of the Ethiopian Region. 219 



it in also possessing these yellow margins, the colour of the tail 

 at once separates the South-African species. 



There can be little doubt that the bird identified by Messrs. 

 Gurney, Andersson, Layard, and Chapman as Oriolus auratus 

 is really the present species ; and therefore the following observa- 

 tions refer to it. Andersson (/. c.) gives the following note on 

 its habits : — 



" I have only once or twice observed this splendid Oriole in 

 the southern parts of Damara Land — that is, the mature bird. 

 The young (at least I believe it to be the same bird) is pretty 

 common, but only during the rainy season ; for it is migratory. 

 The old bird is extremely shy and wary, and always keeps to the 

 thickest part of the jungle. On and in the neighbourhood of 

 the Okavango River it is, however, more abundant, but still 

 retains its shy habits. In the young bird the iris is brown, legs 

 lead-colour, bill reddish-brown.^^ 



Mr. Chapman (/. c.) records both this species and 0. galbula, 

 and observes : — 



" Both these species are to be met with during the rainy 

 season, but they are chiefly young birds. The adults are rarely 

 met with, and are always excessively wary and shy in their 

 habits, either keeping to the loftiest trees, or the most secluded 

 thickets. At a distance the two species are easily confounded, 

 and the young still more so." 



Mr. Layard (/. c), curiously. enough, notices the discrepancy 

 between the birds sent by Andersson from Damara Land and 

 the description given by Dr. Hartlaub of O. auratus, but does 

 not describe the South-African bird as new. When first I 

 began to investigate the subject I fully believed that for once 

 lievaillant had told the truth, and that in the present species we 

 had the true Loriodor (Ois. d'Afr. t. 260). Levaillant distinctly 

 states that the exterior tail-feathers of this bird were entirely 

 yellow ; and the present species is the only South-African Oriole 

 which I knew to possess this character. But on the other hand 

 Levaillant states that all the outer tail-feathers, except the outer- 

 most one, are for the most part black, whereas in O. notaius the 

 four exterior rectrices are entirely yellow. The allied Senegam- 

 bian species, 0. auratus, agrees exactly with Levaillant^s figure 



