1918.] Under Wing-Coverts of Birds. 575 



Vidua Serena. Four specimens examined. 



Major under coverts on the manus nine, the 10th wanting ; 

 the 1st more or less reduced in size but present in all cases. 

 Rudimentary major under coverts on the cubitus wanting, 

 or only the first or most distal one present. 



Spermospiza, Pi/renestes, Spermestes, Nigrita, Estrilda. 

 Sixteen specimens, belonging to nine species, examined. 



Major under coverts nine or eight, the 1st, next the carpal 

 joint, being always absent, and the 10th, or most distal one, 

 absent also in all of the smaller birds of this group — present 

 only in Sper-mospiza guttata and Pyrenestes ostrinus, which 

 are larger birds than the others. Rudimentary major under 

 coverts on the cubitus always wanting. Thus it is seen that 

 in the smaller Weaver-birds the major under coverts have 

 undergone a further reduction than in any birds hitherto 

 noticed. 



ParmoptUa woodhousei. Five specimens examined. 



Major under coverts nine or eight, the Ist, or the 1st and 

 10th, being absent. Rudimentary major under coverts on 

 the cubitus wanting. 



Serinus punctigula. Seven specimens examined. 



Major under coverts on the manus nine, the 10th wanting, 

 the 1st reduced in size. Rudimentary major under coverts 

 on the cubitus all present in one specimen, several of them 

 present in another, only the first or most distal one present 

 in a third, quite absent in the remaining four specimens. 



Budytes flava. Three specimens examined. 



Major under coverts on the manus nine, the 10th wanting ; 

 rudimentary major under coverts on the cubitus present in 

 all the specimens. 



Criniger, Bleda, Phyllostrephus, Andropadus, Pycnonotus, 



Ixonotus. Forty-six specimens, of fifteen species, ex- 



arained. 



Major under coverts on the manus ten, except in one 



specimen of Andropadus virens, which liad only nine, the 1st 



