Birds from Southern Abyssinia. 619 



Pentholcea macmillani Sharpe, Bull. B. 0. C. xvi. p. 126 

 (lOth July 1906) [ ? ]. 



This species of Black Chat has the sexes differently 

 coloured. 



The male is distinguished from the male of the allied 

 form P. albifrons (Riipp.) from northern Abyssinia by 

 having the white on, the crown more extended, reaching 

 nearly to the occiput. 



The female, which was described as a new species by 

 Sharpe under the above name, P. macmillani, has the 

 general colour of the plumage browner than in the male, 

 inclining to greyish on the forehead and crown ; the 

 feathers from the base of the bill to above the eye, together 

 with the chin and throat, are pale greyish-isabelline and 

 some of the feathers of the breast are fringed with the 

 same colour. 



The female of P. albifrons has the plumage brownish- 

 black, only the feathers on the chin and upper throat being 

 narrowly fringed with greyish. 



The male has the iris crimson-black, the bill and feet 

 black ; the female has the iris black. 



This species appears to be rare and very local in its 

 distribution, and was met with only in Gofa in the forest 

 of Chacha 4.200 feet, at Wurke 6000 feet, and at Maaje 

 5100 feet, at the end of June. Prof. Neumann obtained 

 his two type-specimens in the Omo district of Uba, close 

 to Gofa. 



The name " pachyrhyndia " which has been bestowed on 

 this bird is rather misleading, for its bill does not differ in 

 size from that of P. albifrons. 



The West African P. frontalis (Swains.) is easily recog- 

 nised by the slate-black colour of its plumage in both sexes, 

 the male having a white forehead. 



184. PiNAROCHROA SORDIDA SCHOANA. 



Pinarochroa sordida (Riipp.) ; Eeich. iii. p. 713 (1905). 

 Pinarochroa sordida schoana Neumann, J. f. O. 1906, 

 p. 290. 



