ESTRILDA CINEREA 203 
Dr. Reichenow divides the allied forms of this group into 
H. astrild and seven subspecies; I have not differed so greatly 
from this arrangement as it may appear at first sight; but by 
recognising four of these as good species, I hope to enable 
others to appreciate better the relative value of the remaining 
named forms, which are less distinctly characterised. 
Estrilda cinerea. 
Fringilla cinerea, Vieill. N. Dict. xii. p. 176 (1817). 
Kstrilda cinerea, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 394 (1890); Butler, Foreign 
Finches in Captivity, p. 131, pl. 26, fig. 1 (1894); Shelley, B. Afr. I. 
No. 402 (1896) ; Nehrkorn, Kat. Hiers. p. 128 (1899) egg ; Reichen. 
Vog. Afr. iii. p. 182 (1904). 
Fringilla troglodytes, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 26 (1823) Senegambia. 
Astrild nigricauda, Reichenb. Singyv. p. 10. pl. 6, figs. 55, 56 (1863). 
Estrelda melanopygia, Heugl. J. f. O. 1864, p. 251. 
Estrilda jagoensis, Alexander, Ibis, 1898, pp. 85, 92, 99, 115, 281 Cape 
Verde Isl. 
Adults. Upper parts drab brown, with a very faint rosy shade and 
indistinct narrow darker bars; rump, upper tail-coverts and the tail black, 
the three outer pairs of tail-feathers have white outer and terminal edges, 
most strongly marked on the outermost feathers; wing-coverts like the 
back; quills darker brown, with paler outer edges and white inner edges ; 
under coverts tawny buff; a crimson band through the eye; cheeks, ear- 
coverts and breast rosy buff, slightly more ashy on the sides of the body, 
where the feathers are narrowly barred with indistinct brown lines; centre 
of the abdomen washed with crimson; thighs and under tail-coverts nearly 
white. ‘Iris brown; bill scarlet; tarsi and feet dark brown.” Total length 
3-4 inches, culmen 0:35, wing 1:8 and 1°75, tail 1:5, tarsus 0°. 3g, 2, 
5.5.01. Karaga (Alexander). 
Immature. Differs in having no red on the plumage ; entire upper half 
of head brown with no red eyebrow ; breast and under tail-coverts brownish 
buff. ‘Iris pale brown; bill dark yellowish brown; feet dusk brown.” 
@, juv., 3. 8.85. Wadelai (Emin). 
The Common Black-rumped Waxbill ranges over Tropical 
Africa from 5° to 17° N. lat. 
Its occurrence in the Cape Verde Islands was first recorded 
