160 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on the 



Specimens examined. 



Mus. J. J. Monteiro. — a. Angola (/. J. M.). b. River 

 Loge, Angola (J. J. M.; cf. Sharpe, I. c). 



3. Platystira peltata. 



Platystira peltata, Sundev. Ofv. Vet. Akad. Forh. 1850, 

 p. 105 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 142 ; Gray, Hand-1. of B. i. 

 p. 329 (1869). 



Adult male. Above rifle-green, the lower back and rump 

 rather more greyish ; wing-coverts rifle-green like the back ; 

 quills blackish, primaries margined with grey, the secondaries 

 with rifle-green; tail black, glossed with greenish above, 

 just tipped with white ; sides of face and pectoral band rifle- 

 green ; rest of under surface white, the flanks shaded with 

 greyish ; axillary tuft rifle-green ; under wing-coverts white, 

 the edge of the wing rifle-green ; eye-wattle scarlet ; bill black ; 

 feet brown ; iris yellow. Total length 4'9 inches, culmen 0*6, 

 wing 2-55, tail 2'2, tarsus 0*8. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but more grey on the 

 back ; the entire throat and upper breast dark rifle-green, the 

 chin and a spot on the fore part of the cheeks white. 



Hab. Lower Caffraria (Wahlberg) ; Zambesi (Kirk). 



This is a very distinct species of Platystira, taking the 

 place of P. cyanea in South-eastern Africa. The male ap- 

 proaches somewhat to that of P. cyanea, but may always be 

 distinguished by the absence of white on the wing ; the female, 

 however, differs at a glance in having the throat and upper 

 breast rifle-green instead of chestnut. 



Specimens examined. 

 Mus. Brit. — a, b, <$ $ . Zambesi (Dr. Kirk) . 



Genus 2. Batis. 



Batis, Boie, Isis, 1833, p. 880 : type B. capensis. 



Key to the Species. 

 Males : — 



a. Flanks rufous 1. capensis. 



b. Flanks white mixed with black. 



a'. With a white nuchal spot. 



