Birds of Southern Cameroon. 595 



from 13 to 15 mm. and in width from 10 to 11 ram., the 

 average size being nearer the smaller than the larger 

 limit. 



EsTRILDA ATRICAPILLA. 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 343 ; Bates, Ibis, 1909, p. 52. 



The mouth-markings of several young birds of this species, 

 tliat were noted, resembled those of the other species of 

 Estrilda (cf. text-fig. 17). 



ESTRILDA MELPODA. (Tcxt-fig. 17, C, p. 594.) 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 344; Bates, Ibis, 1909, p. 52. 



A young bird, with plumage not yet grown (No. 4452), 

 had very distinct mouth-markings. These are shown in the 

 figure, which was drawn from my sketch and notes made 

 before skinning the bird. 



Serinus punctigula. [Odibetaa.] 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 311. 



Serinus icterus Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 342. 



My birds are undoubtedly the same as those collected by 

 Zenker, not very far away, which Beichenow described 

 as Serinus punctigvla. But they do not all shew the 

 characters by which he distinguished the species, viz., the 

 Avliite chin and the blackish dots on the throat. Three 

 out of sixteen specimens have pure yellow chins and throats ; 

 these are all adult males. The remainder include birds of 

 both sexes, some immature and some apparently adult. 

 It may be that the dots are lost and tlie chin becomes 

 yellow with age. and perhaps in males only. All my 

 specimens have the backs of a much brighter green colour 

 than most specimens of S. icterus from S. Africa ; they 

 have also less white on the tips o£ the rectrices. 



This Yellow-fronted Canary has a pretty little song. 



A young bird (No. 4482) has downy tips still adhering to 

 some of the feathers. It was one of two in a nest in a 

 bunch of plantains, and both fiew out when I put up my hand 

 to take them. This young bird had the inside of the mouth 

 dark, contrasting with the yellow inside of the bill and 



