VIDUA SERENA 17 
shaped marks on the end half of the inner webs, increasing rapidly in size 
towards the outermost ones; remainder of the head and the neck pure 
white like the under parts, with the sides of the head in front of the eye 
and sides of crop black, the latter forming an incomplete collar. Ivis brown; 
bill orange red ; tarsi and feet black. Total length 11-5 inches, culmen 0:35, 
wing 2°8, tail 9, with the short feathers 1:9, tarsus 0°65. ¢g, 29. 12. 99. 
Morandat R. (Delamere). 
Adult female. Centre of forehead and crown sandy rufous, with an 
equally broad band of black on each side from the nostrils to the nape ; 
sides and back of neck, back and lesser wing-coverts rufous buff, with broad 
black centres to the feathers ; tail black, and slightly graduated, with sandy 
edges to the feathers, and a considerable amount of white on the inner webs, 
increasing in extent towards the outer ones, which have the entire inner 
webs white, as well as rather broad white edges to the outer webs; wing 
brownish black; primary-coverts and primaries uniform ; remainder of 
coverts and the secondaries with rufous buff edges, broadest on the feathers 
nearest to the back; basal portion of inner edges of quills and the under- 
coverts white mottled with black on the pinion ; eyebrow buff, shading into 
sandy rufous from the eye to the nape ; a broad black band through the eye 
and a narrow one along the cheeks; remainder of the sides of the head 
white like the under parts generally ; crop and sides of body shaded with 
sandy rufous ; flanks streaked with dusky brown. “Iris brown; bill like 
pink coral; tarsi and feet black” (Savile Reid). Total length 4:7 inches, 
culmen 0:35, wing 2:7, tail 2, tarsus 0°6. 9, 18.6. 81. Newcastle (Butler), 
Male in winter plumage. Similar to the female. Wing 2°9, tail 2-2. 
3, 18.6. 81. Newcastle (Butler). 
Young. Upper parts entirely uniform brown, slightly darker on the 
wings and tail, the edges of the feathers of which are of a rather more 
rufous shade; there is no trace of white on the tail; inner margins of quills 
and the under wing-coverts rufous shaded white ; sides of head whitey brown 
with the front part dusky ; entire under parts uniform buff, tinted with ashy 
brown towards the crop, and with a tawny shade on the breast and under 
tail-coverts. ‘Iris dusky, bill horn colour with the base reddish, tarsi and 
feet dark brown.” Total length 4:5 inches, culmen 0°35, wing 2°6, tail 1-9, 
tarsus 0°6. 28.1.81. Rustenburg (W. Lucas). 
The White-breasted Whydah inhabits Africa generally 
south of about 17° N. lat., also the islands of St. Thomas 
and Fernando Po. 
From Senegal Swainson obtained the type of his V. ery- 
throrhyncha, which has been nicely figured, and, I may remark, 
shows a considerable amount of black on the chin, a character 
[October, 1904, 2 
