332 PLOCEPASSER DONALDSONI 



throat much more distinctly marked ; the feathers of the crop with pale 

 brown centres ; tail-feathers with broad white ends. Wing 3-75 inches. 

 Somaliland (Paris Mus.). 



The Somali Sparrow-Weaver inhabits Somalilaud. 



This is the representative of P. melcmorhyndms in Somali- 

 land, and is known, I believe, by the type only, which I met 

 with in the Jardin des Plantes Museum, Paris, witli tlie locality 

 Somalilaud written on the label. I find no other record of the 

 species having been procured in Somaliland, or any other 

 place, so it is probably only an abnormal variety of P. 

 melanorhynehus. 



Plocepasser donaldsoni. 



Ploceipasser donaldsoni, Sharps, Bull. B. 0. C. v. p. 14 (1895) Somali ; 



id. P. Z. S. 1901, p. 620, pL 36, fig. 2. 

 Plocepasser donaldsoni, Reichen. Vog. Afr. iii. p. li (1904). 



Ti/pc. Upper parts brown, with the lower back and upper tail-coverts 

 pure white ; feathers of the head, above the line of the eye, dark brown, with 

 rather narrow buftish edges, giving to this part a somewhat scaled appear- 

 ance ; back and sides of neck nearly uniform pale brown ; feathers of the 

 mantle and the lesser wing-coverts with broad dark brown centres ; wings 

 and tail dark brown, with buff edges to the feathers, broadest at the ends of 

 the median and greater coverts and the ends of the tail-feathers, forming 

 two bars on the wing ; under tail-coverts and broad inner margins to the 

 quills buff ; a band of blackish feathers, tipped with buff, extends from the 

 upper mandible under the eye and includes the upper ear-coverts ; the head 

 below this baud is white, and is separated from the white chin and throat 

 by an imperfect black band ; breast buff, with pale brown centres to the 

 feathers of the front of the chest and flanks; under tail-coverts white. 

 "Iris red; bill black; legs grey." Total length 6-7 inches, culmen 08, 

 wing 3'7, tail 2-4, tarsus 1-0. (? , 14. 9. 95. Somaliland (Donaldson Smith). 



Adult female. Like the male. " Iris dark red." Wing 3-5. 5 , 6. 12. 99. 

 Lake Stefanie (Donaldson Smith). 



The Donaldson Sparrow- Weaver inhabits Western Somali- 

 land and the adjoining country. 



All the information I can find regarding this species is 



