DESCRIPTIONS OF TEN NEW AFRICAN BIRDS OF 

 THE GENERA POGONOCICHLA, COSSYPHA, BRA- 

 DYPTERUS, SYLVIETTA, MELANIPARUS AND 

 ZOSTEROPS. 



By EDGAR A. MEARNS 



ASSOCIATE IN ZOOLOGY, UNITED STATES NATIONAL Ml - 



Four of the forms herein described are from the collect ion made 

 by the Childs Frick African Expedition, [911-1912; three are from 

 the collection made by the Paul J. Rainey Expedition. [911-1912; 

 one is from the Smithsonian African Expedition 1909- 19 10 collec- 

 tion, made under the direction of Col. Theodore Roosevelt ; and 

 two were collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott in 1888. 



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. 



POGONOCICHLA CUCULLATA HELLERI, new subspecies 

 Mount Mbololo Bush-Robin 



Type-specimen. — Adult male. Cat. Xo. 217720, (J. S. Nat. Mus. : 

 collected on Mount Mbololo summit, altitude 4,400 feet, British East 

 Africa, November 8, 191 1 , by Edmund Heller. (Original number, 

 416.) 



Characters. — Most closely related to Pogonocichla cucullata cn- 

 cullata ( Blyth) and P. c. keniensis Mearns. From the former it dif- 

 fers in the paler blue of the head and wings, and in the clearer yellow 

 of the under parts ; from the latter in the darker blue of the head and 

 wings; from these and all other known forms it differs in the pattern 

 of the tail-feathers, which, as usual, have the central pair of rectrices 

 entirely brownish black, the remaining feathers being yellow, nar- 

 rowly tipped with black, except the outer feather, on which the black 

 occupies the terminal two-thirds of the outer web ; tail with terminal 

 black band only seven millimeters in breadth. 



Description of type and only specimen (adult male). I lead with 

 a small white brow-spot on each side, otherwise entirely green-blue 

 slate, darkest on the lores and at base of maxilla ; mantle dark citrine : 

 rump and upper tail-coverts apricot yellow; wing-coverts and pri- 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 61 , No. 20 



