Birds of Si. Thomas' Island. 103 



The plumage of the sexes is alike. Shelley placed this 

 species in the genus ElcBOcerthia, on account of the metallic 

 colours being confined to the extreme ends of the feathers. 

 It is, however, the only member of the genus which has a 

 graduated tail — in all the others the tail is square, as in 

 E. verreauxi. 



Alexander notes that E. thomensls is not common and is 

 found in thick wood. 



19. *Zosterops ficedulina fese. 



Zosterops fece Salvadori, Bull. Mus. Tor. 1901, no. 414, 

 p. 1 ; Salvadori, Orn. Golfo d. Cruinea, ii. 1903, p. 23 ; 

 Bocage, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, 1905, p. 77. 



a,b. S 'i ad. (Nos. 114, 115). Zalma. 5.ii.09. 



c. ? ad. (No. 116). „ 8.ii.09. 



The White-eye of St. Thomas has been described by Count 

 Salvadori in the paper cited above. 



It differs from Zosterops ficedulina, which is the form 

 peculiar to Prince's Island, in being much darker on the 

 underparts and more greyish green on the upperparts ; the 

 crown of tlie head is much brighter, and the bill is yellowish 

 horn-colour, tipped with dark horn. In size there is not 

 much difference between the two island forms. Both are 

 very distinct from the Annobon species. 



Shelley in his ' Birds of Africa,' vol. ii. p. 186, mentioned 

 that the Lisbon Museum contained a specimen of a Zosterops 

 said to have been obtained on St. Thomas in 1880. As no 

 form of White-eye was known at that time to inhabit St. 

 Thomas, Shelley wrongly concluded that the specimen 

 had probably come from Prince's Island or Annobon. 



No doubt the specimen was correctly labelled. Z.f.fece 

 could not possibly be confused with Z. griseovirescens from 

 Annobon, the latter being a much larger bird and a very 

 well-marked species. 



Fea notes that this subspecies has the same habits as 

 Speirops lugubris. 



