132 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON BIRDS FROM ANGOLA. [Feb. 7, 



stated to be Algeria and Western Africa, from Senegambia to Fantee. 

 It has been recorded (s. n. Ixus ashanteus) from Angola ; but this 

 extended range requires confirmation, for it is perhaps the Gaboon 

 species which supplies the place of P. obscurus from Cameroons 

 southward. The Bulbul from Gaboon is certainly a distinct species, 

 and may be described as 



Pycnonottjs gabonensis, sp. n. (Plate VII. fig. 1.) 



P. similis P. barbato, sed saturatior et crisso albo, flavo dare 

 lava to. 



I have no doubt that this is the bird sometimes called P. ashan- 

 teus by authors, as distinguished from P. inornatus, by reason of the 

 yellow tint on the vent and under tail-coverts ; but as yet no name 

 has been assigned to the species, that I can find. It forms a clearly 

 characterized link between the two sections of the genus, being 

 closely allied to P. barbatus and P. tricolor. 



The accompanying illustration (Plate VII.) represents the three 

 species. It will be observed that P. gabonensis (fig. i) is very simi- 

 lar to P. barbatus (fig. 3), but is darker in coloration, and has a 

 slight tint of yellow on the under tail-coverts ; these latter are en- 

 tirely bright yellow in P. tricolor (fig. 2). 



It must be remembered that the P. nigricans of Vieillot is founded 

 on the Brunoir of Le Vaillant (pi. 10G. fig. 1), and this species is 

 represented with a red eyelid. It would therefore be wrong to join 

 P. xanthopygius, which has no red eyelid, with P. nigricans, even if 

 the clearly defined black cap and paler coloration were not sufficient 

 to separate the first-mentioned bird. The true P. nigricans I have 

 in my collection from Damara Land, Transvaal, and Natal ; and Mr. 

 Layard has received it from Dr. Exton, from Kanye in Mosilikatze's 

 country. In addition to the red eyelid, P. nigricans has a somewhat 

 mottled appearance on the breast, this being produced by the edges 

 of the feathers being much paler than their bases. 



P. tricolor is a very variable species, changing both with age and 

 with locality, and presenting very different states of plumage in spe- 

 cimens collected at the same place on the same day of the year. 

 Some of my specimens from Damara Land and Angola agree exactly 

 with the type, with which I have compared them, while others from 

 Graham's Town are so brown on the under surface of the body as 

 to approach very near to P. capensis. The range of the species 

 (which has been confused with P. nigricans) appears to extend from 

 Angola through Damara Laud and Natal to Graham's Town. 



P. capensis is generally to be recognized by its brown tint of 

 plumage, which extends all over the lower surface of the body. Its 

 range is limited, apparently being confined to the Cape Colony. 

 There are two distinct races of the species, a large and a small form, 

 differing in size, as will be seen below. 



Long. tot. 



1. South Africa {Layard) 8'2 



•1. South Africa (Mus. T. C. Eyton) . . 6-8 



3. George (H. Atmore) 6'9 



