266 CEETHIID^ SALPORNIS 



The genus includes a single species which is distributed over 

 the plains of India and tropical Africa, ranging as far south as 

 Mashonaland. The Indian Salpornis spilonotus (Franklin) only 

 differs from the African Salpornis salvadorii (Bocage) in having the 

 face and central tail-feathers of a slightly lighter shade. 



154. Salpornis spilonotus salvadorii. African Spotted Creeper. 



Halypsornis salvadorii, Bocage, Jornal. Acad. Lisboa, 1878, pp. 198, 



211 ; id. Orn. d' Angola, p. 289, pi. x (1881). 

 Salpornis salvadorii, Gadoiv, Cat. B. M. viii, p. 330 (1883) ; Shelley, 



Ibis, 1882, p. 255 ; 1899, p. 366, id. P. Z. S. 1888, p. 37 ; id. B. Afr. 



i, p. 11 (1896) ; Sharpe, ed. Laijard's B. S. Afr. p. 835 (1884) ; id. 



Ibis, 1891, p. 590. 

 Salpornis emini, Hartlaub, P. Z. S. 1884, p. 415, pi. 37. 



"Mangwidso" of the Mashonas (Marshall). 



Description. Adult male. Above, mantle and back black, each 

 feather tipped with whitish; rump and upper tail-coverts deeper 

 black tipped with roundish spots of white ; wing-coverts and quills 

 black tipped and barred with reddish - white, the three outer 

 primaries edged externally with whitish ; tail-feathers black crossed 

 by three interrupted bands of white and tipped with white, the two 

 centre feathers shaded with rufous-brown ; forehead rufous ; crown 

 blackish spotted with white ; eyebrow white ; streak through eye 

 black ; ear-coverts and sides of face variegated black and white ; 

 throat dull white with a few black spots ; rest of under surface 

 reddish-white, with subterminal spots of black to most of the 

 feathers ; under tail-coverts whitish (Bocage). 



Iris brown ; bill dusky-brown ; tarsi and feet ash-brown. 

 Length in flesh 5*75, of skin 5-00; wing 3-30; tail 2-15; tarsus 

 0-65 ; culmen 0-65. 



Adult female. Eesembles the male in plumage. 



Distribution. Discovered by Anchieta at Caconda in Benguela, 

 where it is not uncommon, and where it has since been obtained by 

 Mr. Van der Kellen on the Kasinga river. Messrs. Jameson and 

 Ay res met with a pair on the Ganyani river in Mashonaland in 

 September, and Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall obtained an example near 

 Salisbury in October. It appears to be not uncommon in Nyasa- 

 land, having been collected at Zomba in August, and also at Fort 

 Hill and Ikawa. Mr. F. J. Jackson met with this Creeper at Save 

 on Mount Elgon, at a height of 6,000 feet, in February, and Emin 



