G80 CAPT. G. E. SHELLEY ON NEW AFRICAN BIRDS. [Nov. 18, 



The fiery copper shading of the upper surface may not be a con- 

 stant character, as we meet with it, although barely to so great an 

 extent, in some specimens of C. cupreus and C. klaasi. In my 

 opinion the specimen before me is fully adult : this I infer from the 

 total absence of bars on the upper parts and from the small extent 

 of the barring of the quills. The yellow bill and the barring of the 

 breast not being mere signs of immaturity, are good characters ; and 

 the yellow throat, from which I have named the bird, is not met with 

 in any other member of the genus Chrysococcyx. The colouring of 

 the tail is also a well-marked character in this species. In its 

 nearest ally C. klaasi, in which there is no white on the four centre 

 tail-feathers, the three outer pairs of tail-feathers are white with fire 

 or six partial narrow dark bars. 



In C.jiavigularis only the two centre tail-feathers show no white 

 on them, the next pair of feathers having white tips and a large 

 white patch on their outer webs, and the three outer pairs bemg 

 white with a dark base and a single dark broad subterminal bar. 



I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. Krauss for being able here 

 to describe and figure this beautiful species, which was collected for 

 the Stuttgart Museum at Elmina in Fantee. 



The synonymy given by Mr. R. B. Sharpe (P. Z. S. 1873, pp. 588, 

 593), and his conclusion that only three species of Golden Cuckoo 

 had then been described from Africa, I perfectly agree with ; but 

 as regards a portion of the key to the species given by him (P. Z. S. 

 1873, p. 580) I would propose the following alterations, so as to 

 include the present new species : — 



" B. Plumage beautifully metallic." 



a. With uo portion of the uuderparts yellow. Throat 



white. 

 a'. Sides of the crop white. Less white on the tail . . . cupreus. 

 b'. Sides of the crop golden green. More white on the 



tail. 



b. Portion of the uuderparts yellow. Throat not white ... klaasi. 



a'. Throat yellow flavigularis. 



b'. Throat metallic emerald-green smaragdincus. 



POGONORHYNCHUS AFFINIS, n. Sp. 



In size and colouring this species resembles P. leucomelas, ex- 

 cepting that the entire forehead and crown are black as in P. mela- 

 noeephalus. In the bill and rictal bristles it resembles P. leucomelas, 

 but the tooth on the upper mandible is barely indicated and the 

 culmen between the nostrils is not quite so wide. Total length G*2 

 inches, culmen 0*7, wing 3 - 15, tail 2*1, tarsus - 8. 



Notwithstanding the almost entire absence of a tooth on the upper 

 mandible, I cannot conceive this species to be generically distinct 

 from P. leucomelas. The type specimen was collected by Mr. Arnold 

 at Weenen in Natal, and is labelled "Female: iris brown." It is 

 now in my own collection. There is a second specimen in the British 

 Museum from the same locality. 



