314 Mr. A. L. Butler on the 



W. of Omdurman. I thought at the time that it was a more 

 blue-grey-looking bird than typical P. frontalis, but 1 now 

 doubt whether it can be separated. 



P. lacteidorsalis I shot at Khartoum, associating with a 

 flock of the ordinary P. melanocephala. I believe it to be 

 nothing but a partly cream-coloured variety of that species, 

 and I have not seen another specimen like it. 



These are my humble opinions ; but when doctors differ, 

 who shall decide? Dr. Reichenow (Vog. Afr. iii. p. 368) 

 admits P. lacteidorsalis as a good species, but doubts the 

 distinctness of P. hutleri from P. frontalis (1. c. p. 370). 

 Captain Shelley writes to me that lie considers P. hutleri the 

 best-marked species of the two, an opinion apparently shared 

 by Dr. Hartert, who writes to me : "only one — the hutleri — 

 can be any good/' 



Both these tiresome little birds are now in the Tring 

 Museum, where I hope that they will remain without further 

 complicating the synonymy of this difficult genus ! 



26. Emberiza flavigastra Rupp. 

 a. $ . Setit River, May 5, 1903. 



h. ?. Jebel Melbis, April 18, 1904. 



This beautiful Bunting is common on the Blue Nile above 

 Wad Medani, on the Upper Atbara, and on the Setit. I also 

 found it numerous near El Obeid in Kordofan. 



27. Emberiza hortulana Linn. 



a. ? jr. Khartoum, Oct. 20, 1902. 



A good many immature Ortolans were frequenting the 

 gardens in Khartoum during the week in which I shot my 

 specimen. I have not noticed the bird anywhere else. 



28. Emberiza cesia Cretzsch. 



a. ? . Khartoum, Oct. 20, 1902. 



b. S . „ Dec. 22, 1902. 



Cretzschmar's Bunting is a very common winter visitor 

 to the Nile Valley. Kawa on the White Nile is the most 

 southerly point at which I have shot it. It arrives at 

 Khartoum in small flocks towards the end of September, 



