HYPOCHERA CHALYBEATA 7 
Male in breeding plumage. Black strongly glossed with greenish blue ; 
outer half of the median and greater coverts, quills and tail sepia brown 
with some imperfect narrow buff edges to the primaries and centre tail- 
feathers ; inner lining of the wing sepia brown with broad brownish buff 
inner edges to the quills; axillaries and about half of the under wing-coverts 
white ; flanks with a few somewhat hidden white feathers. ‘Iris brown; 
bill and legs reddish” (Hartlaub). Total length 4-4 inches, culmen 0-39, 
wing 2°45, tail 1:5, tarsus 0°55. Dakah (Laglaize). 
Adult female. Upper parts brown, mottled with dark centres to the 
feathers of the upper back, scapulars and lesser wing-coverts; remainder 
of the wings and the tail dark brown, with very narrow pale edges to the 
feathers; under wing-coverts white, shading into pale brown at the bend 
of the wing; centre of crown brownish buff with the sides blackish brown ; 
sides of head buff, shading into brown on the ear-coverts, the upper part 
of which is darker and forms an ill-defined band; under parts light brown 
fading into white on the centre of the breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts 
“Tris brown, bill horny white, tarsi and feet rosy pink” (Butler). Wing 2°35. 
Senegambia. 
Adult male in winter. Very similar in plumage to the female. 
The Green Combasou ranges from Senegal to Grand 
Basam. 
From Senegambia came the type of H. xnea which is in 
the Bremen Museum, and in the British Museum there are 
seven other specimens from that country, including one from 
Dakar on Cape Verde and one from Sedhiu near Casamanse. 
Mr. J. S. Budgett, while at the Gambia, found the species 
common near Quinela. On Bulama, one of the islands of 
the Bissagos group (11° 30’ N. lat.) Sig. Fea procured two 
full plumaged specimens in July and three in half moult in 
June and October. 
According to Mr. A. G. Butler, these birds often retain the 
breeding plumage for years in confinement; one of his did not 
change it for five years, and then at the time when the others 
were assuming the black plumage. They lay, he observes, 
three to five eggs, obtusely pointed and pure white. 
The most eastern range recorded for the species is Grand 
Basam, where Arséne procured an immature specimen. 
