A MADINA E HYTHROC E PHALA.____A. MaIe._B. Female
(Ayes—Plate 69.) ■ .■
AMADINA ERYTHROCEPHALA.—S m it h .
A v es .— P la t e LXIX.
A. suprk fusco-cinerea, infra flavo-grisea rubro-tincta, et hie plumis ad apices fasciolis nigro-brunneis
et fasciis albis variegatis; abdomine subalbido rufo-tincto; capite gulaque in mare purpureo-coccineis ;
rectricibus, duabus mediis exceptis, ad apices albis.
Longitudo 5 nnc. 6 lin.
Loxia Maculosa, Burchell.—Travels in South Africa, vol. ii. p. 269.
C o lo u r .—Male.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, the nape and
the chin vermilion-red,—the front, sides of the head, and chin, strongly
tinted with arterial blood-red; the upper and lateral parts of the neck, the
interscapulars, back, rump, and tail coverts brocoli-brown,—the two last-
named lightest, tipped with dirty white, and more or less regularly barred
with narrow lines of brownish-red. The throat and breast yellowish-grey,
brightened with a slight admixture of hyacinth-red, and barred wdth deep
liver-brown; the bars are narrow, those on the throat very faint and
indistinct, those on the breast strongly marked and arched, the convexity being
backwards. On the breast the space between the last two brown bars of
each feather, one of which forms its tip, is orange-coloured white; the belly
and flanks are dull hyacinth-red, barred and spotted with white like the
breast; vent cream-yellow; the under tail coverts brocoli-brown, broadly
tipped with cream-yellow, the colours separated by a narrow brown crescent.
The lesser wing coverts and the primary and secondary quill coverts intermediate
between brocoli-brown and yellowish-brown, several of the former, and
all the latter broadly tipped with cream-yellow and narrowly barred, in front of
the latter colour, with brown. The quill feathers are light brownish-red,
tipped and margined, externally, with light wood-brown; the tail feathers the
same colour, and, except the two middle ones, each has a large white blotch
at the tip of its inner vane; the outer vane of the outermost tail feathers of
each side is also white. Bill, dull yellowish-brown, the under mandible
lightest and of a pink hue. Eyes, deep reddish brown. Legs, a light
flesh colour.
F orm , &c .—Figure rather robust; head large, bill strong, short, and
pointed; the commissure of the upper mandible is waved, and towards the