Vol. xliii.] 32 



Vieill., as Lafresnaye states (Rov. Zool. 1839, p. 95) that: — 

 " Ce moineau du Senegal est depuis long-temps dans ma 

 collection sous le nom de Fringilla grisea, qui le decrit 

 exactement, mais en lui donnant pour habitat les Etats- 

 Unis." We may, therefore, accept Lafresnaye's statement 

 as to the type-locality. 



Thus Pyrgita gidaris Lesson becomes a synonym of the 

 older Fringilla grisea. In 1837 Swainson (Birds of West 

 Afr. i. p. 208, 1837) had already described a Senegal bird 

 as Pyrgita simplex, but this name cannot be used for this 

 bird, as Swainson states that he named the Senegal form 

 P. simplex on the authority of Riippell. Fringilla simplex 

 Lichtenstein is quite a different species, and as Swainson 

 considers his Pyrgita simplex to be the same as Fringilla 

 simplex Lichtenstein, this name cannot be attributed to the 

 West African representative of this group. That induced 

 Shelley (' Ibis/ 1883, p. 548) to rename the West African 

 form as Passer occidentalis. But this name, again, cannot 

 be used, as it refers to Swainson's description of Pyrgita 

 simplex, which also came from Senegal. Shelley had only 

 a single unlabelled specimen at his disposition when he 

 proposed the name P . occidentalis, but later on ('Birds of 

 Africa/ iii. p. 254, 1902) he stated that the specimen was 

 obtained at Lukoja in Nigeria by Forbes. 



Thus Fringilla grisea Vieillot, Pyrgita simpylex Swainson, 

 Pyrgita gidaris Lesson, and Passer occidentalis Shelley are 

 all referable to the Senegal form, which accordingly must 

 be known as Passer griseus griseus Vieillot, with the other 

 names mentioned above as pure synonyms. 



The race of Passer griseus from Lower Guinea, 

 Cameroon, Congo, and Benguela is then without a name, 

 and, as it differs in several respects from the form inhabiting 

 Upper Guinea and Senegal, I propose to name it 



Passer griseus zedlitzi, nom. nov. 



Diagnosis. More or less intermediate between Passer 

 griseus vgand(e Ilchw. and Passer griseus griseus Vieill., 

 though considerably less rufous on the upper parts ; colour 



