DESCRIPTK )NS OF FIVE NEW AFRICAN WEAVER-BIRDS 



OF THE GENERA OTHYPHANTES, HYPARGOS, 



AIDEMOSYNE, AND LAGONOSTICTA 



By EDGAR A. MEARNS 



ASSOCIATE IN ZOOLOGY, U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Four of the forms here described are from the collection made by 

 the Childs Frick African Expedition, 1911-1912 ; and one is from the 

 Smithsonian African Expedition collection, 1909-1910, under the 

 direction of Col. Theodore Roosevelt. 



The names of special tints and shades of colors used in this paper 

 conform to Robert Ridgway's " Color Standards and Color Nomen- 

 clature," issued March 10, 1913. All measurements are in milli- 

 meters. 



OTHYPHANTES FRICKI, new species 

 Frick's Weaver 



Type-specimen. — Adult male. Cat. No. 247071, U. S. National 

 Museum; collected at Aletta (Aleta), Sidamo, southern Abyssinia, 

 March 9, 1912, by Edgar A. Mearns. (Original number, 20628.) 



Characters. — The breeding plumage of the adult male is quite simi- 

 lar to that of Othyphantes reichenowi (Fischer) ; and the adult 

 female, in breeding plumage, is only distinguishable from Othy- 

 phantes stuhlmanni (Reichenow) by the greater breadth of the shaft- 

 stripes of the mantle, and the slightly darker, more greenish olive of 

 the mantle, rump, and upper tail-coverts. 



Description of the adult male in breeding plumage. — Forehead and 

 most of crown apricot yellow ; a band round the back of the ear- 

 coverts, sides of upper neck, cheeks, and entire under parts empire 

 yellow ; auricular patch, back of head and neck, and mantle brownish 

 black, the latter with the unworn feathers more or less edged with 

 olive-yellowish-green ; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and rec- 

 trices warbler green ; wings brownish black with pyrite yellow edges 

 to the feathers, these edges being confined to the ends of the lesser 

 and median coverts, the outer edges of the greater coverts and quills ; 

 iris pale yellow ; bill black ; feet and claws pale brown. In unworn 

 plumage the yellow extends over the entire head and nape, but, pos- 

 teriorly, the yellow feather-tips quickly disappear with wear. 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 61, No. 14 



