive and yellow. The female has the head above olive, 

 with a buffy eyebrow stripe ; the back pale brown with broad black centres to the 

 feathers on the upper part of it ; wings blackish, edged with pale yellow. Throat 

 and abdomen white ; chest and flanks tinged with yellowish bulf. 



My specimens of this Weaver are from Bor, Kenisa, and Eoseires. Heuglin 

 records it from the White Nile, Sennar, and the Atbara. It does not appear to 

 be a very abundant species. 



73. Hyphantornis dimidiatus , Salvad. and Antin. (Antinori's Black-headed 

 Weaver). Length, 5'7 inches; wing, 2'8. Male: entire head and throat black; crop 

 and breast chestnut, shading into canary-yellow on the rest of the under surface ; 

 neck and back yellow, shaded with olive ; tail brown, washed with olive ; wings 

 blackish-brown, the feathers margined with bright yellow. Female : above uniform 

 pale yellowish-olive ; wing feathers margined with olive and pale yellowish buff ; 

 eyebrows, sides of head, chin, and throat pale yellow ; rest of under surface white, 

 the sides tinged with ashy. 



A southern bird, which Emin found on the Upper Nile as far North as Wadelai. 

 In 1871, Antinori obtained a specimen in a garden at Kassala. Between these widely 

 distant points it does not seem to have been noticed, which is remarkable. 



74. Hyphantornis vitellinus, Licht. (Vitelline Masked Weaver). Length, 5-5 

 inches ; wing, 2-8. Male : a black " mask " on the sides of the forehead, sides of the 

 head, and upper throat. Best of head and underparts golden-yellow, shading into 

 chestnut towards the forehead and just below the black throat. Most of back uniform 

 olive-yellow, with the rump bright yellow. Tail olive-brown, washed with yellow. 

 The female has the top of the head and upper back ashy-brown with broad dark centres 

 to the feathers, and a slight wash of yellow on the rump. Some buff margins on 



