1918.] the Birds of the Anglo-Eyyptian Sudan. 651 



We find that l)irds from the up[)er Nile valley and Seniiar 

 are quite distinct from those from Kordofan. Tliey are 

 much darker and more richly coloured and much more 

 heavily striped. For the Kordofan bird we retain the type 

 name ; the Sennar and upper Nile bird we refer to Sun- 

 devall's D. scotoptera. We are of opinion that C. sudanica 

 Madarasz, Ann. Mus. Nat. Muiig. ix. 1911, p. 340 : Binder 

 river, is a synonym. 



There is a very distinct seasonal plumage change in these 

 birds, and our series shows this very cleaily. The winter 

 birds (PI. X. fig. 10) have the back boldly striped with 

 black and yellowish and the head a darker rufous obscurely 

 streaked with dus^ky. The summer birds have the back 

 plain greyish brown (PI. X. figs. 8, 9), with very faint traces 

 of the darker central stripes to the feathers ; the head 

 is much paler rufous, hardly contrasting with the back, 

 and is without streaks, the tail is much shorter (about 45 

 against 40 mm.), and the feathers rather broader. The 

 April birds (PI. X. fig. 11) show the intermediate stage 

 very clearly. 



The wings of the males measure 53—00 mm., average 

 56 mm., those of the females 49-52 mm. We are inclined 

 to identify with the summer birds Vrymoeca cinerascens 

 Heuglin, but comparison with the type is desirable. 



We have also examined the types of C. fluweri (PI. X. 

 fig. 9), now in the Triug Museum, and have satisfied our- 

 selves that this is (7. r. scotoptera in late summer plumage. 

 The two examples were collected on 28 and 30 July, and the 

 new winter tails are in the case of one bird just sprouting, 

 in the case of the other two-thirds grown. The white 

 outer web to the outer tail-feathers, noted by Hartert as 

 so chara(;teristic a feature, can be easily matched in winter 

 birds, of which we have before us a large series. 



Cisticola cisticola uropygialis. 



Drymoica uropygialis Fraser, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1843, p. 17: 

 Accra, Gold Coast. 



Cisticola cisticola apud Butler, Ibis, 1905, p. 332. 



