Birds from Southern Abyssinia. 575 



back and rump olive-green or ^yith the upper back green and 

 the lower back pale asb-brown. The anaount of yellow on 

 tbe underparts is also an extremely variable cbaracter, every 

 male bas tbe tbroat, chesty and breast brigbt yellow in 

 breeding-plumage and in some individuals tbe belly^ flanks, 

 and tbigbs are of tbe same yellow colour, while in otbers 

 tbe middle of tbe belly is Avbitisb and tbe f.anks, tbigbs, and 

 under tail-coverts retain tlieir pale asby-brown winter- 

 plumage, witb bere and there a yellow featber interspersed. 



It is probable that tbe specimens witb tbe entire upper- 

 parts olive and tbe entire underparts yellow, tbat is to say, 

 birds in tbe most complete breeding-plumage, are tbe oldest 

 examples. The female assumes a breeding-plumage like tbe 

 male and varies in just tbe same manner, botb above and 

 below, but bas tbe entire crown olive-green, like tbe back, 

 instead of golden-orange, as in tbe male. 



The young birds are easily distinguisbed from tbe adults 

 in winter-plumage by baving tbe featbers round tbe eye and 

 on tbe lores, cbeeks, and ear-coverts brownisb-white instead 

 of black ; moreover, tbe cbin is rusty wbite instead of 

 yellow. 



58, HeTERHYPHAXTES irELANOXAXXHUS. 



Heterhyphantes melanoxanthus (Cab.) ; Sbelley, iv. p. 383 

 (1905). 



Ploceus nifjricoUis malensis Neumann, J. f. O. 1905, p. 338. 



Heterhyphantes malensis Sbelley, iv. p. 384 (1905). 



Mr. Mc]\[illan^s collection contains adult males procured 

 at tbe nortbern ends of Lakes Kudolf and Stefanie, wbere 

 Professor Neumann also met witb tbe types of bis P. n. 

 malensis. Our male examples sbow tbat the black stripe is 

 continued bebind tbe eye just as in typical examples of 

 H. melanoxanthus from East Africa (Mombasa). 



This species is quite distinct from H. ni(/ricollis, of wbicb 

 Professor Neumann considers it a subspecies, baving tbe 

 occiput, back, and tail deep black, wbile in tbe latter the 

 occiput is golden-orange like the crown, tbe back is greenish 

 black and tbe rump and tail olive or brownish-olive. 



