122 AMADINA 
a’. Bill narrower; never with the entire 
under mandible pale and upper man- 
dible black; tailless rounded . . . Hsérilda. ». \qo_ 
b8. Bill broader; adults with entire under 
mandible pale and upper mandible 
black ; tail rounded, end of outer 
feather falling short of tip of tail 8 
less than length of culmen . . . Coccopygia |. : 
b7, Bill forming on forehead an acute Sanden : 
adults with larger and more numerous 
pale twin-spots not confined to sides of 
JS 
breast . . . Hypargos }- 239 
bs, First long primary with ‘ike datecll third 
narrow and generally distinctly cut away on 
the inner margin. 
c®, Tail-feathers broader; outer margins of 
quills never red nor yellow; breast gener- 
ally with minute white spots. . . Lagonosticta. »+ 2% 
d®, Tail-feathers narrower ; outer inmyere a 
quills red or yellow ; breast barred. . . Pytehia. P:2t¥. 
d‘*. Greater portion of wings crimson . . Cryptospiza. | 
f?. Bill very powerful; generally with a tooth- ie ae 
jection on the cutting edge of the upper mandible ; 
plumage of two colours, brown and crimson or black 
> 
5 
a a ey 
r'2g4 
and icrimsoni) =) es el len en nny neeeumenestes nm pmanatte 
Genus I AMADINA. 
Bill very stout and short, swollen at the base; culmen flattened and 
curved, the base ending in a right angle on the forehead; keel curved ; 
edges of upper mandible festooned towards the gape; nostrils covered by 
the frontal feathers. Wing pointed, the tenth quill falling short of the tip 
by more than the length of the tarsus; primaries 1, small, narrow and 
sharply pointed; 2, 3 and 4, longest and about equal. Tail short and 
rounded. Tarsus moderate; toes long and slender; outer and inner toes 
about equal; hind claw long and curved. Plumage of the sexes differing in 
the males only having some red on the head or throat. 
Type. 
Amadina, Swains. Zool. Journ. iii. p. 349 (1827) . . . . A. fasciata. 
Sporothlastes, Cab. Arch. Naturg. 1847, p. 331. . . . . A. fasciata. 
The genus is confined to Tropical and South Africa, and comprises three 
species. In the typical species the males have a red band across the throat, 
which has caused them to be known as Ribbon Finches and Cut-throat 
Sparrows. I shall call them Ribbon-Wasxbills. 
— 
—— 
rE eee 
