THE COMBASOU. 263 



THE COMBASOU. 

 Hypochcera (znea, HARTL. 



THE "Combasou" probably includes the three races now separated 

 by scientific Ornithologists as H. anea (answering to the fancier's 

 name of " Combason ") ; //. amauropteryx (the Steel Finch, and H. 

 ultramarina (the Ultramarine Finch). Of the two first Dr. Sharpe 

 describes the males only as follows : 



" i. H. ama : "Adult male. Black, with a distinct gloss of 

 steel-green ; quills and tail-feathers blackish. Total length 3'8 inches, 

 culmen o'35, wing 2'35, tail 1*35, tarsus o'5- 



' ' Hab. Senegambia. ' ' 



"2. H. amauropteryx: "Adult male. With a steel-green gloss 

 like the preceding, but altogether darker and appearing greenish 

 black; wings brown, contrasting with the back. Total length 4 inches, 

 culmen cr/j., wing 2"j, tail 1*5, tarsus o'55. 



" Hab. South Africa from the Transvaal to the Zambesi and 

 Mozambique, extending westwards to Ovampo-Land." 



"3. Of H. ultramarina he describes both sexes, thus : 



"Adult. male. Glossy purplish blue, both above and below; quills 

 and tail-feathers blackish. Total length 3'8 inches, culmen 0^35, wing 

 2'5, tail i'4, tarsus o'55. 



" Adult female. Above dusky brown, the feathers margined with 

 dull whitish ; a vertical streak, with another above the eye, and a 

 third below the latter dull whitish ; under surface of body dull 

 whitish; throat, breast, and flanks dusky ashy, the former and the 

 vent in some specimens more fulvescent ; tail-feathers smoky brown. 



" Hab. Abyssinia and Shoa as far as the Upper White Nile." 



In the above descriptions, the breeding-plumage of the male 

 birds is alone described. When out of colour, the cock birds nearly 

 resemble the hens ; but in these little Whydahs, the change is less 

 certain than usual, many males retaining their breeding-plumage for 

 years in confinement ; indeed, I had one in my bird-room for four or 

 five years, which never doffed its bright plumage from the time when 



