466 SIGMODUS RUFIVENTRIS 
of this form in the Tring Museum from Degama, Gregani and 
Oguta, collected by Ansorge, and from Amambara Creek, 
collected by Braham. 
There are examples of this species from the following 
localities in the British Museum. 
Sierra Leone—Bo (Kemp); Gold Coast Colony—Fantee 
(Ussher, Hickman, Aubinn), Cape Coast Castle (Buckley, 
Shelley), Denkera (Ussher), Ashantee (Lagden, Beddington), 
Fumsu and Volta River (Alexander). 
Sigmodus rufiventris. 
Sigmodus rufiventris, Bp. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1853, p. 441 Gaboon; 
Sharpe, Cat. B.M. iii. p. 323 (1877); Oust. N. Arch. Mus. (2) ii. 
1879, p. 134, pl. 5, fig. 1; Shelley, B. Afr. i. No. 668 (1896); 
Reichen. Vog. Afr. ii. p. 5387 (1903); Sharpe, Handl. B. iv. p. 274 
(1903) ; id. Ibis, 1908, p. 328 Camaroon ; Bates, Ibis, 1909, p. 33; 
Reichen. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berl. v. p. 82 (1910) Kio Benito. 
Adult. Similar to S. caniceps in the colouring of the upper parts, and 
in the neck being entirely black; but differs in the ear-coverts, cheeks and 
chin being bluish-grey, and the grey of the head fading into white towards 
the bill; crop pure white ; chest, abdomen, thighs and under tail-coverts 
cinnamon with a little black on the sides of the chest. ‘Iris ochre yellow, 
eyelids fleshy-red ; bill and feet carmine-red” (Reichenow). Total length 8:5 
inches, culmen 0:6, wing 4:5, tail 3:0, tarsus 0°'7. Zima country, 3, 
12. 10. 05 (Bates). The female is similar; wing 45. River Ja, ? (Bates). 
The young bird resembles that of S. caniceps in having the crown white 
fading into black on the occiput, which is continued forward as a black band 
through the eye to the base of the bill; below the chin, throat and crop, 
are white with a little wash of buffy on the throat; the abdomen is cinnamon 
as in the adult; bill black. River Ja (Bates). 
The Gaboon Red-billed Shrike ranges from Camaroon to 
Portuguese Congo. 
The type was brought to the Paris Museum by Dr. 
Franquet from Gaboon, and was figured by Oustalet. The 
species was first obtained in Camaroon by Zenker at Jaunde, 
and subsequently by Bates. The latter writes as follows ;— 
~ esti 
