366 SYCOBROTUS 



Genus XIV. SYCOBEOTUS. 



Bill greyish horn-colour, rather long, as broad as deep at the nostrils, 

 culmen rounded and slightly curved, sides straight from the gape to the 

 tip ; nasal-orifice well exposed and of a horizontal oval form, vyith a slight 

 overhanging membrane. Wing rounded ; primaries 1 half the length of 2 ; 

 2 shorter than 6 ; 3, 4 and 5 longest and about equal. Tarsi and feet fairly 

 strong. 



Plumage of sexes very similar and shows no seasonal variation ; upper 

 parts nearly uniform black, brown or dark grey ; breast and under tail- 

 coverts bright yellow. 



Type. 



Eupodes (non Koch, 1835, Arachn.), Jard. and Selby, 111. 



Orn. n. s. pi. 10 (1836) .S'. grcgalis. 



Symplectes (nee Symplecta, Meig. 1830, Dipt.), Swains. 



Classif. B. ii. p. 279 (1837) S. gregalis. 



Syeobrotus, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 182 (1851) S. gregalis. 



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

 forms, including S. tephronotus, which might be regarded as a subspecies of 

 S. amaurocephalus, and >S. nandensis, which is probably not distinct from 

 S. mentalis. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a. Crown brown. 



fti. Entire upper parts and sides of head uniform sepia 



brown gregalis. J d d 



b^. Forehead and cheeks with white tips to the 



feathers stictifrons. 'li'jf 



I). Crown black. 



c^. Back brown or grey. 



a-. Chin and throat more ashy. 



a'^. Back browner amaurocepihalus. -^r^ 



Z)3. Back greyer tephronotus. J>'^y 



b". Chin jet black. 



c^. Throat yellow mentalis. ^ll 



d^. Upper throat black nandensis." ^' 



d^. Back jet black kersteni. 3?Z. 



Syeobrotus gregalis. 



Fringilla gregalis, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 23 (1823) Kaffraria. 

 Ploceus gregalis, Eeichen. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 32 (1904). 

 Ploceus chrysogaster. Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 92 Algoa Bay. 

 Symplectes chrysomus, Swains. B. W. Afr. i. p. 170 (1837) S. Afr., 

 Senegal. 



