— 28l — 



Ohservatiofi. — This species both maie and female is black 

 throiiçhout (including the chin and upper part of the throat) vvith 

 the exception of the breast which is dark crimson. The niale is 

 larger than the female, but there is no différence in the colour 

 pattern, the red throat being; darker however in the maie bird. 



(Both this and M. m. nialinibicus live in dense bush and 

 are seldom seen. M. iiHens feeds on vegetable substance. — 

 W. P. L.) 



Malimbus rubricollis nigeriae. 



Malimhiis rubricollis nigeriœ Bannerman, Bull. B. O. C, 

 vol. XLI, iq2i, p. 77. — Type localitv ; Iju water works, 

 near Lagos. 



Thinking it was a common species Mr Lowe onlv shot four 

 spécimens at Iju of Swainson's Malimbe, though it was evidentlv 

 quite plentiful near Lagos : thèse were obtained in Deceniber 191g 

 and Januarv 1920. As Mr Mackworth-Praed was at this time 

 engaged in revisint; the M. rubricollis group I handed my spéci- 

 mens over to him for identification. He formed the opinion that 

 thev where possibly hvbrids between M. rubricollis rubricollis 

 and M. r. bartletti but were most nearlv allied to the tvpical form. 



This induced me to examine the birds again and to compare the 

 large séries from S. Nigeria in the Tring Muséum, kindly lent me 

 by Dr Hartert. I agrée with Mr Praed that the Southern Nigé- 

 rian birds cannot be referred definitelv either to M. r. rubricollis 

 or to M. r. bartletti but in mv opinion thev are more closeley 

 allied to M. r. bartletti than to the tvpical species; the colour of 

 the head being a lighter and brighter shade of crimson, without 

 anv trace of the orange-scarlet shade exhibited in M. r. rubri- 

 collis. 



The large séries (20 skins) kindly sent to me from the Tring 

 Muséum from S. Nigeria and referred by Dr Hartert (Nov. 

 Zool., XIV, 1907, p. 48g) to M. r. bartletti agrée with ray 

 spécimens from Lagos and I hâve therefore described it as 



