PYTELIA MELBA 273 
Pytelia melba. 
Fringilla melba, Linn. 8. N. (x.) p. 180 (1758); (xii.) i. p. 319 (1766). 
Pytelia melba, Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 441 (1896); Reichen. Vég. Afr. 
ili, p. 163 (1904). 
Zonogastris melba, Dubois, Mus. H. N. Belg. 1886, p. 149 Tanganyika ; 
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 296 (1890). 
Fringilla speciosa, Bodd. Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 12 (1783). 
Fringilla elegans, Gm. 8. N. ii. p. 912 (1788). 
Subspecies a. 
Pytelia kirki, Shelley, Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 76 (1903) Lamu. 
Zonogastris melba, pt. Jackson, Ibis, 1899, p. 606 Kibwesi. 
Pytelia melba, pt. Reichen. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 163 (1904). 
Subspecies b. 
Zonogastris soudanensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 298 (1890) Keren, 
Khartoum. 
Pytelia soudanensis, Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 442 (1896). 
Pytilia melba soudanensis, Reichen. Vég. Afr. iii. p. 164 (1904). 
Zonogastris melba affinis, Elliot, Field Columb. Mus. Orn. i. No. 2, p. 24 
(1897) Somali. 
Pytelia affinis, Grant, Ibis, 1904, p. 258 Danakil. 
Pytelia melba, pt. Jackson, Ibis, 1899, p. 606 Nyemps. 
Adult male. Similar to P. citerior, from which it differs in having more 
red on the throat; white portion of feathers towards the crop inclining to 
round twin-spots ; the blackish and white bars on the body of about equal 
amount. ‘Bill crimson; iris red; legs and feet light brown”’ (Alexander). 
Total length 4°6 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 2°25, tail 1:9, tarsus 0°65. 
Transvaal (T. Ayres). 
Adult female. Similar to that P. citerior, but differs in the chin and 
throat being uniform greyish ash. ‘‘ Bill crimson; iris red; legs dark brown ” 
(I. E. Buckley). Wing 2:3. Transvaal (T. Ayres). 
Young male. No yellow on the plumage; crown, back and wings ashy 
brown; upper tail-coverts and outer edges of tail-feathers red; sides of 
head and the under parts pale ashy brown, fading into white on centre of 
abdomen; a few scarlet feathers on the throat; breast with a few blackish 
feathers with broad white bands inclining to twin-spots on front of chest. 
g, 29. 7.66. Otjimbinque (Andersson). 
Subspecies a. P. kirki. 
Differs from the South African form in having the breast paler; the 
dark bars browner and confined to the front and sides of the breast; under 
tail-coverts entirely uniform sandy buff. Wing 2:25. 3, Lamu (Kirk). 
(December, 1904. 18 
