6 ORIOLUS AURATUS 



Adult male.. General plumage bright golden yellow ; a broad black band 

 from above the gape surrounds the eyes and includes the upper half of the 

 ear-coverts ; vving, with the quills and greater coverts black, the latter as 

 well as the secondaries, with strongly marked bright yellow edges ; primaries 

 and primary-coverts, with narrow yellow or white terminal margins and an 

 indication of a white outer margin to some of the primaries ; under surface 

 of quills dusky black with whitish inner margins ; tail with the centre 

 feathers and the entire base of all the others black, each feather with the 

 end bright yellow, which colour increases in extent towards the outer ones. 

 Iris red ; bill pale brownish red ; feet dusky grey. Total length 96 inches, 

 culmen 1'15, wing 5-75, tail 3-6, tarsus 0-9. Gambia (Strachan). 



Adult female. Differs from the adult male in its more olive colouring ; 

 black patch on sides of head more obscurely marked ; dark portion of tail 

 larger and extending on the outer webs of the feathers nearly to their ends 

 and is washed with olive yellow most strongly towards the base. 



Immature. Similar to the female, or, in younger specimens, with no trace 

 of the dark mark on the side of head ; throat and chest white streaked with 

 black. 



The Northern African Golden Oriole inhabits Northern 

 Tropical Africa between about 4° and 18° N. lat. 



This bird closely resembles our European Oriole in its 

 general colouring, voice and habits, but may be readily dis- 

 tinguished by the olive yellow on the wing, the black band 

 on the side of the head extending back behind the eye ; and 

 like all the other African members of the genus it is not of 

 a migratory nature, and is generally to be met with in pairs, 

 or accompanied by the brood after the nesting season. 



The species has been recorded from many places along the 

 Senegambian coast and from the Island of Bulama. Dr. 

 Eendall, while at the Gambia, wrote : " Common on the 

 mainland all the year round ; occasionally stragglers seen 

 on the island." It has not been recorded from Liberia, and 

 is known to me from Fantee by one of Swanzy's specimens. 

 Inland from Fantee, Captain W. Giffard obtained five 

 examples at Gambaga from August to January, and Mr. 

 Boyd Alexander, who met with it at the same place, writes : 



