VIDUA HYPOCHERINA 15 
the latter surmounted by a black band; hind neck, back and wings mottled 
brownish black, with broad rufous buff edges to the feathers; edges of 
some of the median coverts and very narrow pale edges to the primaries 
white ; tail brownish black with white edges to the feathers; under surface 
white washed with rufous buff on the sides of the crop and body, which 
latter parts are slightly streaked with brown shaft-stripes. Iris brown, bill 
and legs pale brown. Total length 4:2 inches, culmen 0°35, wing 2:0, tail 
1:8, tarsus 0°55. Lamu (Jackson). 
Adult male in winter. Similar in plumage to the female. Lamu (Jackson). 
Immature. Differs in plumage from the adult female in being of a more 
uniform sandy colour, with the dark markings of the head, neck and back 
imperfectly developed. 9 3.12.97. Arabsiyo (Hawker). 
The Splendid Black Whydah ranges from Ugogo into 
Somaliland and South Abyssinia. 
The most southern range known to me for this species is 
Ugogo, a country due west of Zanzibar. Here Sir John Kirk 
procured an adult and an immature bird which are now in the 
British Museum, where there are also specimens from the plains 
to the south of the Kilimanjaro Mountain, shot by Mr. H. C. 
V. Hunter, and another one in full plumage obtained by Mr. 
Jackson at Lake Jipe, September 27, 1885, out of a large 
flock of the much commoner J. serena. At Ituru they have 
been found by Mr. Werther. Fischer met with the species at 
Nguruman near Lake Naiwasha, and procured the type of 
V. splendens at Kibaradja on the Tana River in November. He 
found these birds in flocks of from ten to thirty in company 
with Lagonosticta brunneiceps and Vidua serena feeding on the 
bare ground, where caravans had halted and left scattered corn 
behind. In Somaliland Mr. Hawker saw these birds only 
at Arabsiyo and Hargeisa; at the latter place they joined in 
flocks with other Finches on the “ jowari” stubbles. The 
most northern known range for this species is Marko, 9° 30’ 
N. lat. 41 H. long., where Mr. Pease obtained a hen bird in 
December. 
The species has not been recorded upon satisfactory 
