12 REPORT OF THE HARVARD AFRICAN EXPEDITION 
A rare species ‘met with now and then in narrow bush paths and thickets” 
by Biittikofer who secured specimens from Soforé Place (St. Paul’s River), Junk 
River, and at Schieffelinsville. 
Cossypha verticalis Hartlaub 
Cossypha verticalis Hartlaub, Verz. Hamb., p. 23, 1850: Elmina. 
Length 8.5 inches; crown black, occiput white; neck-ring, entire under side, under wing- 
coverts, and rump reddish brown; back and wings dark slaty, wings edged with gray; middle tail- 
feathers brownish black, others reddish brown, the outermost edged with brownish black. Senegal 
to White Nile. 
The only records are those of Bittikofer of one taken at Robertport and 
another ‘‘caught in a snare in brushwood along a swamp”’ (no locality given). 
Bessonornis cyanocampter Bonaparte. ‘‘Pay-tay” 
Bessonornis cyanocampter Bonaparte, Consp. Avium, vol. 1, p. 301, 1850: No locality. 
Length 6.5 inches; head black above with a long white eyebrow stripe; back olive, upper tail- 
coverts rusty; wings black with bright blue at the bend; chin and throat orange paling to yellow 
on the abdomen. Tail rusty except central pair of feathers and outer edge of outer feather of each 
side which are black. Liberia to Gold Coast. 
Biittikofer found this rare, and records only one from the Du and an adult 
female from Mt. Gallilee. Along the St. Paul’s River, as at Paiata, however, 
we found it more common but exceedingly difficult to catch a glimpse of as it 
haunts the densest tangles of vines and bushes in swampy places, where the 
abundance of thorny branches and interwoven razor-like stems of the Scleria 
grass make it impossible to move without noise. The native name is said to have 
reference to its loud clearly modulated whistling notes, first high then low in the 
scale, with an almost human quality. It is in some degree a mocker, one I heard 
imitating the opening notes of a Prinia’s song. By imitating these the bird 
may often be drawn close, and may reply in a challenging manner, but so secre- 
tive is it that one may seldom get more than a fleeting glimpse of it as it darts 
across a small opening into the leafy tangles again. The only specimen taken 
was called in this way, as it alighted momentarily on a low branch at the edge 
of a stream. 
Erythropygia leucosticta (Sharpe) 
Cossypha leucosticta Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. 7, p. 44, 1883: Gold Coast, Accra. 
Length 6.5 inches; above olive brown shading to reddish brown on rump; a black band above 
the white eyebrow stripe and another below it; ear region gray; breast, buffy brown, belly white. 
Liberia to Gold Coast. 
Biittikofer gives the description of a nestling received from a native at Hill 
Town as the only record for this species. 
Turdus pelios lugubris Boddaert 
Turdus lugubris Boddaert, Tabl. des Pl. Enlum., p. 33, 1783: Senegal. 
Length 9 inches; above grayish brown; throat white, finely streaked in the middle with brown- 
ish; breast pale grayish brown washed at the sides with rusty; belly and under tail-coverts white 
the lateral coverts edged with grayish. Senegambia to Liberia and the Gold Coast. 
