South-eastern Sierra Leone. 245 



ground, if any, or in short grass by the roadside. A very 

 favourite spot of theirs was our compound at Bo, after any 

 part of it had been closely cut with the native cutlasses, thus 

 exposing the earth and small grass-seeds. These birds are very 

 shy and fly off to concealment at the approach of anyone, 

 and then utter their rather peculiar call, a weak plaintive 

 song. Both cocks and hens warble in this delicate way. • 



135. Lagonosticta senegala. 



Lagonosticta senegala (Linn.) ; Shelley, B. Africa, iv. pt. 1, 

 p. 256 (1905). 



Kotifunk, 1902, only one skin. Eyelids bright yellow. 



These birds roosted in the orange- and other trees in our 

 compound at Rotifunk, where at night-time with a lantern 

 they could be caught by the hand. 



136. Spermospiza H/Ematina. 



Spermospiza hmmatina (Vieill.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. xiii. 

 p. 498 (1890). 



Rotifunk, October. Iris dark blood-red; eyelid a circular 

 ring of dull white skin, more noticeable in the cock than 

 in the hen ; bill metallic blue, changing to crimson at the tip ; 

 feet and claws nearly black. There are fine featherettes at 

 the back of the neck in both sexes. 



Jagbamah, August. 



Bo : March, April, June, July, August, and September. 



A series of some twenty skins. 



The eyelids of this bird are somewhat similar to those of 

 Pyrenestes coccineus, but are not nearly so conspicuous nor 

 so well-defined as upper and under lids ; neither are they 

 of so pure a white. It frequents the same kind of swampy 

 ground as P. coccineus, and is just as wary and difficult 

 to see as that bird. From the dissection of the hens, I judge 

 that they breed in August and September. 



137. NlGRITA EMILIA. 



Nigrita emilice Sharpe; Shelley, B. Africa, iv. pt. 1, p. 143 

 (1905). 



Bo, January 1904. Irides reddish-gold ; bill, feet, and 

 claws black. 



SER. VIII. — vol. v. s 



