Birds of Prince's Island. 605 



(This, 1912, p. 231), ought probably to be referred to 

 Dicrurus assimilis atactus. 



The Prince's Island Drongo is said by Dohrn to be very 

 indolent during the day and to show a great ability in the 

 imitation of other bird's notes. Keulenians gives a long 

 description of its habits (Nederl, Tijd. Dierkunde, iii. 1866^ 

 p. 378). 



4. *Nigrita bicolor brunnescens. 



Nigrita bicolor (Hartl.) ; Bocage, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, 1903, 

 p. 49; Salvadori, Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, i. 1903, p. 7. 



Nigrita brunnescens Reichw. ; Shelley, Birds of Africa^ iv. 

 1905, p. 140. 



a. ? ad. 5. iii. 09. 



b. S ad. 8. iii. 09. 



Boyd Alexander obtained two examples of this little 

 Weaver-Finch on Prince's Island which he evidently con- 

 sidered would prove to be a new species. The fact is duly 

 recorded in his diary, which is published in book-form 

 {' Boyd Alexander's last Journey,' p. 95). As a matter of 

 fact, the bird is undoubtedly referable to N. b. brunnescens 

 and had already been obtained on Prince's Island by Dohrn 

 (P. Z. S. 1886, p. 328). Curiously enough, Dr. Hartlaub 

 wrongly identified this bird as Nigrita bicolor, which he 

 hiiuself had named. Dohrn, in the paper cited above, 

 appears to have noted the differences between the Prince's 

 Island bird and Hartlaub's description of N. bicolor, but 

 nevertheless referred it to this species. 



The Southern Chestnut-breasted Negro-Finch is evidently 

 a rare bird on Prince's Island. Dohrn notes that it is 

 uncommon, and Keulemans found it to be " of a solitary, 

 shy nature, frequenting the rivulets and mountain streams, 

 disappearing quickly into the rank vegetation when disturbed. 

 Its song resembles that of the Yellow Hammer (^Emberiza 

 cilrinella).^' Alexander himself mentions that it is a rare 

 bird. The two specimens sent home were obtained on a 

 high ridge close to the Peak, ai f».u elevation of about 

 1800 feet. 



Slill. X. VOL. II. 3 S 



