PSITTACID^ 



PYOCEPHALUS 



227 



Poeocephalus fuscicapillus, Salvad. Cat. B. M. xx, p. 368 (1891) ; 

 Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 139 (1896) ; Sharpc, Ibis, 1897, p. 502 [Znlu- 

 land] ; Woodward Bros. Natal Birds, p. 126 (1899). 



" Hokgwe " of the natives in Lydenburg dist. (Francis). 



Description. Adult male. — Head and neck all round grey with 

 an olive-yellow tinge ; rest of the upper and under surface green, 

 brightest on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; wing-quills and tail 

 dusky-black washed with green ; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 bright yellow. 



Iris greenish-yellow ; upper mandible horn, lower white ; legs 

 and feet black. 



Fig. 76. Pa;ocephaliis fuscicapillus. 



Length about 9-0 ; wing 6-1 ; tail 2-7 ; tarsus 0-60 ; culmen 0-90. 



The female resembles the male but is slightly smaller 

 (wing 5-70). 



Distribution. — East Africa from Mombasa and Zanzibar (whence 

 came the type) to the eastern Transvaal and Zululand. 



South African localities are: Natal— Umfolosi river and St. 

 Lucia Lake (Woodward) ; Transvaal — Swaziland (Buckley in Bt. 

 Mus.), Sabi river, Lydenburg (Francis in S. A. Mus.), Olifant 

 river (W. Ayres) ; Portuguese east Africa — Inhambane (Peters). 



Habits. — The Woodwards found these Parrots pretty common 

 on the thorn flats of Zululand : " They are generally seen in pairs 

 and fly very rapidly, uttering shrill screams. They are fond of 

 wild figs, the fruit of a huge species of Banyan tree, which grows 

 along the banks of many of the larger rivers, and we have seen 

 them feeding on green mealies in the Kaffir mealie gardens. These 

 Parrots make round holes in the dead trees, where they lay their 



