40 CINNYRICINCLUS LEUCOGASTER 



Coast I met with the species on a few occasions in February, 

 between Accra and Abokobi, always in fairly large Hocks of 

 about a score. Ussher writes : " This bird is widely dis- 

 tributed over the whole of the Guinea Coast, and is of very 

 general occurrence on the Gold Coast. It is usually observed 

 in pairs, and occasionally in some numbers. I have seen the 

 low bushes in the vicinity of the town of Lagos (on the Slave 

 Coast) tenanted In- them in large quantities, the brilliant 

 plumage of the male contrasting markedly with the sober 

 colouring of the female and the pied tints of the immature 

 birds. They were feeding eagerly on the berries of a descrip- 

 tion of ' wait-a-bit " thorn, very abundant in some localities of 

 the Guinea Coast. The male in full plumage, seen flying low 

 in the bright sunlight, is undoubtedly one of the most 

 exquisite birds in Africa ; and a marked difference in colour 

 is observable among even full-plunniged males, some having 

 coppery or golden reflections on the rich puce colour of the 

 feathers, whilst others decidedly incline to a deep violet blue 

 of equal beauty. Their habits appear to be similar to the 

 Shining Grackles' in general, and did not present anything 

 noteworthy to my observation." 



In our Gold Coast Colony Mr. Boyd Alexander obtained 

 specimens at Gambaga, Krachi and Pong, and writes : " A 

 migrant in the Hinterland. Small flocks appeared at Gam- 

 baga in May. According to Captain Giffard, the bird is 

 again connnou there in August." 



Mr. Hartert met with the species at Loko, on the Niger, 

 in May and .Tuly, feeding on fruit. Further south it is 

 apparently rare, for it is known to me from Camarouns by a 

 specimen procured by Mr. Zenker at Jaunde ; Aubry Lecomte 

 and Gujon obtained it in Gaboon, and there are specimens in 

 the British Museum collected by Bohndorff, at Sassa and 

 Semio, in tlie Xiam-Xiam counti-\-. 



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