PYROMELANA FRANCISCANA 91 
to the feathers; a broad buff eyebrow; under parts white, shaded with 
brown on the sides and lower half of the throat, front and sides of breast ; 
a few dark brown stripes on the sides of the crop. Iris brown; bill and legs 
pale brown. Total length 4:2 inches; culmen 0:45; wing 2:3; tail 14; 
tarsus 0°75. @, 4.3.01. Tadejemulka (Pease). 
Male in winter. Similar in plumage to the female. 
In full plumaged males the upper tail coverts reach beyond the end of 
the tail. 
The Red-throated Bishop-bird inhabits Northern Tropical 
Africa between 22° N. lat. and the Equator. 
The species is fairly abundant throughout its range, which 
is limited in West Africa to Senegambia and Guinea. From 
this part of Africa it is well represented in the British Museum 
by specimens from Senegambia, Gold Coast, and the Volta and 
Niger Rivers. The spring and autumn moults take place here 
about April and August, and it breeds during the rainy season. 
Dr. P. Rendal writes: ‘‘ Builds a woven grass nest and lays 
two or three eggs of a deeper blue than those of our Hedge 
Sparrow. The nest has a hole in the side, and is built in a 
tall weed of the pea family—almost invariably. The males lose 
their red feathers so gradually that all stages intermediate 
with the females are to be seen in August.” 
According to the late Dr. Gordon: ‘‘ Fantee name 
* Alchim-butukra.’ Have made their appearance since the com- 
mencement of the rainy season in great abundance in small 
flocks.” I think he must have overlooked this bird when it 
was in the brown plumage, for during my visit to the Gold 
Coast with IT. E. Buckley, we found it to be common in flocks 
frequenting the more open country in February and March, 
when the males were all in the brown winter plumage, which 
closely resembles that of the female. At Accra, in June, 
Mr. Boyd Alexander found them in full breeding plumage. In 
the Niger district Forbes met with the species in full plumage 
in August at Rabba and Abuschi, and according to Dr. Hartert 
