Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
233 
H. natalensis occurring only on the eastern low country belt south of the 
Tropic, but having an extensive range northwards beyond our limits. The 
specific differences have a subgeneric value, but for the present I am dis- 
regarding them. 
In the genus Erythropygia as generally constituted there are two very 
distinct groups, the individual species of which have often subgeneric value; 
but for the present we need recognise only the two genera, Erythropygia, 
type E. paena, together with E. zambesiana, E. munda and E. leucophrys, 
and Tychaedon (= Aedonopsis Sharpe, cf. Richmond, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 
LIU. 575, 1917), type T. signata (Sundevall), together with T. coryphaea 
(Lesson) and T. quadrivirgata (Reichenow). In the first genus E. paena 
occupies the dry west, E. quadrivirgata the moist north-east, E. munda 
the north-west (Upper Zambesi Valley across to south-eastern Rhodesia) 
and E. leucophrys the dry thickets of the south and east. Likewise, 
Tychaedon quadrivirgata occupies the tropical north-east, T. signata the 
south-east and T. coryphaea the karrooide scrub of the south. 
With regard to alterations and additions in the preceding genera, the 
following have been noted: 
Aedon + Erithacus philomela = I.uscinia luscinia (cf. List of Brit. B., Brit. 
Orn. Un. 1915, p. 367). 
Tarsiger stellatus = Pogonocichla stellata (cf. Sharpe, Handlist, iii. 239, 1901). 
Pogonocichla stellata transvaalensis (Rbts. Journ. S. Afr. Orn. Un. viii. 21, 
1912). 
P. stellata chirindensis (Rbts. Ann. Transvaal Mus. iv. 75, 1914). 
Caffrornis caffra namaquensis (W. L. Sclater, Ibis, 1911, p. 415). 
Cossypha haagneri Gunning [Ann. Transvaal Mus. i. 174, 1909) = Hyloaedon 
dichroa (Gmelin) (cf. idem, iv. 172, 1914, et Mathews et Iredale, l.c.). 
Erythropygia paena damarensis Hartert [Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. xix. 96). 
Pratincola = Saxicola torquata orientalis (W. L. Sclater, Ibis, 1911, p. 409). 
In the Sylviidae there is need for very considerable revision, the way 
in which species are allocated in genera and the arrangement of the genera 
themselves being often far from natural. The species are frequently so much 
alike in colour characters that they are extremely difficult to differentiate ; 
yet, if due regard is paid to the external structural characters, much of this 
difficulty is obviated, especially when colour markings are taken into 
account as well. Nest and egg characters take a very important place in 
the arrangement of the genera and more subfamilies would save much 
confusion. The Reed Warblers, with their open cup-shaped nests, could 
form one group, with the Sedge Warblers forming another, the Sylvia 
Warblers, which build open cup-shaped nests in trees, would form another 
group, with the Phylloscopine Warblers forming a connectant group 
between them and the Grass Warblers. In each of these there are northern 
and southern genera, the former often migrating southwards, and in this 
way overlapping the latter; while the latter are most frequently residents 
and with more species to the genera than the migrants, as might be expected. 
In the Reed Warblers, Oberholser [Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxviii. 898-900, 
1905) has rearranged the genera, placing our Acrocephalus baeticatus in 
a new genus Notiocichla, and A. schoenobaenus and A. palustris in Musci- 
peta\ but even this arrangement does not quite suit the case, Notiocichla 
baeticata being obviously a resident representative of “ Mvtscipeta” palu- 
