264 
Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
it for the young. In any case, it seems to me not unlikely that the present 
species has evolved from the same stock as 5 . canicollis, but became 
adapted to the western dry conditions, Alario having evolved from the 
more northern Ochrospiza, which is also an offshoot from the original 
Serinus stock. It differs from S. canicollis, not only in its dimorphism and 
stouter bill, but also in its longer tarsus, and with this combination of 
characters there is good reason for placing it in a distinct genus, for which 
I propose the name of Serinops, type Loxia flaviventris Swainson. In the 
south the difference between the sexes is more marked than in Damaraland, 
and it seems possible that farther north this dimorphism will give way to 
monomorphism, evidence as to which would be interesting. The southern 
birds are darker in general, the rump in the male in particular being hardly 
yellower than the back; while the female is heavily streaked below. Farther 
north, in the Orange River valley, the stripes of the female are almost 
absent and the rump in the male is yellower than the back, both sexes 
lighter coloured in general; to this species Shelley has given the name of 
Serinus marshalli (cf. Birds of A frica, iii. 200). In Damaraland the stripes 
on the underparts in the female are completely absent, yellow becomes 
more conspicuous instead, and the male is altogether much clearer and 
brighter yellow; for this form I propose the name of Serinops Flavi- 
ventris Damarensis subsp. nov., type from Windhuck, 19 June, 1910, 
taken by C. Wilde, No. 6593 in the Transvaal Museum collection. 
In order to give some idea of the relative dimensions of the groups and 
species, I have prepared the following table : 
Wing 
Tail 
Tarsus 
Culmen 
Spinus tottus^ 
66-70 
50-53 
14-15 
\ 
,, symonsi 
76 
57 
15 
Alario alario"^ 
65-70 
45 
15 
( 8-9 
Serinus angolensis ... 
65-71 
43-45 
13-14 
8-9 
,, mozamhicus 
64—69 
40-45 
13-16 
9-10 
,, scotops 
65-69 
50-54 
16 
lO-I I 
,, canicollis 
73-78 
52-60 
16 
lO-II 
Serinops flaviventris"^ 
71-77 
53-59 
18-19 
10-10-5 
,, marshalli and 
damarensis 
71-77 
53-60 
16-17 
lO-II 
Crithagra shelleyi . . . 
73-75 
52-56 
16-17 
II- 5 -I 3 
,, sharpei ... 
83 
64 
i 8-5 
14 
,, sulphur ata 
79-83 
60—64 
i 7 - 5 -i 8*5 
i 3'5 
,, alhogularis"^ 
77-81 
55-60 
18-21 
13-14-5 
Poliospiza leucoptera 
69 
58 
17 
12-5 
,, mennelli 
80-82 
53-58 
14-15 
II-I 2-2 
,, gularis ... 
76-84 
60-69 
16-18 
12-14 
Those marked with an asterisk are found in the sandveld of the south- 
west ; in the case of P. gularis the tarsus is also longer on this sandveld area. 
With regard to species, Poliospiza gularis transvaalensis Rbts. (Journ. 
S. Afr. Orn. Un. ix. 36, 1913) is a synonym of.P. gularis gularis, according 
to Sclater and Mackworth-Praed (This, 1918, p. 468), who have shown that 
the type is from Latakoo, and the southern birds, which I took to be 
typical (following Shelley's statement that it came from “Cape Colony"), 
have therefore been re-named P. gularis striaticeps by them, Swellendam 
being taken as the type locality. Alario leucomelaena Sharpe is evidently 
an individual variation in the male of A. alario. 
