THE CRIMSON-WINGED FINCH. 149 



of Spermestes cucullata, without describing either in detail, is, to say the 

 least of it, rather tantalising. 



I have, however, discovered a short note on the nesting of S. cucullata 

 by Dr. Reichenow, from which it appears that the nests are domed 

 structures, very large and firmly compacted of fine grass. No mention 

 is made of any entrance tube, such as occurs in the majority of the 

 nests of Waxbills, and some, at least, of the Grass-finches. 



In the Fremdlandischen Stubenvogel Dr. Russ quotes from a letter 

 received by him from the Prince of Coburg, in which the latter informs 

 him that an example of the female of Wiener's Astrild, previously 

 living in the Imperial Menagerie, was preserved in the Zoological 

 Museum, under the name of Pytelia afra, Gmel., and he goes on to 

 say that P. afra and P. wieneri therefore appear to be the same; as is 

 partly made clear by the description of the former in Reichenbach's 

 Singvbgel. It would seem that Dr. Russ remained unconvinced by the 

 receipt of this letter; for he followed it up with a description of the 

 species under the name of sEgintha wieneri. 



Illustration from skin in the Natural History Museum. 



THE CRIMSON-WINGED FINCH. 



Pytelia phtznicoptera, SWAINS. 



THIS Astrild ranges from Senegambia to the regions of the Upper 

 Nile and Equatorial Africa. 



The upper surface is vinous-brown, slightly redder on the shoulders; 

 lower back and upper tail-coverts deep crimson; lesser wing-coverts 

 brighter; median and greater coverts greyish-brown, with red edges; 

 flight feathers brown, edged (with the exception of the inner secondaries) 

 with dull red; central tail-feathers deep crimson, remaining feathers 

 blackish with crimson outer margins; head rather greyer than the 

 back, the throat with narrow transverse whitish lines, remainder of 



