194 SERINUS BUTYRACEUS. 



Seriuus barbatus, Jackson, Ibis, 1899, p. 620 Ntehi. 



Serinus flavifrons, Pr. Wiirth. Heugl. J. f. O. 1867, p. 297 Fazogl. 



Crithagra mosambicus, Peters, J. f. 0. 1868, p. 131 Mosambique. 



Adult. Above, olive green streaked with blackish centres to the feathers 

 of the crown and mantle ; foreheid, a broad eyebrow, lower back and edges 

 to upper tail-coverts bright canary yellow. Wing mostly brownish black ; 

 least-coverts olive like the back ; median and greater-coverts, as well as the 

 inner secondaries, broadly edged with dull yellow ; primary-coverts and the 

 remainder of the quills narrowly edged with that colour ; inner edges of the 

 quills and the under-coverts whitish ash, the latter strongly washed with 

 yellow. Tail brownish black with yellowish white edges, very much broader 

 at the ends of the feathers where they form a well marked terminal band. 

 Sides of head yellow with the ear-coverts dusky green and a patch in front 

 of the eye and a well-marked mustachial band jet black ; chin, throat, breast 

 and the under tail-coverts uniform canary yellow shading into olive on the 

 sides of the neck and breast. Iris brown ; bill dusky horn colour ; tarsi 

 and feet brown. Total length 4-2 inches, culmen 0'3, wing 2-7, tail 18, 

 tarsus 0-55. S , 20. 10. 75. Pinetown (T. L. Ayres). 



Adult female. Similar to the male but often with the chin white, and is 

 very slightly smaller. 



Immature. Upper parts browner ; forehead and eyebrow yellowish 

 white ; ear-coverts and sides of neck ashy brown ; mustachial band dusky 

 brown ; under parts paler yellow fading into white towards the chin ; some 

 dusky spots on the throat and front of the chest. $ , 28. 7. 81. Eustenburg 

 (W. Lucas). 



The Common Yellow-fronted Canary ranges over the whole 

 of South and East Africa, south of the Quauza river on the 

 west, and 15° N. lat. in Eastern Africa. 



This species has been well described by Linnaeus as Loxia 

 butyracea, nominally from an Indian specimen, but really pro- 

 cured in the Ethiopian Region and probably at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, where in those days a vessel from India was sure 

 to stop on her way to Europe. Probably a ship from the Cape 

 which touched at some port on the Senegambian coast brought 

 from South Africa the type of Swainson's Crithagra chrysopyga, 

 for his short description and figure of that bird agrees well 

 with the present species and not with the allied West African 

 form. The type of Fringilla ictera, Vieill., also came from 

 South Africa. 



