The Diids of Gambia. 
41 
rarely caught alive, and then only by small boys with hair nooses, never by 
the ref^ular netters. The Mandinj^o name for all the Yellow Weavers is 
Katcho { = Chatterer). 
The differences between the cocks of the Gambia Hypha?itornes may 
be tabulated as follows. The hens are almost impossible to distinguish. 
Throat with black confined to upper half; crown yellow ; a little 
rufous behind black forehead — vitellinns. 
Throat with black extending to crop. 
Entire forehead and crown yellow — heugliiii. 
lintire head and throat black, not margined with chestnut — melanoce- 
phalus. 
Entire head and throat black margined with chestnut — cucnllatus, 
the largest Gambian species. 
Sitagia smaller, marked like meliinocephalus. 
More help in diagnosing the species may be gained from the amount 
of chestnut present. 
No chestnut — inelanocephaliis and Siiagra. 
A narrow margin of chestnut, below throat-black — heiip^lini. 
A little chestnut on crown and edge of throat-black — vilellinus. 
Rich chestnut on nape and margining the black throat — cucnllatus. 
Cinuamopteryx caslaneofusca. 
Range. Seneganibia to Congo. [Sh.) 
A black and chestnut Weaver I have never yet met in the Gambia. 
FRINGILLIDiE. 
The Gambian representatives of the family are seven in number, among 
which are two common cage-birds, the Green and the Grey Singing Finches. 
Serimis hartlaubi. GREEN SINGING-FINCH. 
Range. West Africa. 
Very common in Gambia. Generalh' in pairs or small parties, but 
often during the dry season met with in quite large flocks feeding on the 
ground in the clearings. They are caught in and near Bathurst in large 
quantities during and just after the rains. The catchers' cages then contain 
hardi)' anything but Serins, nearly all green with about 2 % of Grey Sing- 
ing Finches among them. These are the only native birds commonly kept 
as cage-birds in this country, and are here popularily called " Canaries." 
They build open cup-shaped nests in gardens or thorn bush, com- 
posed outwardly of plaited grass lined with a felted layer of fine grass, hair 
and feathers. 
Eggs pale blue with a few brown spots at larger end. 
Serums lencopygius. GREY SINGING FINCH. 
Range. Seneganibia to Abyssinia. {Sh.) 
Fairly common in Gambia, but rarer than the preceding. Seems 
more common in the Upper River than nearer the coast, and to prefer the 
more sandy districts. 
