438 HYPHANTORNIS CAPITALIS 



recorded, unless to this species belongs the Ploceus affinis, 

 Heuglin, which was never described. At Kassala, in one of the 

 gardens of the town, the type was procured by Antinori's 

 dragoman, Kohn, in September, 1871, and has been figured. 



This is the eastern representative of IJ. melanocephalus ; 

 H. capitnlis from the Niger district is an intermediate form, 

 and both might be regarded as subspecies of H. melanocephalus. 



Hyphantornis capitalis. 



Tanagra capitalis, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 432 (1790). 



Hyphantornis capitaHs, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 458 (1890) ; Shelley, 

 B. Afr. I. No. 554 (1896). 



Ploceus capitalis, Shelley, Ibis, 1887, p. 34, pi. 2, tig. 1 ; Eeichen. Vog. 

 Afr. iii. p. 71 (1904). 



Male in full plumage. Difi'ers from that of II. melanocephalus only in 

 being smaller and in having a shade of chestnut on the crop and down the 

 centre of the breast ; entire head and the throat black ; remainder of the 

 neck and the under parts golden yellow, washed with chestnut on the crop 

 and, less so, down the centre of the breast ; back yellow, with an olive shade 

 on the mantle and upper tail-coverts ; tail olive brown, washed with yellow 

 at the edges of the feathers ; wings blackish brown, with broad bright yellow 

 edges to all the feathers excepting the lesser coverts, which are like the 

 mantle ; under wing-coverts and broad inner edges to the quills bright 

 yellow. "Iris brown; bill black; feet flesh-colour." Total length 4-9 

 inches, culmen G'6, wing 2-65, tail 1-8, tarsus 0-85. J, 8. 82, Abutschi 

 (Forbes). 



Adult female. Differs in having the forehead, crown, back and upper 

 tail-coverts uniform yellowish olive ; pale edges of the wing-feathers ohve 

 yellow and yellowish buff; eyebrows, sides of head, chin and throat pale 

 yellow ; breast and under tail-coverts white, with a slight ashy shade on 

 the flanks and thighs. Wing 2-6. ? , 8. 82, Abutschi (Forbes). 



The Niger Black-headed Weaver inhabits Nigeria. 



It is a small representative of S. melanocephdus. As far 

 as I can ascertain, the occurrence of this sjDecies in Sene- 

 gambia rests on its being mentioned by Hartlaub from that 

 country on the authority of Lichtensteiu, and from Casamanse 



