RED-BREASTED BENGALY. 
191 
erythroryncus, will first claim our attention. The 
French call them Senegal s, because so many come 
from that country in the way of commerce; they 
are, however, dispersed over South Africa, India, 
and even New Holland. 
The beautiful little species before us seems not 
common in that part of Senegal which lies near 
‘he great river Gambia. It does not appear, how- 
ever, in the work of Vieillot, and is only indif- 
ferently figured in the Planches Colores. It is 
among the most diminutive species, measuring only 
about three inches and a quarter. It is not a very 
typical species, inasmuch as the tail is short, and 
only the two lateral feathers on each side are ab- 
breviated or rounded ; the three anterior claws are 
small, but the hinder is nearly double their length, 
and all are very slender and but little curved. 
The colour of the upper parts, wings, and sides 
of the neck and body, is light brown ; over the eye, 
and before it, a crimson stripe; the rump and 
upper tail-covers are also crimson. The under 
parts, from the chin to the tail-covers, straw-yellow, 
which colour fornls short transverse lateral bands on 
the brown of the sides of the breast, body and flanks. 
This yellow deepens into rich orange-red in the 
middle of the breast, body, and all beyond. Tail, 
blackish ; the two lateral feathers on each side are 
edged with white and rounded, the rest even ; bill, 
pale, the top and base blackish ; feet, pale. 
Total length, 3 } ; wings, 1^ ; bill, ; tarsus, -j 4 5 
tail, 1 j 4 5 (base). 
