606 Mr. J). A. Bannermaii on the 



5. Quelea erythrops. 



Quelea erythrops (Hai'tl.) ; Salvadori, Orn. Golfo d. Guinea, 

 i. 1903, p. 8 ; Bocage, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, 1903, p. 49 ; Shelley, 

 Birds of Africa, iv. 1905, p. 117. 



In the days when Dohrii and Keulemans visited Prince's 

 Island (about 1865) , the Dark-throated Bed-headed Dioch. 

 was commonly seen in swarms of from thirty to eighty 

 birds in a flock, often in company with S. cucullatus. 



Keulemans records that this species was found breeding 

 on Prince's Island from June to September. 



Count Salvadori notes in his paper that it is very sin- 

 gular that Fea did not meet with this species when he 

 collected on the island in 190]. Boyd Alexander likewise 

 failed to secure specimens, and does not mention Q. ery- 

 throps in any of his notes referring to this island. The 

 type locality of this species is St. Thomas' Island, but, 

 as is well known, the bird has an extensive range on the 

 mainland. 



6. ■^Spermestes cucullatus. 



Spermestes cucutlatus (Swains.) ; Salvadori, Orn. Golfo 

 d. Guinea, i. 1903, p. 8; Bocage, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, 1903, 

 p. 50 ; Shelley, Birds of Africa, iv. 1905, p. 167. 



a-c. S ad. 6.iii.09. 



d. S ad. 7. iii. 09. 



According to Keulemans {vide Shelley), Swainson's 

 Bronze Mannikin is an exceedingly plentiful species on 

 Prince's Island, It is evidently marvellously prolific, 

 judging from Keulemans' account, for he mentions ''one 

 pair which produced seven broods during the year with an 

 average of six young ones " ! The same observer notes 

 that they fall an easy prey to the Wood-Kingfisher [Halcyon 

 dry as), which " sweep up the young birds in their bills one 

 after another " ! 



Spermestes cucullatus is not by any means confined to 

 Prince's Island, but has a wide distribution in equatorial 

 Africa. In the Gulf of Guinea Islands it is also found on 



