184 ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCHES 



Melaenornis edolioides , Hartl. Orn. W. Afr. p. 102; — 

 Sharpe, Cat. Birds Br. Mus. III. p. 315. 



Hab. Western and North-eastern Africa. 



A male and nest with eggs collected near Robertsport, 

 Grand Cape Mount. 



This bird must be rare in the districts visited by us , 

 as I had only once the chance of observing it, when I 

 found its nest in a swamp , directly behind the beach , near 

 Robertsport. This nest , very much like a dove's nest in 

 size and shape, is built from thorns and twigs, and lined 

 very sparingly with little roots , just sufiBcient to prevent 

 the eggs from dropping through it. It was built in the 

 fork of a shrub tolerably far off from the centre , and about 

 three feet above an almost inaccessible swamp. The eggs , 

 two in number, are greenish gray, very closely covered 

 with irregular , softened spots of ochraceous brown and 

 tolerably obtuse at the narrower pole. Length of them 2,5 , 

 width 1,8cm. I have shot male and female near the nest, 

 on the 29th of October, but the mud not permitting my 

 boy to reach the spot in time, the female escaped and 

 only the male , a very fine specimen , was secured. 



Iris dark brown , bill bluish black , feet very deep blue. 



Fraseria cinerascens. 



Fraseria cinerascens (Temra.) , Hartl. Orn. W. Afr. p. 

 102; — Sharpe, Cat. Birds Br. Mus. III. p. 304; — Boc. 

 Orn. d'Ang. p. 213. 



Hab. West Africa, from Liberia to the Congo. 



One specimen from Sofore Place , St. Pauls River. 



In its habits and voice this bird is very much like Fla- 

 lystira cyanea. Like this latter species it climbs from twig 

 to twig, hunting after insects and caterpillars. We have 

 only found it along the banks of rivers in overhanging 

 brushwood. 



Iris brown , bill black , feet lead-color. 



Notes from the Leyden IMusetim , Vol. VII. 



