230 POLIOSPIZA. TRISTRIATA. 



1895, p. 341 egg; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 277 (1896); Nehrkorn. 



Kat. Eiers. p. 109 (1899) egg; Grant, Ibis, 1900, p. 131 ; id. and Eeid, 



Ibis, 1901, p. 625 S. Abyssinia. 

 Fringilla tristriata, Pisch. and Reicheu. J. f. 0. 1878, p. 266 Melinda ; 



Fisch. t. c. p. 281 Formosa Bay. 

 Poliospiza isabellina, Gigl. Ann. Mus. Genov. 1888, p. 33 Shoa. 

 Poliospiza pallidior, Lort Phillips, Ibis, 1898, p. 398 Somali. 



Adult. Mostly uniform brown, paler on the under parts and with darker 

 centres to the feathers, distinct on the forehead and crown, and obsoletely 

 indicated on the mantle ; a complete broad white eyebrow, chin and upper 

 throat white, with a partial blackish band down the sides ; under wing- 

 coverts ashy brown like the breast ; centre of abdomen and the under tail- 

 coverts buff. " Iris brown ; bill dusky brown ; legs brown " (A. E. Pease). 

 Total length 4-6 inches, culmen 0-4, wing 2-7 and 2-5, tail 2-3 and 2-2, tarsus 

 0-65. <? , $ , Senafe (Blauford). 



Immatitrc. Differ in having the upper parts more mottled, and the 

 under parts whiter and strongly striped with brown on the lower throat 

 and the flanks. <J , 8. 2. 99. Kosso (Lovat) ; ? , 5. 3. 97. Wagga (Lort 

 PhiHips). 



Ruppell's Seed-eater probably ranges from Caconda in 

 Bengiiela to Port Melinda and northward over Abyssinia. 



Prof. Barbaza du Bocage informs us that Anchieta procured 

 a single specimen of this species at Caconda in Benguela. His 

 description of the plumage agrees well with this bird, and 

 there is nothing specially to remark in the measurements 

 excepting that of the wing, "86 m. '' = 3'44 inches, this 

 must, I think, be a misprint for 68 m. = 2'72, otherwise I 

 should have no hesitation in regarding it as a new species. 

 On following the line from Caconda to Melinda I find that 

 Mr. Nehrkorn describes an egg of this species (agreeing with 

 Heugliu's description) from Marungu, which country borders 

 on to the south-west end of Lake Tanganyika. 



Fischer first met with the species at Melinda, and after- 

 wards came across a flock in Formosa Bay. In Somaliland 

 Speke procured a specimen, and wrote : " Shot on the moun- 

 tains, where they fly about in flocks like our English Sparrows." 



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