274 PYTELIA MELBA 
Subspecies b. P. soudanensis. 
Most similar to the South African bird, but differs from both of the 
former ones in having on the under tail-coverts narrow, more or less distinct, 
brown bars. ‘Bill and iris red; feet pale grey.’ Wing 2:25. Lado (Emin). 
The Melba Pytelia ranges from Loango and the Congo into 
Damaraland on the west, and eastward from Natal to the 
Equator. 
It has been obtained in Loango, at Chinchonxo (Falken- 
stein), and at Landana (Petit); on the Upper Congo at Ujiji 
(Bohndorff) ; in Angola at Malandje (Mechow). In the 
British Museum there are two full plumaged males from the 
Quanza River, and one from Benguela, procured by Mr. 
Monteiro, who also met with it at Loanda, Katumbella and 
Dombe, where he found it “called by the Portuguese 
‘ Marachao,’ and much esteemed as a cage-bird on account of 
its marvellously sweet song”; according to Anchieta it is 
known to the natives as the ‘ Maracaxongo”’ in the Quissange 
district, and as the “‘ Kangungo”’ at Biballa; it has also been 
recorded from Humpata (Kellen). Andersson writes: “ This 
Finch is found sparingly in Damara and Great Namaqualand, 
and usually occurs in pairs; its favourite resort is low bush 
and old abandoned village fences, whence the Damaras call 
it the ‘ Kraal Bird.’ Its food consists of insects.’ They live 
generally in pairs in the thick bush near the ground and are 
not shy. 
I do not find it recorded from Cape Colony ; but it is well 
represented in the British Museum by specimens from Natal, 
the Transvaal, Bamangwato, Matabele, Zambesi and Nyasa- 
land. The species has been met with also at Eschowe in 
Zululand by the Messrs. Woodward, and at Inhambani by 
Peters. 
At the Zambesi Mr. Boyd Alexander found the species 
ne 
Kap ATE 
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