592 Mr. G. L. Bates on the 



appearing. Young birds of this species have the inside of 

 the mouth marked in a manner very simihar to those of the 

 various species o£ Estrilda [cf. text-fig. 17, p. 594). 



Most of my specimens of tliis bird were snared on ripe 

 bunches of palm-nuts, the oily husks of which are a favourite 

 food of this and many other birds. The stomachs of 

 specimens shot contained small caterpillars. An incubating 

 female (No. 3119) was brought to me alive, with a nest and 

 five eggs. The nest was much like that of an Estrilda, but 

 larger, and was composed of a loose mass of dried leaves, 

 lined with a more compact structure of grass-tops; it 

 was jilaced in a forked twig of a small tree. The eggs 

 are perfectly white, with little or no gloss_, aud measure 

 16 X 11*5 mm. 



NiGKITA LUTEIFRONS. 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 316. 



In this species the iris is greyish-white or greyish cream- 

 coloured. A young specimen, No. 4431, has the plumage 

 even more nearly uniformly grey than the adult female, 

 since it lacks the black around the eye and the whitish 

 colours on the forehead. This young bird had the margin 

 of the gape black, with four white warts or wattles, one just 

 at the angle of the gape and two above and one below this ; 

 there Avere spots on the palate and tongue like those of 

 KstrUda [cf. text-fig. ] 7, B & C, p. 594). 



In the paper by Sharpe in "The Ibis' (/. c. supra) specimens 

 of this species are mentioned from Efulen, but none from 

 the Ja. Specimens have now been obtained at Bitye and at 

 Assobam. These were not secured, as were most specimens 

 of the other species of N/r/rita, by means of snares placed on 

 or under palm-tiees^ but were shot ; their food was found, 

 iu every case recorded, to have consisted of scale-insects or 

 Cocci. 



NiGRlTA FUSCONOTA. ^ 



Reiclienow, V. A. iii. p. 168, 



Nigrila pinaronotn Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 345. 



In this species the iris is dark broun. Young birds have 



