^V. E. OGILVIE-GEANT— AVES. 29o 



of fine grass and the down of some flower ; the entrance was a small hole on one side 

 c-lose to the top. Unfortunately one of the birds was shot before any eggs had been 

 laid.— i?. £. W.] 



NiGRiTA FUSCONOTA Fraser. 



Nigrita fusconota Reich. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 168 (1904); Shelley, B. Afr. iv. p. 138 (1905). 

 a. S . 10 miles N.W. of Fort Beni, Semliki Valley, 3000 ft., 10th Aug. [No. 500. 

 R. E. !>.] 



Iris dark brown ; bill and feet black. 



This bird, which was shot in a forest-clearing, was breeding. It has the under- 

 parts somewhat greyer than in most of the specimens in the British Museum from 

 Fernando Po, Cameroon, &c., but one male specimen from Cameroon is similar in this 

 respect. As regards the colour of the upperparts, the back is of a rather darker 

 shade of brown than is to be found in any of the birds before us. 



Nigrita luteifroxs Verreaux. 



Nigrita luteifrons Reich. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 168 (1904) [part., nee Fernando Po] ; Shelley, B. 

 Afr. iv. p. 146 (1905) [part.]. 



a. 6 . Mawambi, E. Congo Forest, 3000 ft., 22nd Oct. [No. 3640. R. B. W.] 



Iris light brown ; bill black ; feet light brown. 



This specimen agrees with typical male examples from Gaboon, Cameroon, &c., 

 but is distinctly smaller, especially as regards the bill, than male birds collected by 

 Mr. E. Seimund at F'ernando Po. These latter have the golden-buff colour on 

 the forehead brighter and extending further back over the crown, and the wing longer, 

 while they are altogether somewhat larger birds. I have named this insular form 

 N. alescanderi, after Mr. Boyd Alexander, who obtained examples of it during his 

 expedition to Fernando Po in 1902. 



The species has been described as follows : — 



Nigrita alexanderi Grant. 



Nigrita luteifrons Alexander (nee Verreaux), Ibis, 1903, p. 350. 

 Nigrita alexanderi Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxi. p. 16 (1907). 



Adult male. Similar to N. luteifrons, but larger and with a longer, stouter bill ; 

 the golden-buff on the forehead extending backwards over the crown to behind the 

 eyes. Iris black; bill black; legs and feet fiesh-colour. Total length 4-4 inches; 

 culmen 0-33-0-35; wing 2-0-2-4; tail 1-6 ; tarsus O'fi. 



Adult female. Similar to the female of N. luteifrons, but rather larger. Wing 

 2'3 inches. 



