238 Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
with them we find two other genera, very similar in colour characters but 
differing structurally in the shape of the wing and tail. The first of these 
I propose to name Nephelicola gen. nov., type Hemipteryx minuta 
Gunning, characterised by having a very short tail and outermost primary, 
the feet rather small as compared with Hemipteryx. Of this genus there 
are two subgenera comprising large and small species respectively, but for 
the present these need not be named. The second genus I propose to name 
Tachydyta gen. nov., type Cisticola lavendulae kalahariae Og.-Grant, 
which has also a very small outermost primary, but the primary and tail 
feathers narrower, the latter longer than in the preceding, and the legs and 
feet are very slender. In all the preceding genera the bill is small and sharply 
pointed, the remaining genera having a blunter bill, and of these, two 
genera have the outermost primary approximately half the length of the 
second. The first of these is characterised by its short, broad tail feathers, 
which have a broad black subterminal bar; I propose to place this in a 
new genus bearing the name of Neocisticola, type C. pusilla Gunning 
and Roberts, allied to C. fw/a; (Fraser). The second genus is Dryodromas 
Finsch and Hartlaub, type C . fulvicapilla (Vieillot), characterised by having 
narrower and uniformly coloured tail feathers, sometimes with a trace of 
a subterminal black bar. Neocisticola is a tropical genus and frequents 
large open patches covered by long grass, in the forest country as a rule, 
while Dryodromas frequents bushes and small trees and the grass surround- 
ing them, never large open stretches of grass alone. Of the remaining 
genera, the majority have the outermost primary much more than half 
the length of the second, the tail seldom much shorter than the wing, 
usually about equal to it or longer. I would place them aU as subgenera 
of one genus, Drymodyta Sundevall, type D. tinniens (VieiUot). This type 
species is confined to South Africa proper, from the extreme south over 
the temperate part as far north as Zoutpansberg, beyond which its ally 
is difficult to be sure about, unless the larger species, D. lugubris, takes its 
place, both species having the back and tail feathers striped with black; 
but the latter differs in its larger size, proportions of the toes and in having 
the outermost primary longer, and I propose therefore to place it in a new 
subgenus under the name of Drymodytops, type Cisticola lugubris 
(Ruppell). The most aberrant subgenus is C. natalensis (A. Smith), which 
has a short, very stout (almost finch-like) bill, in size larger than all the 
others, the tarsus in particular being long and stout, seldom measuring 
less than 24 mm. in length ; this species I propose to make the type of a 
new subgenus, Pseudhemipteryx, from its general resemblance to Hemi- 
pteryx in habits and colour, although its great size and short, blunt bill are 
otherwise distinguishing characters which are very conspicuous. Of the 
remaining four subgenera, the most easily distinguished is in Cisticola 
aberrans, remarkable for its uniform and very long tail and the most rounded 
wing of all the subgenera, the outermost primary being well over two- 
thirds of the length of the second; I propose to place this in a new sub- 
genus, Rhathymodyta, type C. aberrans (A. Smith). The remaining three 
subgenera all have the tail with a subterminal black bar, the outermost 
primary not more than two-thirds of the length of the second. Of these 
C. erythrops (Hartlaub) has the back uniform, not striped, and I propose 
to place it in a new subgenus, Threnetes. The remaining two subgenera 
