PETRONIA PYRGITA. 263 



Shoa according to Dr. Ragazzi it is abundant, and he collected 

 specimens at Farre, and Antinori others at Ambo-Karra. 



From Northern Abyssinia there are specimens in the 

 British Museum collected by Dr. Blanford and Mr. Jesse at 

 Rairo, Anseba, Gelamet, Bejook and Waliko. 



Heuglin met with them along the Blue Nile and its 

 tributaries, near the White Nile, and in the Abyssinian low- 

 lands. They were found in pairs or small flocks along the 

 openings in the woodlands or perched on the bushes in the 

 deserts, generally near water. The type of Pi/rgifa nicirireps, 

 Licht., he informs us, was really procured in the Desert of 

 Bahjooda, which separates Ambukol from Khartoum, and was 

 incorrectly labelled as coming from Egypt. He further 

 remarks that in habits and note they resemble our House- 

 Sparrows, and that their eggs, which he found in a Weaver- 

 bird's nest, were pure white. 



Petronia pyrgita. 



Xanfchodina pyrgita, Heugl. J. f. O. 1862, p. 30 Sennaar. 



Petronia pyrgita, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xii. p. 296 (1888) Abyssinia : 

 Eeichen. Vog. D. 0. Afr. p. 195 (1894) Teita ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 

 1895, p. 469 Somali; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 254(1896); Elliot, 

 Field-Columb. M. i. No. 2, p. 34 (1897) ; Lort Phillips, Ibis, 1898, 

 p. 397 ; Hawker, Ibis, 1899, p. 63 Somali : Jackson, Ibis, 1899, 

 p. 619 Ravine; Nenm. J. f. O. 1900, p. 287 Loita Mt. ; Sharpe, 

 P. Z. S. 1901, p. 302 Somali: p. 618 Akara ; Grant and Eeid, 

 Ibis, 1901, p. 624 S. Abyssinia ; Eothschild and Wollaston, 

 192, p. 10 Shendi. 



Xanthodira pyrgita, Cab. J. f. 0. 1878, p. 229 Ndi ; Fisch. and Eeichen. 

 J. f. 0. 1879, p. 353 Tana R. ; Fisch. J. f. 0. 1885, p. 136 Arusha ; 

 Wapofiomo. 



Gymnorhis pyrgita, Shelley, Ibis, 1885, p. 408 Somali. 



Adult male. Upper parts uniform ashy ; lesser wing-coverts like the 

 remainder of the feathers of the wings and tail dark brown, with rather 

 narrow brownish white edges; under surface of the wings brown with 



