342 Dr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds 



j ad. Deelfontein, Feb. 12, 1902. 

 6. 2 imm. .. April 3, 1902. 



c, d. i ? ad. .. May 10. 10 12. 



' ad. .. July 3. 1902. 



/. 2 ad. July 23, 1902. 



g. S ad. .. Aug. 7. 1902. 



h. £ ad. .. Nov. 8, 1902. 



The biids in winter dress are decidedly brighter than the 

 breeding birds, as the plumage gets worn and the colours 

 fade. The males and females do not differ : the hen bird 

 killed in April was moulting. A young female obtained on 

 the 3rd of April had nearly completed its moult and had 

 begun to put on the black collar. 



"The '• Buckmecary " Bush-Shrike was very common and 

 found all the year round. The nests were generally in black- 

 thorn bushes, and the eg^rs three in number.] 



88. Penthhres afer. 



Parus afer, pt, Sharpe, ed. Layard, pp. 329, 835 ( 1 875-8 1 ; 

 Gadow, Cat. B. viii. p. 30 (1883) : Stark. Faun. S. Afr., Birds, 

 i. p. 305 (1900 ; Shelley, B. Afr. ii. p. 2« (1900 . 



Pentheres afer Sharpe, Hand-1. B. iv. p. 332 19 I 



a, b. 3 ad. Deelfontein, Feb. 0-12, 1902. 



c, d. 3 2 ad. ,. March 5-19, 100:2. 



e-g. 3 2 ad. „ Aug. 7. 1902. 



ft, i : ad. Sept. 5, 1902. 



h-p. 3 2 ad. etjuv. Deelfontein, Nov. 30, 1002. 



q. r . <? ? *d •• Dec - 22, 1002. 



Captain Shelley, writing before the advent of this Deel- 

 fontein series, makes out three races of Parus qfer, and 

 must apparently have considered the specimen from Cape 

 Town [Butler) to be a stage of plumage of P. afer. which is 

 really P. cinerascens V. in Shelley's book. He had only 

 two of the true P. afer for comparison. His P. inter- 

 media* cannot be separated from P. cinerascens, but his 

 P. parvirostris from Mashona-land certainly does seem to 

 have a smaller bill and is somewhat purer bluish grey in 

 tint. 



