470 XANTHOPHILUS XANTHOPTERUS 



present on the ends of the quills and the tail-feathers. " Iris dull orange 

 brown; bill black; tarsi and feet dull pinkish biscuit colour" (Eendall). 

 Total length 5'5 inches, culmen 0'65, wing 3-0, tail 2-0, tarsus 0'9. Type, 

 Shupanga (Kirk). 



" Young. General colour above mottled huffish brown, becoming nearly 

 uniform on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; feathers of the mantle and 

 back with dark centres ; wing-coverts brown, with pale yellow edges ; quills 

 brown, with broad yellow bases to the inner webs and the outer edges 

 greenish yellow ; tail-feathers greenish brown, edged with olive yellow ; 

 crown of head and nape olive green, with narrow dusky centres ; cheeks, 

 sides of head, and the throat pale yellow ; remainder of under parts white, 

 with a pale huffish brown wash, more distinct on the breast and flanks : 

 under tail-coverts yellow ; upper mandible black, the lower one horn-colour; 

 iris hazel ; legs and feet brown." 



" In the immature bird the quills and tail-feathers appear to be the first 

 to assume the adult stage" (Alexander). 



The Zambesi Brown-tbroated Weaver ranges from Nukaua 

 in about 19° 30' S. lat., 22° E. long, into tbe Shire district and 

 Quilimane. 



The most southern and western locality known to me for 

 the species is Nukana in Central South Africa, to the north- 

 west of Lake Ngami ; here Mr. Fleck has procured the species. 

 The type of Byphantorms castaneignlaris (figured J. f. 0., 

 1884, pi. 3, fig. 1) is one of Dr. Holub's specimens from the 

 Zambesi. Capt. Boyd Alexander obtained two immature males 

 near the mouth of the Shire, and along the valley of this 

 river Mi'. Percival found it very common in the Elephant- 

 marsh to the north of Chicoma. Sir John Kirk discovered 

 the type at Shupanga, and specimens have been collected by 

 Mr. Whyte at Mpimbi, by Sir A. Sharpe in Angoniland, and 

 Dr. P. Kendall procured a number of its eggs along the Upper 

 Shire. These eggs have been described by Mr. Hartert. 

 They differ greatly, some being of a uniform pale brick colour 

 or bluish green, others are variably marked, reddish white 

 spotted all over with purplish brown, others bluish white with 

 spots and blotches of rufous brown, and some are bluish green 

 spotted with greyish brown. 



