7u///.s' of certain South African Pas^seriiie JJirds. 7 



belongs to the conmioner subspecies which rano((s from CJape 

 Town to the Limpopo. See my ' Birds of Africa,' iv. pp. 3^1), 

 405, 40G/' 



In this reference it will be seen that Capt. Shelley states 

 (ih. p. 406) : — "//. marignensis: Male in full plumage. DiflFers 

 very slightly from //. velatus. Rather larger : bill stouter ; 

 tarsi longer and, like the feet, larger ; upper parts slightly 

 darker, mantle greener ; rump more golden-yellow, with a 

 slight olive wash." 



It will not be out of place to refer to here the species 

 II. auricapillus, of which mention is made in Sclater's Key 

 referred to above. 



This species is the same as //. slielleyi (Shelley's Weaver 

 Bird) [Sclater, Fauna S. Afr., Birds, vol. i. p. 62] and 

 //. tahatali (Shelley, B. of Afr. iv. p. 408). Sclater (Ann. 

 S. Afr. Mus. vol. iii. pt. viii. no. 9, p. 367), in referring to 

 the change of name^ says : — " Reichenow (Vog. Afr. iii. p. 79) 

 adopts the older name ^ auricapillus ' of Swainsou for this 

 species. It is merely a smaller and brighter-coloured form 

 of H, velatus. Males in the non-breeding season appear to 

 have a strong tinge of pinkish below, judging from examples 

 sent to the S. African Museum by Dr. Stoehr." 



Capt. Shelley writing to me says : — " Ploceus auricapillus 

 (Swains. 1838) =P/oc^w.s tahataVi (Smith). Smith described 

 it from a nesting female. It is a smaller bird and the full- 

 plumaged males (//. slielleyi, Sharpe) are much brighter 

 than If. inariquensis, which they meet in the Transvaal.'' 



I have myself felt so much difficulty in the correct identi- 

 fication of members of this group that I have ventured to 

 refer to them at considerable length : it is hoped that with 

 the assistance of the Keys and the above remarks it will be 

 tolerably easy to separate typical specimens of II. cabanisi, 

 mariquensis, velatus, snhaureus, and auricapillus, and to notice 

 any specimens which appe;ir to link up any of the forms. 

 The writer would be greatly obliged if anj^ of the doubtful 

 specimens would be forwarded to him for further identification. 



With regard to the eggs figured (which were at first 

 thought to belong to //. cabanisi), it will be seen from the 



