42 STURNHXE LAMPBOCOLIUS 



from the Central Transvaal and Bechuan aland, Ayres from the 

 Transvaal and Mashonaland. Whyte met with it at Zomba and 

 Mount 'Chiradzulu in Nyasaland, and Anchieta at Humbe, Huilla 

 and Gambos in Benguela. 



Habits. In its general habits this species resembles L. phani- 

 copteruSj but its note is different, according to Ayres. It feeds on 

 insects, berries and fruit, and nests in the holes of trees ; builds 

 an untidy structure of dry grass, straws and green leaves, and lays 

 from three to five elongated bluish-green eggs sparingly spotted with 

 reddish-brown. They average 1*05 x 0*78. 



18. Lamprocolius melanogaster. Slack-bellied Glossy Starling. 



Lamprotornis melanogaster, Swains. Anim. in Menag. p. 297 (1837). 

 Juida melanogaster, Gray, Gen. B. ii, p. 327 (1846) ; Layard, B. S. 



Afr. p. 173 (1867). 

 Lamprocolius melanogaster, Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 428 



(1884) ; id. Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 182 (1890) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 43 



(1896). 



Description. Adult male. Entire plumage dull black, glossed 

 on the crown with deep steel-blue and green, on the nape and sides 

 of neck with oil-green, on the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 with purple; the lesser wing-coverts with reflections of purple, 

 the middle and greater coverts dark steel-green with a bluish 

 lustre ; the feathers of the bastard wing, the primary coverts and 

 quills black glossed with violet on the outer webs, the secondaries 

 with steel-green ; lores and feathers round eyes black, unglossed ; 

 ear-coverts with violet reflections; throat and chest glossed with 

 deep oil-green ; rest of under surface dull black with purplish reflec- 

 tions on the breast, thighs and under tail-coverts; axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts black glossed with purple ; quills below black, 

 tail-feathers black glossed with purple, chiefly on the outer web. 



Iris golden yellow ; bill and feet black. 



Length 8-00; wing 4-30; tail 3-40; tarsus 1-00; culmen 0-65. 



Adult female. Considerably duller than the male, and without 

 lustre on the lower breast and abdomen. 



Young. Duller than the female, a general sooty black with but 

 little gloss on any of the feathers. 



Distribution. East and South Africa : from Mombasa and 

 Zanzibar southward, through German East Africa and Mozam- 



