PLOCEPASSER MAIIALI 325 



Type. 

 Plocepasser, Smith, Ee^j. Exped. Centr. Afr. 1S3G, p. 51 P. mahali. 

 Leucophi-ys, Swains. Classif. B. ii. p. 287 (1837) . . P. mahali. 



Agrophilus, Swains, t. c. p. 291 P. superciliosus. 



Philagrus, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 179 (IS.Jl) .... P. mahali. 



The genus is confined to Tropical and South Africa and comprises seven 

 species. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a. Eump and upper tail-coverts white. 



a^. A broad white eyebrow ; crown black. 



a". Crop uniform white like the throat and breast. 



a^. Bill horny brown ; under surface of wings paler mahali. ^ *■ '~ 

 b^. Bill black ; under surface of wings darker . . mclanorhi/nchus. 

 6-. Crop mottled, with brown centres to feathers. 



c^. Bill black ; crop marking dark brown . . . . pcctoralis. ^ '■' 



d^. Bill brown ; crop marking pale brown . . . propinqiiatus. ^ ~ 



b^. No white eyebrow ; crown brown donaldsoni. ? I - 



b. Eump and upper tail-coverts brown 



c^. Crown rufous ; mantle earth brown superciliosus. ? '' 



d^. Crown grey ; mantle rufous rufoscapulatus. ' 



Plocepasser mahali. 



Plocepasser mahali, Smith, Eep. Esped. C. Afr. p. 51 (1836) N. of 

 Orange R. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 245 (1890); Shelley, B. 

 Afr. I. No. 468 (1896) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 223 Orange B. ; 

 Eeichen. Yog. Afr. iii. p. 11 (1904) ; Clarke, Ibis, 1904, p. 524 

 ilodder B. 

 Leucophrys pileatus. Swains. Classif. B. ii. p. 287 (1837). 

 Agrophilus hsematocephalus, Licht. Nomencl. Av. Mus. Berol. p. 50 



(1854). 

 Ty2)e. Crown, forehead, front of sides of head and a band down the 

 sides of the throat i^lack ; a very broad white eyebrow extends from above 

 the front of the eye to the sides of the nape ; ear-coverts, sides and back of 

 neck, mantle and lesser wing-coverts clear brown ; lower back and upper 

 tail-coverts white ; tail dark brown, with pale edges to the feathers, the 

 edges fading into white on the ends and on the sides of the centre pair ; 

 remainder of the wings dark brown, with broad bufl'y white ends to the 

 median and greater coverts, forming two well-marked bars ; quills with buff 

 edges, broadest towards the inner secondaries ; under surface of wings, with 



