294 Capt. B. Alexander on the 



the white collar on the hiud-neck broader and the lesser 

 wing-coverts white in place of black. 



The type of this interesting species came from Senegal, 

 &nd there are five specimens from that locality in the Berlin 

 Museum. Mr. Hartert procured examples of it near Sokoto 

 and Wurmer (Nigeria) in 1886. 



In February, 1901, we killed five specimens in the Gold 

 Coast Hinterland, where this species appears to be a rare 

 bird, since Capti Giffard makes no mention of it during his 

 stay at Gambaga in 1898. 



Adult S, Binduri (Gold Coast Hinterland), 24/2/01. 

 Total length (measured in the flesh) 44 inches, wing 3, 

 culmen "034, tarsus *06. Iris hazel ; bill horny slate- 

 coloured ; legs and feet white. 



27. Galerita modesta Heugl, 



Heliocorys modesta Sharpe, Cat. B. xiii, p. 623. 



Heliocorys modesta (jiffardi Hart. Nov. Zool. vi. p. 415 

 (1899) (Gambaga). 



Adult (J ? ? , Sugeri, 3/5/01. Adult c? c? ? , Gambaga, 

 27/12/00. Adult SS^, Karaga, 5/5/01. Adult ?, 

 Binduri, 20/2/01. 



After a careful examination of our fine series of this rare 

 little Lark and a comparison with the examples in the British 

 Museum from Equatorial Africa, I am unable to recognise 

 the validity of the proposed subspecies H. modesta gijfardi. 



According to Mr. Hartert, the characteristics of the sub- 

 species are (a) slightly paler coloration, (b) fore-neck and 

 chest more heavily marked. 



These differences in plumage are in my opinion merely 

 due to seasonal change. 



Our specimens, killed at the beginning of May, just before 

 the rainy season, are freshly moulted. The feathers of the 

 whole of the upper parts are blackish brown edged with 

 tawny buff, more broadly on the wing-coverts and second- 

 aries, while similar edgings obscure to a great extent the 

 markings on the fore-neck and chest ; the breast and abdomen 

 are white washed with tawny, and the crest-feathers are 

 long. 



