234 Mr. B. B. Sharpe on some African Birds. 



XXX. — Notes on some African Birds. By R. B. ShAEPE, 

 F.L.S. &C.J Librarian to the Zoological Society of London. 



The receipt of several interesting birds from tlie Fantee 

 country, in Western Africa, sent to me by my friend Governor 

 Ussher, enables me to write a few words on two of the sj)ecies 

 mentioned in the present paper — while the identity of the 

 Crithagra has been a rock to split upon for many ornitholo- 

 gists, and the additional information respecting these puzzling 

 birds will, I believe, be read with some interest. 



Fam. MuscicapidaB. 



Genus BuTALis. 



1. Butalis epulata. 



Btdalis epulata, Oass. Proc. Phil. Acad. 1850, p. 326 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1870, 



p. 480 ; id. Cat, Afr. B. p. 42. 

 Muscicapa epulata, Hartl. Orn. W. Afr. pp. 96, 276 (1856) ; Cass. Proc. 



Phil. Acad. 1859, p. 51 ; Hartl. J. f. 0. 1861, p. 169 ; Gray, Hand-1. of 



B. pt. i. p. 322. 



Hab. Gaboon ; Moonda, Muni, and Gamma rivers {Bu 

 Chaillu) • Fantee [Swanzy ^ Aubrin) . 



This is the smallest Flycatcher of the genus B^italis ; and 

 it is for the purpose of describing the young bird that I have 

 here introduced it, as this stage of plumage has not yet been 

 noticed. In the last collection brought home by Governor 

 Ussher was a specimen which had been obtained on the 

 boundary between Denkera and Ashantee, near the rivers 

 Orffee, on the 20th of April 1871, by Mr. Aubrin, who says 

 that the natives call it "Abrodomeh." The following is a 

 description of the bird in question : — 



Above dusky grey, covered with little pointed spots of buff, 

 deeper on the rump and upper tail-coverts, all these spots 

 being margined with black ; cheeks similarly marked ; wing- 

 coverts coloured and spotted like the back, but the spots much 

 deeper, almost golden in colour ; quills blackish, the seconda- 

 ries plainly edged with buff; tail blackish, with little buff 

 tips to the feathers 5 under surface of the body whitish, the 

 flanks and under tail-coverts tinged with buff, the throat and 

 breast presenting a mottled appearance, owing to the feathers 

 being narrowly edged with grey ; under wing-coverts white 

 varied with grey near the edge of the wing ; bill black, 

 yellow at the base and gape ; feet dark brown. Total length 

 4'2 inches, culmen 0*45, wing 2*25, tail 1'65, tarsus 0*5. 



