1917-] Birds from British East Africa. 371 



Iris dark brown ; bill red ; legs light brown. 

 This Weaver-Finch was met with in very large flocks in 

 the desert country. 



Euplectes capensis xanthomelas. 



Buplectes xanthomelas Riipp. Neue Wirb., Vog. 1835, 

 pp. 94, 101 [Abyssinia]. 



Pyromelana capensis xanthomeldena, Stark & Sclat. Fauna 

 S. Africa, i. 1900, p. 133. 



? . Thika. 27th August. Wing 78 mm. 



Iris dark brown ; bill light and dark brown ; legs light 

 brown. 



Drepanoplectes jacksoni. 



Drepanoplectes jacksoni Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 246, pi. v. 

 [Masailand]. 



Coliuspasser jacksoni Shelley, B. Afr. iv.pt. i. 1905, p. 55. 



cJ . Thika. 5th September. Wing 86 mm. 



Iris dark brown ; bill and legs light brown. 



Several large flocks of Jackson^s Weaver-Finch were met 

 with in the Kikuyu shambas. No full-plumaged males were 

 seen. The bird obtained is in completely brown dress. 



Fringillaria tahapisi, 



Emberiza tahapisi Smith, Rep. Exped. C. Afr., App. 

 1836, p. 48 [Natal]. 



Fringillaria tahapisi Shelley, B. Afr. iii. 1902, p. 164. 



(^. Tsavo River. 15th August. Wing 75 mm. 



Iris dark brown ; bill and legs light brown. 



The distinction between this species and F. sepAemstriata 

 seems to be very slight. This particular bird has not very 

 much red on the webs of the primaries, and is therefore, 

 according to Shelley, F. tahapisi; but there appear to be 

 other cases less easily distinguishable. 



Emberiza poliopleura. 



Fringillaria poliopleura Salvad. Ann. Mus, Civ. Genov, 

 xxvi. 1888, pp. 269, 537 [Shoa] ; Shelley, B. Afr. iii. 

 1902, p. 149, pi. xxiii. fig. 1. 



