370 SYCOBROTUS AMAUROCEPHALUS 



Thomson one at the Rovuma River, and Fischer discovered 

 the type at Lindi, which is the most northern range known to 

 me for the species. No doubt, ns Stark has remarked, its 

 habits are similar to that of the better known South African 

 species, S. grcgalis. 



Sycobrotus amaurocephalus. 



Sycobi'otus amauvocepbalus, Cab. J. f. 0. 1880, p. 349, pi. 3, fig. 1 

 Angola; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. siii. p. 423 (1890) ; Sbelley, B. Afr. I. 

 No. 505 (1896). 



? Ploceus bicolor, Vieill. N. Diet, xxxiv. p. 127 (1819) Senegal. 



"Ploceus bicolor, Vieill." Eeichen. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 34 (1904). 



Adults. Similar to those of S. gregalis, from which it differs in the 

 paler brown colouring of the back of the neck, back, wings and tail, and 

 from S. stictifrons in the uniform brownish black colouring of the top and 

 sides of the head, which dark parts are browner and contrast less sharply 

 with the back of the neck than in S. tephronotiis. Total length 5'7 inches, 

 culmen 0-7, wing 3-25, tail 2-3, tarsus 0-8. $ , Tanganyika Plateau 

 (Manning). 



Type of Ploceus bicolor, Vieill. "Head and nape blackish; back of 

 neck, back, wing-coverts and edges of quills brownish olive ; rump and 

 remainder of wings and tail brown ; feathers of throat brown with yellow 

 ends ; under parts yellow ; bill grey " (Yieillot). 



The Angola Dark-backed Weaver ranges over Angola, 

 Benguela and the Tanganyika district. 



The type was discovered in Angola at Malandge, by Mr. 

 Otto Schiltt. There is a specimen in the Tring Museum, 

 obtained by Mr. C. H. Pemberton at Dondo on the Quanza 

 River, on the label of which is written: " <? , 30. 6. 01; 

 iris red brown; feet wainscot brown; bill ditto, with the 

 upper mandible darker." This specimen agrees perfectly with 

 the specimen in the British Museum from the Tanganyika 

 plateau. The species has also been i-ecorded from Quissange 

 and Quibulla in Benguela (Anchieta), Kibondo (Bohndorff), 

 Lukumbi and Lualaba (Bohm). 



The present species is very similar to S. tephronotiis, which 



