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LIBRARIES NWINOSHIIWS CAIMYYMAIT LIBRARIES SMITHSONIAN z wn z 2) | rai = >" = AS a Z o 2 a _NVINOSHLIWS LIBRARIES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOILOLILSNI Zz f = a = ot Z : ee ” ea ) a y, = e 5 = = < : z } < % < = ac er o S oc = fe) = ) = O zn C = al = fis 2 pe Z _ SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NOILONLILSNI NVINOSHLINS S3!IYVYUREIT LIBRARIES z= rc = i z Re rd a4 wD 2) a S) o 2 et nat Pe = @ = se — = if “Y ~ a ‘ = a ~ t of z= E yi = a es - Gy i q - 2 E ae : hae ; : Be ee eniiWs Sa rYUVvya ae BRARI ES SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION | NOLLOLILSNI_ ae z a < ZaSON) = x ee = < Ne = < — &> 4 = Oi ses \ — \viS¥M == Nees an 2 om z= (SEVP A vel fy = W& =f SRD = aM ea fk (gy , ’ ‘ rr ’ i) 4 a iva ' ' i ‘ ; : | if od i ‘h Ly a he Mi A] t 4 ‘ Ir ve nu } an ¥ ay chi ed j | hae mae) ok nh ale LQ 2 t F Q we pe ce ie 7 oe AY S 2 -y4s BIRDS OF THE WHITE-FULLER EXPEDITION TO KENYA, EAST AFRICA - By HARRY C. OBERHOLSER Ky, as “770NaL muses™ SEP 2 ¢ 1950 / SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS yy OF THE LEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Vol. IV, No. 3 pp. 43 - 122 Issued, November 29, 1945 CLEVELAND, OHIO Sci. Pub. C.M.N.H. ; Vol. IV, Plate I Mr. WINpbsor T. WHITE UNDER AN ACACIA USED AS A ‘RUBBING-TREE’ BY ELEPHANTS, NEAR GARBA TULA. March 2, 1930. SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE (CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Vol. IV Issued, November 29, 1945 No. 3 BIRDS OF THE WHITE-FULLER| EXPEDITION, ,TO KENYA, EAST AFRICA ~ BY HARRY C. OBERHOLSER iy INTRODUCTION _ The present report details the ornithological results of an expedition to Kenya Colony, East Africa, led by Mr. Windsor T. White of Cleveland, Ohio, a trustee of the Cleve- land Museum of Natural History. Accompanying Mr. White was Mr. Arthur B. Fuller, the Curator of the Department of Exhibits in this Museum. The purpose of this expedition was to obtain mammals and birds for the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Although particular emphasis was laid on the larger mammals, such as antelopes, there were brought _back some 610 large and small birds, representing 197 species and subspecies. A few of these have hitherto not - been recorded from the colony of Kenya. A number of changes in nomenclature will be found under the appropriate headings in the list of species, including the creation of 2 -new genera for species that seem out of place in the groups to which they have heretofore been referred. The colony of Kenya is, perhaps, so far as its birds are con- cerned, the most explored and best-known part of Africa. Not- withstanding this, the present collection, although it contains no new species or subspecies, does add something to the knowledge of the geographical distribution of birds within the area. Some of the rare or otherwise interesting birds included in this collection are: Oxyura maccoa Nyroca erythrophthalma Pternistis leucoscepus keniensis Rhynchodon peregrinus perconfusus Polihiérax semitorquatus castanonotus JUL 3 44 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELANB MUSEUM Vol. IV Cerchneis naumanni pekinensis Cerchneis rupicoloides arthuri Erythropus amurensis Chelictinia riocourii Polemaétus bellicosus Cursorius cursor meruensis Caprimulgus fossei apatelius Heterotrogon vittatus keniensis Buccanodon leucotis. kenyae Tmetothylacus tenellus Pycnonotus dodsoni peasei Stelgidillas gracilirostris percivali Phyllastrephus finschi placidus Turdus olivaceus elgonensis Campephaga quiscalina miinzneri Alseonax gambagae somaliensis Apalis melanocephala nigrodorsalis Cisticola cinereola schillingsi Oriolus monacha percivali Pomatorhynchus australis littoralis Stilbopsar kenricki Crithagra burtoni albifrons Fullerellus donaldsoni By reason of these and other considerations it seems worth while to publish a list of the specimens obtained, together with the data pertaining to them. Mr. Fuller procured most of these birds, and unless someone else is mentioned it is to be understood that he is the collector. Additional species of which no specimens were obtained are marked with an asterisk. The colors of the unfeathered parts given for many of the birds were by Mr. Fuller in the field matched with the plates of Ridgway’s ‘Color Standards and Color Nomenclature,’ thus ensuring an accu- racy that for African birds, so far as the writer is aware, has not before been attained. These color notes are in pe ed marks in the specimen lists. The total length of specimens given under each was measured in the flesh by the collector. All measurements are in millimeters. The circumstances under which this expedition traveled allowed little time or opportunity for making field notes on the habits of the birds observed; but such notes as were brought back by either Mr. White or Mr. Fuller are added in brackets over their initials to the accounts of the species to which they pertain. The full-page halftone plates are all from photographs taken by Mr. White or Mr. Fuller. The map was drawn by Lynn C. Jackett. The course of the expedition is detailed in the following account furnished by Mr. Fuller. ITINERARY “The expedition, under the leadership of Mr. Windsor T. White, sailed from New York on January 17, 1930, on the steamer 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 45 Ile de France, and reached Nairobi in Kenya Colony, East Africa, at about noon on February 18. “Our motorized safari began at 11:00 A.M. on February 22, when our 5 trucks rolled out of Nairobi and headed north, stopping for the night at Nyeri. “On the following morning we proceeded through Nanyuki and Isiolo to Archer’s Post, where our base camp was located and where supplies for the expedition had already been stored. Our tents we pitched about a half mile south of the Northern Uaso Nyiro, on some high ground and in the shade of some large flat-topped acacias. From the front of our tents, which faced the river, one could easily mark the river’s course by the fringe of dom palms along its banks. Across the river to the north one could see some rather rocky hills covered with sparse brush, probably the southernmost foothills of the Ma- thews Range. While the tents were being pitched I noticed that the temperature in the shade registered 86° Fahrenheit. “We collected in the vicinity of this camp until March 2, when we started eastward for the Tana River where Mr. White expected to hunt elephants. We traveled by way of Garba Tula and Maddo Gashi. On March 3 we left King’s Camp 12 miles east of Garba Tula in the early morning during a light rain. Turning southeast- ward at Maddo Gashi we ran into gumbo 24 miles out, having driven largely in first or second gear for about 30 miles. Here, 147 miles by car from Archer’s Post, we were forced to turn back and abandon the trip to the Tana River, since it seemed useless in view of such difficult going and the fact that the rains would scatter the elephants, which would not now have to go to the river for water. . Besides, if the rains continued our whole expedition might have been jeopardized. We spent the night at Maddo Gashi, which consisted of 4 stere huts and a handful of Somali traders who get hides from the natives. “The next day, March 4, we retraced our tracks 102 miles, and made camp on the south bank of the Northern Uaso Nyiro, 21 miles east of Archer’s Post. Our tents were pitched facing the river on a grassy knoll with a large marsh between camp and the highway. Here we collected specimens until March 8, when we broke camp and returned to Archer’s Post, where we made ready for our trip to the north. “On the morning of March 11, at about 7 o’clock, Mr. Weir of the Public Works Department came with 60 of his boys, making altogether 100 including our own, who by hitching 200 feet of rope to one of our cars dragged it across the river. After drying off the car somewhat so that the motor would start, the 4 other cars were soon pulled across the river and we were on our way. The road twisted and turned through the thorn scrub which became more scattering as we progressed northward, and both grass and game became scarce. “On the same day we arrived at Kinya, about 39 miles north of Archer’s Post, where we made camp for the night, moving on March 12 to Lasamis which lies about 68 miles north by east of Archer’s Post. Camp here was at an altitude of 2100 feet on a sand lugger (dry stream bed) in fine open country. 46 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV “Collecting was carried on here until the morning of March 16, when we broke camp at 6:30 A.M. and crossed the Kasut Plain, at an altitude of about 1800 feet, 25 miles from Lasamis. The ride across the plain was delightful, as everything was green from recent rains and in many places the ground was carpeted with flowers. On one stretch of several miles these formed an almost solid mass of yellow, at a distance somewhat resembling wild mustard in bloom in a grain field at home in Ohio. In the middle of this area there was a big fleck of Marabous and White Storks mixed together, and one of the latter was collected as a specimen. “To our Crater Lake camp site the speedometer showed the dis- tance to be 53 miles from Lasamis. The last 3 miles were up the side of the mountain on an old cattle trail badly washed by recent rains. Camp was pitched in an opening about as low as the edge of the crater at 4550 feet altitude, and a short distance below the dilapidated huts previously used by Martin and Osa Johnson. Across the lake are heavy woods which extend all around the lake with the exception of the break where on the western side our camp was situated. These woods extend down the side of the mountain for about 3 miles, where one leaves the forest and enters the low foot- hills covered with lava boulders, grass, and some scattering thorn scrub. Marsabit is east of the lake and 7 miles away. “Crater Lake is about a quarter of a mile in diameter and almost circular. A grassy slope extends about a hundred yards or more from the tall rushes and cattails at the water’s edge to the dense forest which rises rather steep and rocky a hundred feet to the brim of the crater. This forest reaches several miles to the north- east but stops abruptly on the southwestern side about 3 miles, below the lake, whence open hills, rocky and grassy, take its place down to the desert. The fringe of rushes and reeds forms a dense mass about 6 feet high above the soft mud around the shore, and there the croaking notes of frogs and coots could be heard continually. “At the time of our stay there were 100 or more ducks on the lake and a lot of European Coots, also a few small grebes, an oc- casional Hammerhead Stork, and a large heron (Ardea cinerea), similar to the North American Great Blue Heron. There was a kind of shrike which used to sit on an occasional dry bush near the rushes, and I collected 2 specimens. Doves came down to drink; and swallows were very abundant. A few kites sailed around over- head. Common here was the African stiff-tailed Maccoa Duck, very much resembling the American Ruddy Duck. Another, the African Pochard, which appears much like our Scaup Duck, but without so much white, was the most numerous of all. “As the rushes were about 25 to 50 yards across, and the mud soft and oozy, we had great difficulty in recovering our specimens after they were shot. The black boys are much afraid of snakes and marshes, and most of them swim but little if at all, so we had to shoot only in chosen places. I tried swimming after one duck, but about 20 yards off the rushes I encountered soft oozy muck which hindered my movements and made my return to shore very difficult 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA AT and rather terrifying. It was a great relief to reach the shore with my well-earned prize, and I did not make another such attempt. “Every morning we were in a dense cloud mist which forms between 4 and 6 o’clock and lasts from 3 to 6 hours, clearing up usually about 10 or 11 o’clock. The natives claim that this occurs during every month in the year, except one. The temperature in the morning and evening was around 65°, and in the afternoon it was usually between 80° and 85°. Mosquitoes were nearly absent. but ticks numerous and chiggers common. We stayed at Crater Lake from March 16 to March 20, and left for Lasamis at 7:30 A.M. on the latter date, arriving at our former Lasamis camp site at 12:45 P.M. “On March 21 and 22 my guide and I returned to Archer’s Post and packed up all our specimens to insure their being in good con- dition on our return from ovr proposed trip to Mount Kulal and Lake Rudolf. We lined our boxes with brown paper, fastened in with flour paste, and sealed them tight after putting in liberal allow- ances of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzine. “On our way back to Lasamis we discovered that there had been a heavy shower a few miles north of us, and we became somewhat concerned about being able to return, but we found that the sand luggers (dry creeks) filled with sand were even easier to cross than when dry, as the moisture kept the sand from being loose. Then, too, the country was mostly hilly and rocky, with little or no gumbo or cotton-soil which gets sticky or slimy. “On the morning of March 23 we were off to an early start toward Mount Kulal, breaking camp at 6:06 o’clock and found that the recent showers had made the road slippery and wet, but we cov- ered the first 40 miles in about 3 hours. In places the boys would all push to get us out, and even so we sometimes had to use one car to pull the others through. We crossed the Kasut Plain, and thence wended our way over lava-strewn areas and stretches of grassy, bushy, and sandy land. As we progressed farther north the brush became smaller and scarcer, and sand or lava became more and more evident in the landscape, until sometimes we traveled as far as 5 miles without encountering vegetation. On level stretches we could move as fast as 35 miles per hour. Some of these flat pans must be quite impassable in wet weather. “On the same day we arrived at Koroli, which consists of a well, dug by the government for the use of natives and their herds, and pitched our camp about a mile from the well on a higher grassy and sandy plain, 80 miles from Lasamis. It was hot and sultry, the temperature 95°F. We could plainly see Mount Marsabit to the southeast, and Mount Kulal to a little north of west. This locality is covered with lava rock except in certain places along the edge of the escarpment, and in these low spots and stretches lies the game country. “We collected around Koroli until the morning of March 28, when we headed for Balessa, a camel camp about 50 miles toward 48 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Mount Kulal. The trail turns and twists through scattered thorn scrub about the height of one’s head, this mingled with short grass and occasional small plants and shrubs. “Every day after leaving Kinya we saw (except at Marsabit) thousands to millions of locusts, and on the road toward Balessa these became even more numerous. It seems that they breed there and then fly south into cultivated areas like Meru, Nanyuki, and Nyeri, where they devastate the crops. “Camp at Balessa was pitched on a knoll about a hundred yards from a sand lugger with the usual fringe of large thorn trees, but almost no water. The tents faced northwest and directly toward Mount Kulal, which practically fills the horizon. The crest of the mountain was then hidden by clouds; its slopes are cut by ravines, steep-sided and dark with shadows. The slopes are covered with grass, scattered thorn scrub up to 5 or 6 feet in height, and with lava boulders. The altitude at camp was about 850 feet higher than Koroli, and approximately 2700 or 2800 feet. The temperature at 2:00 P.M. was 98°F. “On the morning of April 1 we, with 17 camels and 4 horses, started up the slopes of Mount Kulal. Many times we had to lead our horses over the piles of loose rocks. At mid-day we made camp about half way up the gradual slope toward the place where we expected to have our hunting camp. The altitude of this stopping point is 3500 feet. On April 2 we proceeded up the slope of Mount Kulal, and soon we began to meet with scattered tall acacias, which became fairly plentiful at an altitude of 4000 to 4500 feet. “We decided to camp in a pass of glade-like character at the foot of a cliff, between two peaks, at an altitude of about 5000 feet. This is a beautiful open country, very hilly, with deep, steep-sided ravines, grassy slopes with scattered small trees, with lava scoria almost everywhere we walked. The view from our tents stretched out to the south with the southern end of Lake Rudolf visible in the distance, backed by hills and mountains on its western and southern sides. On this western side Mount Kulal slopes at about 30° down to an open plain which fringes the lake. The summit of the hill above this camp is about 6500 feet in altitude, rather flat-topped, covered with green grass about knee deep, and dotted with tall cedars which in places become rather thick groves. Broken lava boulders and loose scoria thickly strewn and hidden by the grass make walk- ing very difficult. The view northeastward from this hill is really grand. Just in front and about a thousand feet or more below is a deep, steep-sided canyon, and across it the mountain rises from the sheer canyon walls to grassy plateaus and slopes, and beyond to the rain forest which covers the top of this 7738-foot mountain. The southern end of Lake Rudolf presents an interesting view from the site of our camp, being plainly visible, nestled in among the barren ranges of low hills and mountains. The mornings here were usually cloudy or misty and we had several rains during our 4 days and 5 nights at this camp. The ordinary morning temperature was 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 49 around 65°, and once it was down to 63°. On April 7 we moved back down to our Balessa camp 15 miles by trail southeast of the Mount Kulal camp. “On the morning of April 9 we started from Balessa for Lake Rudolf, going about 14.5 miles west and southwest to the turn of the trail, and thence north cn harder ground to Sirima, about 25 miles from Balessa, and the end of the trail, the nearest point to Lake Rudolf to which any motor car had been to that day. How- ever, we continued, though we had to work our way across a lava plain for about 3 miles, where all the boys except the drivers had to go ahead and remove rocks so the trucks could get through. We finally, because boulders were so numerous that we could go no farther, made temporary camp 34 miles from Balessa, and about 700 feet above the lake on the edge of the escarpment. “On the next day (April 10) we went down to the lake, a dis- tance of about a mile and a half, to explore for a camp site. We found an old camel trail and made the distance in about an hour, practically all the way over lava slag and boulders, which also extend out into the lake. At this point we finally set up our camp at an altitude of about 1340 feet above sea level. “Vegetation is very sparse here, the region uninviting and in- hospitable. Intense heat and high winds continued during all the time that we spent here; and, with the exception of good fishing, also bird life and crocodiles along the shore, there was little of interest in either animal or plant life. The landscape is just rock, rock, rock, everywhere, from the shore to the horizon; and this end of the lake is surrounded by mountains which are largely cinder cones, some of them smooth and red, thus appearing to be of very recent origin. The chief vegetation along the shore was a short, stiff, sharply pointed grass, painful for either walking or sitting. Most of my collecting here was done from a stone blind on a point not far from camp, and during some sorties along the shore. “On April 14 we removed again to Koroli to do some collect- ing in that vicinity. On the morning of April 15 we drove out northeast of camp toward Lake Koroli, which is alkaline and prac- tically evaporates during the dry season. The country here opens out into a rolling grassy plain of sandy soil, and our further prog- ress was finally stopped by a soft sand lugger. Amongst the sandhills above the lugger we found numerous small ponds or lakes which had sprung into existence during the recent rains. “We continued operations at the Koroli camp until the morning of April 19, when we returned to our old camp at Lasamis after a drive of 80 miles through the thorn bush country. We spent the next day (April 20) reorganizing our equipment. “On April 21 my guide and I drove down to Archer’s Post, and until we returned to Lasamis on the evening of April 25 we spent the time labelling, cataloguing, and packing specimens for shipment. “April 26 was another day of moving, and this time we went back to a point just south of the Merile lugger into a country more 50 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV rolling and hilly than that about Lasamis; but the ground was cov- ered with lava scoria hidden in the grass and weeds, by reason of which walking was very disagreeable. “On April 29 we removed camp to a point some 16.5 miles from Merile, also about 5 to 7 miles north of our first camp at Kinya, and on high ground just north of the place where the road crosses the Kinya lugger. Pests were not abundant here, mosquitoes being scarce, and only an occasional sand fly or tsetse fly, with a few horse flies present to bother one. The guides say that the height of the rainy season comes between April 20 and May 20. “The next camp was made on May 5 about 8 miles north of the Northern Uaso Nyiro at a place called Kisima Kufuta, or The Well. On the small plain not far from this camp the plants and grass are about knee deep, lush, and green. A white feathery flower is abundant and the thorny bushes that are scattered over the plain are about 20 to 30 feet in height. Here and there the green is broken by brown rocks and red termite hills, which look almost like piles of bricks about 6 or 8 feet high. Collecting was carried on around Kisima Kufuta from May 5 until May 15, when We removed camp to the high flat hill on the northern shore of the Uaso Nyiro at Archer’s Post. “This wonderful scenic location overlooks a wide expanse of country. Mount Kenya looms up a little to the east of south, and northward tapers down to meet the Jombeni Range, which lies a little west of south; and stretching away to these as far as the eye can see there extends a flat open country with plains, and with trees which appear to be more numerous in the distance. The weather was fine and clear, and the large amount of snow visible on Mount Kenya was said to be a sure sign that the rains were over. “On May 17 we moved south across the Northern Uaso Nyiro. The river was in flood, so the automobiles and our luggage had to be taken across on a cable, which was a difficult task requiring a lot of hard work and engineering skill. We stopped at Creek Camp 10 miles south of Archer’s Post and toward Isiolo, pitching our tents in an open park of big acacias just south of Isiolo Creek. “On the next day we divided our party, Mr. White and most of the outfit going on to Nairobi, while my guide and I left for the slopes of Mount Kenya for a side trip on which we took only 2 of the cars and a few boys. This trip took us to Isiolo where the District Commissioners’ office was situated, and we realized that after nearly 8 months we were again in touch with civilization. “Thence our journey was over grassy, rolling plains with a scattering of thorn scrub; and finally after entering the cedar and olive tree zone we came to the little crater lake called Gunga Lake, named for the myriads of frogs, which sounded like our Ohio spring peepers. As night came on their chorus would start. This lake is only a short distance from the road, and we made camp on high ground above the lake. Our evening meal was enjoyed under the olive trees with a cheerful fire of cedar logs, which was welcome as 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 51 the air at this altitude is chilly at night. It rained during the night and when we went forth to hunt bushbuck on May 19 we found the vegetation drenching wet. Our course took us around the eastern end of the lake where we could look out over an expanse of rough ground covered with tall grass and other vegetation often higher than one’s head, and here and there patches of forest, some only a few yards in extent, others covering several hundred yards, a favorite haunt of the bushbuck. After breakfast we drove to Meru through some heavy forest with a tangle of underbrush and vines. In some places stinging nettles even higher than one’s head would cover a considerabie area. We went to the sawmill where W. W. Bowen had stayed for a month only the previous year, and where he had collected about 300 birds. We had delightful weather during our stay at this Gunga Lake camp, with temperatures about as follows: 6:00 A.M., 52°; Noon, 70°; 8:00 P.M., 62°. On May 25 we attempted to collect some ducks on the lake, but without success. I worked around the crater walls for some distance but found the going extremely difficult, with the ground steep and soft, and with interference from a tangle of vines, creepers, shrubs, and trees. On May 26 by following the logging roads and elephant trails, we collected in the dense forest at Meru above thé sawmill, and obtained 18 birds. It was delightful in this forest, cool, but with spots of sunlight filtering through. There was added attraction from the various strange and musical notes of the birds, and here and there a butterfly of gorgeous color flitting about. However, there were innumerable ants, and abundant stinging nettles in the openings between the trees, which were not so pleasant. “On May 31 we broke camp and drove as far as Nanyuki, spending the night there on Captain A. F. Ayre’s 10,000-acre cattle ranch. This area is mostly grassland and cedars, the altitude about 6500 feet, and commands an excellent view of Mount Kenya whose snow-capped, jagged peaks occasionally came into view when the clouds lifted. At daybreak the temperature registered 46° Fahren- heit. “On June 1 we drove to Nyeri; and on June 2 we arrived back again at Nairobi.” COLLECTING AND OBSERVING STATIONS Archer’s Post.—About 145 miles‘ north northeast of Nairobi. Altitude, about 1800 feet. Balessa.—About 50 miles west of Koroli. Altitude about 2750 feet. This station is about 8 miles southeast of the summit of Mount Kulal. It is not the Balessa of most maps, which lies about 60 miles north northeast of Mount Kulal. Cole’s Plains.—A short distance south of Isiolo. Crater Lake.—About 7 miles west of Marsabit. Altitude 4500 feet. This lake was called Lake Paradise by Martin Johnson, but it 1A]l distances here given have been measured in a-straight line on the map. 52 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV is known locally as Crater Lake. It is about a quarter of a mile in diameter and nearly circular. About 100 yards or more of grassy slope extends outward from the tall rushes of the lake’s margin to the dense forest that rises about 100 feet to the brim of the crater. Gunga Lake.—About 10 miles northwest of Meru. Altitude, 5834 feet. Isiolo (Iscolo).—About 25 miles a little west of south of Archer’s Post on the road to Nairobi. Altitude, about 3300 feet. Kasut Plainwm—About 25 miles north of Lasamis. Altitude, about 1700 feet. Kinya.—About 39 miles east of north of Archer’s Post. Alti- tude, about 3100 feet. Kisima Kufuta.—About 8 miles north of Archer’s Post. Altitude, about 1800 feet. Koroli.—About 30 miles northwest of Marsabit. Altitude, 1900 feet. Lake Rudolf, southeastern shore, about 2 miles north of the southern end of South Island.—Altitude, 1335 feet. Lasamis.—About 68 miles north by east of Archer’s Post. Alti- tude, 2090 feet. Maddo Gashi.—About 115 miles east of Archer’s Post. Altitude, about 975 feet. Marsabit.—About 120 miles a little east of north of Archer’s Post. Altitude, about 4500 feet. Merile.—About 10 miles south of Lasamis. Altitude, about 1900 feet. Meru.—About 10 miles northeast of Mount Kenya. Altitude, about 5200 feet. Mount Kenya.—About 85 miles north northeast of Nairobi. Alti- tude, 17086 feet. Mount Kulal.—Its highest point is about 18 miles east of the southern end of Lake Rudolf and about 23 miles north of the same point. Altitude, 7788 feet. The collecting station of this expedition was about 3 miles south of the highest peak, and at an altitude of about 5000 feet. Nanyuki.—About 60 miles southwest of Archer’s Post, and about 100 miles east of north of Nairobi, on the road from Nairobi to Archer’s Post. Altitude, about 6500 feet. Northern Uaso Nyiro (Northern Guaso Nyiro).—Camp about 21 miles east of Archer’s Post. Altitude, about 2600 feet. Nyeri.—About 30 miles southwest of Mount Kenya. Altitude, 5943 feet. LITERATURE Much has been written regarding the birds of Kenya, but the few publications most important for their study seem to be as follows: Friedmann, Herbert. Birds Collected by the Childs Frick Expe- dition to Ethiopia and Kenya Colony. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 153; Part 1, Non-Passeres, 1930; Part 2, Passeres, 1937. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 53 Jackson, Frederick John; and Sclater, William Lutley. The Birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate, Vols. I-III, 1938. Reichenow, Anton. Die Vogel Afrikas, Vols. I-III, 1900-1905. Sclater, William Lutley. Systema Avium Ethiopicarum; Part 1, 1924; Part 2, 1930. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For courtesies in connection with the preparation of this report the author wishes to thank Doctor Herbert Friedmann, Curator of Birds at the United States National Museum, Washington, D. C. His bulletin on the birds of Ethiopia (Abyssinia) and Kenya is the most useful piece of literature on the birds of eastern Africa. It is obvious that the present writer is deeply indebted to Mr. Arthur B. Fuller for information regarding the country, its topog- raphy, and facts regarding the expedition; as well as for much other assistance. This report now appears in print by reason of the generous in- terest of Mr. Windsor T. White, who provided funds for its publi- cation. LIST OF BIRDS COLLECTED OR OBSERVED Family STRUTHIONIDAE *Struthio camelus molybdophanes Reichenow Struthio molybdophanes REICHENOW, Mitt. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1883, p. 202, pl. S (Somaliland). [Two young Somali ostriches were on March 30 brought by natives into our camp at Balessa. After being examined and photo- graphed they were released. Ostriches, though occasionally seen along our route, were not numerous. A. B. F.] Family COLYMBIDAE Tachybaptus ruficollis capensis (Salvadori) Podiceps capensis SALVADORI, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, Ser. 2, Vol. 1, September, 1884, p. 252 (“Rugghie, Scioa’”). Two specimens: Adult male, Crater Lake (Lake Paradise), March 17, 1930. Length, 262 mm. Adult female, Koroli, April 15, 1980. Length, 254 mm. “Tris brown.” [At Crater Lake a few individuals were seen on March 18; at Koroli 1 was collected from a pond in the sandhills on April 15; and on March 21 at Archer’s Post 1 was observed in a pool of water left by recent showers.—A. B. F.] The group of grebes closely related to the present species and currently treated as a part or a subgenus of the genus Poliocephalus Selby, seems sufficiently well and trenchantly defined to be recognized aS a separate genus. For this the name Tachybaptus Reichenbach’ is available. 1Avium Syst. Nat., 1852 [1853], p. iii (type by original designation Colymbus minor Gmelin = Colymbus ruficollis Pallas). i 54 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Family PHALACROCORACIDAE Phalacrocorax carbo lugubris Riippell Phalacrocorax lugubris RUPPELL, Syst. Uebers. Vog. Nord-Ost- Afr., 1845, p. 134, pl. L. (“abyssinischen Fliisse und Seen” [= Ethi- opia]). Two specimens, from Lake Rudolf: Adult female, April 11, 1930. Length 749 mm. “Iris green; pouch yellow ocher.” Female in first winter plumage, April 11, 1980. Length, 800 mm. [Several large cormorants were noted on April 10 along the shore of Lake Rudolf near our camp.—A.B.F.] Although certain individuals of this race are proportionately large as compared with Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus of South Afri- ca, the average size of the latter is greater and indicates that it is a different race. Haliétor africanus africanus (Gmelin) [Pelecanus] africanus GMELIN, Syst. Nat., Vol. 1, Part ii, April, 1789, p. 577 (Africa [restricted type locality, White Nile District’]). Three specimens, from Lake Rudolf: Adult female, April 12, 1930. Length, 546 mm. “Iris nopal red; eyelids pallid violet blue; bare skin around eyes pale yellowish glau- cous washed with pale flesh color; bill clove brown above, raw sienna below, naples yellow at base.” Immature male, April 12, 1980. Length, 572 mm. “Iris nopal red; legs and feet, black.” Immature, unsexed, April 12, 1930. Length, 521 mm. “Tris spec- trum red; bare skin around eyes honey yellow, touched with olive ocher; bill clove brown above, antimony yellow below.” The second individual listed above is in full molt of body plum- age and has already acquired a considerable number of the black feathers. The third bird is in the brown plumage from which it has just begun to molt, as evidenced by a few black feathers appearing in the brown and the white areas. [Several of these small cormorants were observed on April 10 on the shore of Lake Rudolf near our camp. The same species was fairly common on April 11 along the shore of the lake.—A.B.F.] Family PELECANIDAE *Pelecanus roseus Gmelin [Pelecanus] roseus GMELIN, Syst. Nat., Vol. I, Part ii, April, 1789, p. 570 (“insula Manila” [Philippine Islands]). [One white pelican was seen on April 10 sitting on a rock along the shore of Lake Rudolf not far from our camp. Another, or the same individual, was noted on the shore of the same lake on the following day.—A.B.F.] 1C.H.B.Grant, The Ibis, Ser. 10, Vol. III, No. 1, January 8, 1915, p. 75. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 55 Family ARDEIDAE *Ardea cinerea cinerea Linnaeus [Ardea] cinerea LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 143 (“Europa” [restricted type locality, Sweden]). [An occasional individual of this species was observed near Crater Lake on March 18. Two were seen on February 24 in a marsh of cattails and rushes near camp at Archer’s Post.—A.B.F.] Ardea melanocephala Vigors and Children Ardea melanocephala ViGoRS and CHILDREN, in Denham and Clapperton, Narrative Travels and Discoveries North. and Cent. Afr., Vol. II, 1826, Appendix XXI, p. 56 (no locality; probably near Lake Chad). Two specimens: Adult female, Archer’s Post, Northern Uaso Nyiro’, March 6, 1930. “Iris olive; lores light grape green; upper mandible black; lower mandible fleshy white tipped with green; legs and feet, black.” Female in first winter plumage, Crater Lake, March 18, 19380. Length, 914 mm. “Iris amber yellow; bare skin around and in front of eyes, light dull green yellow; upper mandible black; lower man- dible pallid purplish gray; legs and feet, sooty black.” *Pyrrherodia purpurea purpurea (Linnaeus) [Ardea] purpurea LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 12, Vol. I, 1766, after May 24, p. 236 (“ in Oriente”). [One was met with on April 10 along the shore of Lake Rudolf.—A.B.F.] *Egretta garzetta garzetta (Linnaeus) [Ardea] Garzetta LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 12, Vol. I, 1766, after May 24, p. 237 (“in Oriente’’). [Two egrets of this species were seen on February 24 in a marsh near camp at Archer’s Post.—A.B.F.] Bubulcus ibis ibis (Linnaeus) [Ardea] Ibis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 144 (‘in Agypto”). Two adult females, from Koroli, collected on March 25, 1930. Length of each, 508 mm. “Legs deep brownish vinaceous, their joints deep colonial buff; feet chamois.” [A few of these egrets were noticed on April 10 and 11 on the shore of Lake Rudolf.—A.B.F.] Family SCOPIDAE Scopus umbretta bannermani C.H.B.Grant Scopus umbretta bannermani C.H.B.GRANT, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XXXV, No. CCI, November 24, 1914, p. 27 (“Mt. Legan- isho, 6600 feet, British East Africa”). 1Sometimes spelled Guaso Nyiro. 56 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV A single specimen, an adult female, taken at Kinya, March 11, 1930. Length, 533 mm. [An occasional Hammerhead Stork was noted near Crater Lake on March 18.—A.B.F.] Family CICONIIDAE Ciconia ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus) [Ardea] Ciconia LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 142 (“Europa, Asia, Africa’ [type locality restricted to Sweden]). Two specimens, from the Kasut Plain: Adult female, March 23, 1930, Windsor T. White. Length, 991 mm. Adult female, March 16, 1930. Length, 1067 mm. “Iris dark brown; eyelids black; bill and feet, brazil red.” [Thousands of white storks, along with ibises, geese, and ducks were met with on March 23 at Koroli.—W.T.W.] [This stork was first seen on February 23 over the northwestern side of Mount Kenya not far from Nanyuki. There several hundred individuals were milling about at such a great height that they were barely visible, in what was apparently a migratory movement. On the Kasut Plain on March 16 there was a large flock feeding on locusts.—A.B.F.] Leptoptilos crumeniferus (Lesson) Ciconia crumenifera LESSON, Traité d’Ornith., Livr. 8, June 11, 1881, p. 585 (“Sénégal”). One unsexed adult is from Archer’s Post and was collected on March 7, 1930. Length, 1159 mm. “Iris brown, head black, becom- ing brownish vinaceous posteriorly; neck pale vinaceous fawn; legs and feet, fuscous black.” [In one place on the Kasut Plain where the wild flowers were all yellow reminding one of wild mustard, on March 16, a big flock of Marabou Storks mixed with European White Storks was feeding on locusts.—W.T.W. and A.B.F.] Family THRESKIORNITHIDAE Threskiornis aethiopicus aethiopicus (Latham) [Tantalus] sxthiopicus LATHAM, Index Ornith., Vol. II, 1790, p. 706 (“Atthiopia”). | One adult female, from Koroli, taken, March 24, 1930. Length, 686 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill, with bare skin of head and neck, black; skin on sides of breast nopal red; legs and feet, taupe brown.” This specimen, which is in breeding condition, has the tips of the greater wing coverts, the outer edges of the primary coverts, the terminal portion of the axillars, and the long feathers of the sides of the body in color from ochraceous buff to ochraceous tawny. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 57 Family ANATIDAE Oxyura maccoa (Eyton) Erismatura maccoa EYTON, Monagr. Anat., June, 1838, p. 159 (“Indian Isles” [= South Africa]). Two specimens of this rare duck, both from Crater Lake, are in the collection: Adult male, March 18, 1930. “Iris dark brown; eyelids pale forgetmenot blue; bill light amparo blue, the tip pale forgetmenot blue, the nostrils and tip edged with flesh color; legs and feet, chaetura drab to mouse gray outside, light olive gray inside.” Adult male, March 19, 1930. Length, 432 mm. [This duck was common at Crater Lake on March 18. I swam out after 1 of the ducks shot, but about 20 yards beyond the fringe of rushes I encountered soft oozy muck through which it was ex- ceedingly difficult to swim, and on account of which my return to shore was slow and hazardous.—A.B.F.] Nyroca erythrophthalma (Wied) Anas erythrophthalma WIeEp, Beitr. Naturg. Brasil, Vol. IV, 1832, p. 929 (Lagoa do Braco, Villa Belmont, southern Brazil). Four specimens, all from Crater Lake: Adult male, March 18, 1930. “Iris carmine, eyelids black; bill burn blue; legs french gray; webs of toes deep neutral gray.” Adult male, March 17, 1930. Length, 495 mm. “Iris light cad- mium, with indistinct reddish radial lines to the outer margin; bill pale windsor blue, its edges rosy; front of legs pale russian blue; webs of toes black.” Adult male, March 17, 1930. Length, 489 mm. “Iris scarlet; bill pale russian blue; feet and legs, dark plumbeous.” Adult male, March 18, 1930. Length, 483 mm. [This was the most numereus duck at Crater Lake on March 18; we saw 100 or more ducks there at that time.—A.B.F.] Querquedula querquedula (Linnaeus) [Anas] Querquedula LINNAEUuS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 126 (“Europa” [restricted type locality, Sweden]). Two specimens, from Koroli: Adult male, April 18, 1930. Length, 405 mm. “Iris brown; bill blackish brown No. 1 at tip, dark grayish brown at base; legs and feet, deep olive gray.” Adult male, April 15, 1930. Length, 394 mm. “Iris hazel; bill dark purplish gray at base, black at tip; legs and feet, dark gull gray.” [At Koroli on April 15 a flock of 20 individuals was discovered on a small pond from which the first specimen above mentioned was taken. Others were observed on April 17 and 18, but were noticed to be very wild.—A.B.F.] 58 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Dendrocygna viduata (Linnaeus) [Anas] vidwata LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 12, Vol. I, 1766, after May 24, p. 205 (“Carthagenae lacubus” [Colombia]). Nine specimens, all from Koroli, April 15, 1930: Adult male. Length, 451 mm. “Iris brown; eyelids dawn gray; bill with terminal band of deep gull gray, the nostrils cinereous; legs and feet, cadet gray touched with black on top of toes and in front of tarsus.” Adult male. Length, 476 mm. “Iris hazel.” Adult male. Length, 457 mm. “Iris dark hazel.” Adult male. Length, 457 mm. Adult female. Length, 470 mm. “Iris dark hazel.” Adult female. Length, 483 mm. “Iris hazel.” Three adult females. Lengths, respectively, 457, 476, and 483 mm. [Our specimens were obtained amongst sandhills from small lakes and ponds filled by recent rains. About 20 of these ducks were seen on April 15, usually in pairs.—A.B.F.] Sarkidiernis melanotos (Pennant) Anser melanotos PENNANT, Indian Zool., 1769, p. 12, pl. XI (“Ceylon’’). Five adult males, all from Archer’s Post, and collected on March 21, 19380. Lengths, 673, 673, 673, 711, 718 mm. [The specimens that we obtained were killed near a small puddle in thorn serub country just north of Archer’s Post. When surprised they were resting under the shade of a thorn tree.—A.B.F.] The generic name Sarkidiornis has sometimes been considered as of masculine, sometimes as of feminine, gender. Its terminal element is of common gender, and therefore the original describer should have the privilege of determining its gender. In this case Eyton, who is responsible for the name Sarkidiornis, treated it as mas- culine. Alopochen aegyptiaca (Linnaeus) [Anas] xgyptiacus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 12, Vol. I, 1766, after May 24, p. 197 (“in gypto?”). Six specimens: Adult unsexed, 21 miles east of Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 629 mm. “Iris apricot orange; bill livid brown, its knob and tip, and the nostrils, brownish black; legs and feet, pale flesh.” Adult female, Lake Rudolf, April 12, 1930. Adult male, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 648 mm. “Tris orange; bill tilleul buff, its edges vinaceous lilac, the knob army brown; legs and feet, vinaceous lilac on mottled fleshy white.” Adult male, Koroli, April 15, 1980. Length, 699 mm. Adult female, Koroli, March 24, 19380. Length, 673 mm. “Iris Vol. IV, Plate II Sci. Pub. C.M.N.H. ~‘OS6L ‘2g Adenigey “LSOd S,AdHOUY (JO HLNOOS) ALISOddO ‘OMIAN OSVQ NYFHLYON AHL NO NOWIdddxXY YATINY-ALINM AHL dO dNVO 4 - Pe . ; b fs ‘be 2 he, 4 Me ean Vol. IV, Plate ITI Sci. Pub. C.M.N.H. ‘ OS6T ‘Z WIV, “HNVY| NUAHLNOS AHL Woud SsouoV SNIMOOT NYGHLYON FHL YNOIV SWIVd WOod LSOd S,AHHOUV JO LSV OUIAN osvn (Le Vol. IV, Plate IV Sci. Pub. C.M.N.H. ‘OS6T ‘LZ Atenigey “LSOg SWaHOUY AVAN TWA GALINA YL V LY SHdInN*) $ ‘ NOILIGddXY AHL FO ANO dO dda vad- Noa‘) gS oe a OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 59 light cadmium; bill white, edged with brown and vinaceous, its knob dark brown; legs and feet, pale fleshy white.” Adult female, Koroli, April 15, 1930. Length, 660 mm. [Occasionally seen on March 5 along the Northern Uaso Nyiro 21 miles east of Archer’s Post. At Koroli during the last week of March it was common in pairs along the stream, and much on the wing. At the same locality on April 15 it was still common both along the stream and at small ponds among the sand hills. At Lake Rudolf. we noticed a pair with 4 young which were 3 or 4 days old.—A.B.F.] Family SAGITTARIIDAE Sagittarius serpentarius gambiensis (Ogilby) Gyp[ogeranus]. gambiensis OGILBY, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1835 [October 9, 1835], p. 105 (“Senegambia”). One adult female, taken at Lasamis, March 14, 1930. Length, IZaf mm, - - [Two secretary birds were seen on a small open plain near Archer’s Post on March 1.—W.T.W.] The Northern Secretary Bird is recognized by Bannerman’, who has made a careful study of its characters. It is the race to be found in Kenya. The typical (nominate) subspecies’ is from south- ern Africa. Family AEGYPIIDAE Pseudogyps africanus (Salvadori) Gyps africanus SALVADORI, Not. Stor. R. Accad. Sci. Torino, 1865, p. 188 [Sennar]. One male in the brown immature plumage was collected at Kisima Kufuta on May 14, 1930. Length, 864 mm. “Bill, legs, and feet, black; iris dark brown; skin of face and throat dark neutral gray; neck pale lumiere green with gray spots.” [This vulture was common at Kisima Kufuta from May 6 to 14, though less numerous than the Hooded Vulture.—A.B.F.] Trigonoceps occipitalis (Burchell) Vultur occipitalis BURCHELL, Travels Interior Southern Africa, Vol. II, 1824, p. 829 (footnote) (“River Makkwarin” [=Matlowing River], near Kuruman, Bechuanaland). The. only specimen is a female nearly adult but with tawny ochraceous occiput and median upper wing-coverts much tinged with grayish brown and buff. It was collected at Lasamis, March 15, 1930. Length, 806 mm. [At Kisima Kufuta on May 18 this vulture was common though less numerous there than either the White-backed Griffon or the Hooded Vulture.—A.B.F.] 1Birds Tropical West Africa, Vol. I, 1930, pp. 165-169. 2Falco serpentarius J. F. Miller, Various Subjects Natural History, No. 5, 1779, pl. XXVIII [Cape of Good Hope]. : 60 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Yol. IV Neophron percnopterus percnopterus (Linnaeus) [Vultur] Perenopterus LINNAEuS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 87 (“ in Aégypto’”’). A single adult male, obtained at Koroli, March 24, 1930, is the only specimen. Length, 686 mm. “Iris mahogany red; bill deep mouse gray, palest at cutting edges; head between cadmium and light cadmium with small citrine blotches in front of eyes; legs ivory yellow; feet flesh.” [The Egyptian Vulture was not uncommon at Balessa during late March and early April. An occasional individual was observed near our camp on the southeastern shore of Lake Rudolf, April 11 to 18. At Koroli the vultures seemed to know when we were pre- paring to break camp, for they were on hand ready to move in and to clean up the scraps the instant that we departed.—A.B.F.] The specific name of this bird is usually written percnopterus; but Linnaeus’ spelled it Perenopterus. That this is a typographical error in Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae is evident from the fact that the name was spelled Percnopterus by both Aldrovandus’ and Ray’, though incorrectly quoted by Linnaeus. Necrosyrtes monachus pileatus (Burchell) Vultur pileatus BURCHELL, Travels Interior Southern Africa, Vol. II, 1824, p. 195 (footnote) (“Vulture Station” [about 65 miles south of Orange River; that is, in Hopetown district of Cape Prov- ince, South Africa]). Three specimens, from Kisima Kufuta, May 14, 1930: Adult male. Length, 667 mm. “Legs and feet, pearl gray; basal half of bill, face, and folds of skin on throat, white; rest of bare skin washed with rose purple.” Adult female. Length, 686 mm. “Iris dark brown; legs and feet pale bluish glaucous; base of bill, face, and neck, fleshy white, washed with lilac around eyes and around sides.” Immature male. Length, 711 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill laven- der gray, its tip brownish; face and throat, fleshy white with laven- der tint around eyes and lower throat; legs and feet, pearl gray.” [This was the most numerous vulture while we were at Kisima Kufuta from May 6 to 14. We made use of this and other vultures for the purpose of cleaning the skeletons of animals that we collected. After removing most of the meat and placing the bones where the vultures would have access to them, the birds would in a few minutes remove every bit of flesh—A.B.F.] Family FALCONIDAE Rhynchodon peregrinus perconfusus (Collin and Hartert) Falco peregrinus perconfusus COLLIN and HARTERT, Novit. Zool., Vol. a No. 1, August 10, 1927, p. 52 (nom. nov. pro Falco 1Loc. peice “Vol. T,c.10, p. 216. 8Syn. Meth. Avium et Piscium, 1713, p.-8. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 61 minor Schlegel, nec Bekker, Borkhausen, and Lichtenhammer [Mountains of the Cape of Good Hope]). One adult female, Balessa, March 30, 1930. Length, 432 mm. “Cere and bare skin around eyes, lemon chrome; legs and feet, light cadmium.” The peregrine falcons seem to be sufficiently distinct from their closest relatives to be placed in a separate genus, for which the name Rhynchodon Nitzsch’ is available. Erythropus amurensis (Radde) Falco vespertinus var. amurensis RADDE, Reis. Siiden von Ost- Sibir., Vol. II, 1863. p. 102, pl. I, figs. 2a, 2b (“Dseja-Mundung” [=Blagowestschenk on the middle Amur]). One male, collected at Koroli, March 27, 1930. Length, 279 mm. “Iris brown; bare space in front of eye salmon orange; cere gren- adine; legs and feet, flame scarlet.” This specimen is apparently in second nuptial plumage, in which condition it differs from the adult male in having the chin and throat dull white; the gray feathers of jugulum, breast, and upper abdomen with shaft stripes of slate color; the under wing coverts conspic- uously barred with brownish slate; and the wing quills dark brown, barred with white on basal portion of inner webs. In this example the outer rectrix is light gray barred with brownish slate; but the tail is in molt, Cerchneis rupicoloides arthuri (Gurney) Tinnunculus arthuri GURNEY, List Diurnal Birds Prey, June, 1884, p. 156 (“Mombasa”). One immature female, taken at Koroli, March 25, 1930. Length, 330 mm. The small falcons closely related to the present species differ trenchantly in structural characters from the other birds commonly referred to the genus Falco, and should be generically separated under the name Cerchneis Boie. The genus Megacerchneis proposed by Austin Roberts’ for the present species does not seem separable from Cerchneis. Cerchneis naumanni naumanni (Fleischer) Faleo Naumanni FLEISCHER, in Laurop and Fischer’s ‘Sylvan’ for 1817-1818 (1818), p. 174 (southern Germany). Hight specimens: Adult male, Kasut Plain, March 16, 1980. Length, 311 mm. “Tris brown; eyelids and cere, light cadmium; bill cream color, dark at base and slaty black at tip; legs and feet, cadmium yellow.” hair cotebbors Carot. Comm., 1829, p. 20 (type by subsequent designation, Falco peregrinus unstall). 9Ann, Transvaal Mus., Vol. VIII, No. 4, October 30, 1922, p. 211 (im text) (type by original designation, Falco rupicoloides Smith). 62 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Adult male, Balessa, March 30, 1930, Windsor T. White. Length, 318 mm. Two adult females, Balessa, March 30, 1930, Windsor T. White. Lengths, 318 and 330 mm., respectively. Adult male, Balessa, March 30, 1930. Length, 330 mm. “Iris dark brown; cere, legs, and feet, cadmium yellow.” Adult female, Balessa, March 30, 1930. Length, 330 mm. Two adult males, Balessa, March 31, 19380. Lengths, 318 and 330 mm. Cerchneis naumanni pekinensis (Swinhoe) Falco cenchris var. pekinensis SWINHOE, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lon- don, Vol. for 1870, No. 8, October 1, 1870, p. 442 (“Changping Chow, twenty five miles from” [Peking,China]) (in text). Three specimens: Adult male, Koroli, March 25, 1930. Length, 321 mm. Adult male, Balessa, March 30, 1980. Length, 318 mm. Adult female, Balessa, March 30, 1930. Length, 349 mm. The female of this kestrel differs from the female of Cerchneis naumanni naumanni in the somewhat lighter and decidedly less ex- tensive tawny or rufous areas on the wing coverts, the black bars being wider and the tawny interspaces narrower. Polihiérax semitorquatus castanonotus (Heuglin) Hypotriorchis castanonotus HEUGLIN, The Ibis, Ser. 1, Vol. II, No. 8, October, 1860, p. 407 (“Méré Belenia, [near Gondokoro, Upper] White Nile”). Two specimens: Adult female, Merile, April 27, 1930. Length, 185 mm. “Iris hazel; eyelids, cere, legs, and feet, coral red.” Adult female, Archer’s Post, May 15, 1980. Length, 190 mm. “Tris brown.” Family ACCIPITRIDAE Chelictinia riocourii (Vieillot and Oudart) Elanoides riocourii VIEILLOT and OUDART, Gal. Ois., Vol. 1, 1823, p. 48, pl. XVI (Senegal). Seven specimens, all from Koroli: Adult male, April 16, 1930. Length, 375 mm. “Iris nopal red; bare skin above eyes, with eyelids and nostrils, ecru olive; legs and feet, between light orange yellow and deep chrome.” Adult, male, April 16, 1930. Length, 368 mm. “Iris nopal red; bare skin above eyes, with eyelids and cere, ecru olive; legs and feet, between light orange yellow and deep chrome.” Adult female, April 16, 1930. Length, 375 mm. “Iris nopal red; bare skin above eyes, with eyelids and cere, ecru olive; legs and feet, between light orange yellow and deep chrome.” 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 63 Adult female, April 17, 1980. Length, 362 mm. “Iris nopal red; eyelids and cere, buffy olive; bill dark neutral gray; legs and feet, between light orange yellow and light cadmium.” Female in second nuptial plumage, April 16, 1930. Length, 254 mm. “Iris nopal red; cere saccardo olive, legs and feet, deep chrome.” Male in first nuptial plumage, April 16, 1930. Length, 330 mm. “Tris light orange yellow; legs and feet, orange buff.” Female juvenile, April 16, 1930. “Iris olive gray; cere and bare skin around eyes, baryta yellow; legs and feet, buff yellow.” The above-listed specimen in second nuptial plumage is like the adult except for the lack of the black patch on the under wing coverts. The male in first nuptial plumage differs from the adult, in addition to the lack of black on the lower wing coverts, also in having buff tips on many of the scapulars and upper wing coverts, and in showing very fine slate-colored shaft lines on the feathers of the breast and jugulum. The specimen in juvenal plumage likewise lacks any black on the under wing coverts; has broad feather tips of amber brown, cinnamon rufous, tawny, and ochraceous tawny on the back, scap- ulars, upper wing coverts, and sides of the hind neck; ochraceous buff tips on the tertials; and narrow shaft stripes of brownish slate on the breast and jugulum. The natal down still borne on the tips of the feathers of the pileum is white, and indicates thus that the natal plumage of this species is white. . [At Koroli on April 16 we ran into a flock of these kites from which we secured several specimens. These birds were over an open plain, but they seemed to use as a base a tall thorn thicket from which a group of a dozen or more individuals scattered out to hunt in all directions.—A. B. F.] Milvus migrans migrans (Boddaert) Falco migrans BODDAERT, Tabl. Planch. Enlum., 1783, after De- cember 1, p. 28 (based on D’Aubenton, Planch. Enlum. d’Hist. Nat., pl. 472; restricted type locality, France, fide D’Aubenton, pl. 472). One adult female, Koroli, March 25, 1980. Length, 641 mm. Milvus migrans parasitus (Daudin) Falco parasitus DAUDIN, Traité d’Ornith., Vol. II, 1800, p. 150 (“chez les Caffres et les Grands Namaquois” [South Africa]). Three specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, March 13, 1930. Length, 514 mm. “Iris brown; bill, legs, and feet, yellow.” Adult male, Lasamis, March 14, 1980. Length, 508 mm. Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 27, 1930, P. R. Runton. Length, 524 mm. “Bill colonial buff; cere and legs, apricot yellow.” The second of these individuals has the terminal vortion of the bill dark brown, but is nevertheless apparently adult. 64 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV [This kite was numerous around our base camp at Archer’s Post on February 25. A few were noted sailing about overhead at Crater Lake on March 18; and it was occasionally seen at Lake Rudolf on April 12. On the way from Balessa to Mount Kulal it was now and then noticed on April 1; at Koroli individuals were present on March 27, and on March 28 several individuals were hovering and wheel- ing above our heads as we were breaking camp there.—A. B. F.] Aquila rapax raptor Brehm Aquila raptor A. E. BREHM, Naumannia, Vol. [V], No. 1, 1855, p. 18 (“am blauen und weissen Flusse’”’? [=Blue and White Nile]). Three specimens: Adult male, Koroli, March 26, 1930. Length, 679 mm. “Tris cream color, with indistinct sepia bars and radial lines; skin above eyes pale mouse gray; eyelids sepia; bill black at tip changing to light dull gray at cere; cere and gape, cream color; legs and feet, cream color.” Immature female, Koroli, March 27, 1980. Length, 692 mm. “Tris chamois, indistinctly clouded with sepia; skin above eyes yellow- ish citrine; bill light olive gray at base, black at tip; cere and gape, light cadmium; feet buff yellow.” Immature female, Balessa, March 30, 19380. Length, 686 mm. “Iris maize yellow, clouded with blister; cere and feet, maize yellow.” These, like other Kenya birds, are, though somewhat intermedi- ate, nearer Aquila rapax raptor than to Aquila rapax rapax of South Africa, to which the Kenya birds have by some authors been referred. As a matter of fact, examples from Lake Manyara, Tanganyika, are also apparently to be referred to Aquila rapax raptor. [The bird obtained at Koroli on March 27 was, when I first saw it, sitting on the top of a small thorn bush. It alighted on the ground and was catching the locusts that later were found in its crop.—A. B. F.] Polemaétus bellicosus (Daudin) Falco bellicosus DAUDIN, Traité d’Ornith., Vol. II, 1800, p. 38 (“pays des Grands Namaquois, entre le 28° Sud et le Tropique” [=Great Namaqualand, between latitude 28° south and the Tropic of Capricorn]). Two specimens of this rare eagle were obtained by the expedi- tion: Adult male, Lasamis, March 14, 1930. Immature male, Kisima Kufuta, May 10, 19380. Length, 761 mm. Cireaétus pectoralis A. Smith Cirzetus pectoralis A. SMITH, South Afr. Quart Journ., Ser. 1, No. 2, March, 1830, p. 109 (“South Africa’). One specimen, an adult male, captured at Lasamis on March 14, 1930. Length, 651 mm. “Iris cadmium yellow, its outer edge black; eyelids and tip of beak, black; bare skin above eyes dutch blue; base of bill sky gray; feet and legs, pearl gray.” 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 65 Accipiter badius sphenurus (Riippell) Falco (Nisus) sphenurus RUPPELL, Neue Wirbelth. Fauna Abyss. Vogel, Lief. 183, 1886, p. 42 (“Dahalak Id., bei Messana” [Red Sea]). Two specimens, from Balessa, taken on March 30, 1930: Adult male. Length, 305 mm. “Iris grenadine red; cere, legs, and feet, cadmium yellow.” Adult female. Length, 337 mm. “Iris grenadine red; cere, legs, and feet, cadmium yellow.” The genus Astur Lacépéde is sometimes merged with Accipiter Brisson, and it seems properly so, since there seem to be, when all the species are considered, no trenchant structural characters separat- ing the two groups. Meliérax poliopterus Cabanis Melierax poliopterus CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XVI, No. 6, November, 1868, p. 413 (“Ost-Afrika” [= Umba River on the Kenya- Tanganyika boundary]). Nine specimens: Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 512 mm. “Tris claret brown; cere cadmium yellow; legs and feet, bittersweet orange.” Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 12, 1930. Length, 553 mm. “Tris chestnut brown; cere light cadmium; legs and feet, cadmium orange.” Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 14, 1930. Adult male, Koroli, April 18, 1930. Length, 514 mm. ._ Adult male, Balessa, March 30, 1930. Length, 508 mm. “Iris carmine; cere cadmium yellow; legs bittersweet orange.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 470 mm. Adult male, Archer’s Post, May 15, 1930. Length,.512 mm. Adult male, Archer’s Post, May 16, 1930. Length, 483 mm. Adult female, Kinya, May 4, 1980. Length, 522 mm. “Cere light cadmium; legs and feet, bittersweet orange.” All these birds show some molt on the upper parts, and the indi- vidual from Archer’s Post, taken on May 16, is molting also some of the wing quills. In case the genus Micronisus Gray is considered inseparable from Meliérax, the former name should be used for the combined group as explained under Micronisus gabar. When both genera are recognized the generic name for the present species is of course Meliérax. Micronisus gabar (Daudin) Falco gabar DaupDIN, Traité d’Ornith., Vol. II, 1800, p. 87 (‘‘prés des riviéres Swart-Kop et Sondag; Camdeboo; entre les montagnes de Neige et le Bock-Veld” [type locality restricted to Swart-Kop River, Cape Colony, by Oberholser*]). 1Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXVIII, No. 1411, July 8, 1905, p. 829. 66 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Three specimens: Immature (first nuptial?) male, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 351 mm. “Iris lemon yellow; cere sulphine yellow; legs and feet, capucine yellow.” Immature (first nuptial?) female, Archer’s Post, February 25, 1930. Length, 387 mm. Immature (first nuptial?) unsexed, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. This small hawk is sometimes referred to the genus Meliéraz, but it differs from the latter group in so many important particulars of structure that it should be separated in a genus of its own. From Meliérax musicus and Meliérax poliopterus, Micronisus gabar differs as follows: Folded wings not reaching to middle of tail, instead of much be- yond: 4, instead of 5, primaries sinuate on inner webs; length of middle toe without claw much more than one-half of tarsus, instead of much less; claw of inner toe not reaching to the base of middle claw, instead of farther; cere small, occupying less than one-third of culmen, instead of almost one-half; nostril round instead of more or less elliptical and oblique; and anterior edge of nostril situated only one-third of the length of bill from base instead of almost one-half. The generic name Micronisus was first proposed by Gray’, and its monotypic type designated as Falco gabar Shaw (=Daudin). On the same page Gray introduced also the generic name Meliérax for Falco musicus Daudin. Some authors have united these 2 genera, and have apparently invariably used the name Meliérax for the com- bination. However, Micronisus stands first on the page, and since it thus has anteriority, should be the name for the combination if only 1 genus be recognized. The characters above given, however, indi- cate the desirability of separating Micronisus from Melhérazx. Circus pygargus (Linnaeus) [Falco] Pygargus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 89 (‘“Europa” [restricted type locality, England]). Seven specimens, all from Archer’s Post: Adult male, March 6, 1980. Length, 441 mm. Adult male, March 6, 1980. Length, 406 mm. Adult male, March 7, 1930. Length, 451 mm. Two immature males, March 6, 1930. Lengths, respectively, 429 and 457 mm. Adult female, March 6, 1930. Length, 429 mm. Immature female, March 6, 1930. Length 482 mm. Of all these individuals, adult as well as immature, the unfeathered parts were described as alike: “iris primuline yellow; legs and feet, cadmium yellow.” 1List Genera Birds, 1840. p. 5. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 67 Circus macrourus (Gmelin) Accipiter macrourus 8. G. GMELIN, Nov. Comm. Acad. Sci. Imp. Petrop., Vol. XV, 1771, p. 439, pls. VITI-IX (“Woronetz adhine ad omnem Tenain” [—=Veronetz Gouvernment to the Volga River]). One immature (first nuptial?) specimen, from Koroli, collected on April 16, 1930. Length, 470 mm. “Iris light cadmium; eyelids and cere, wax yellow; legs and feet, apricot: yellow.” Family PERDICIDAE Coturnix delegorguei delegorguei Delegorgue Coturnix Delegorgueit DELEGORGUE, Voy. Afr. Austr., Vol. II, 1847, p. 615 (“River Oury” [=Oury, upper Limpopo River, Transvaal)). Two specimens: Adult male, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length 170 mm. “Iris brown; bill black; legs and feet, cinnamon buff.” Immature male (probably in first nuptial plumage), Lasamis, March 18, 1930, Windsor T. White. The latter bird is decidedly paler both above and below than is the adult male. The black area on the breast is less extensive and more brownish; and the dark patch on the throat is fuscous mixed with pale buff, instead of being wholly black. [This species was fairly common at Koroli, April 16-18.—A.B.F.] Family PHASIANIDAE Francolinus africanus uluensis Ogilvie-Grant Francolinus uluensis OGILVIE-GRANT, The Ibis, Ser. 6, Vol. IV, No. 1, January, 1892, p. 44 (““Machakos, in the Ulu country” [British East Africa=Kenya]). Seven specimens: Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 20, 1930. Length, 350 mm. Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 20, 1930. Length, 348 mm. Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 20, 1930. Length, 324 mm. Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 20, 1930. Length, 338 mm. Adult female, Gunga Lake, May 20, 1930. Length, 341 mm. Adult female, Mount Kulal, altitude, 6000 feet, April 5, 1930. Length, 348 mm. “Iris brown; legs and feet, light pinkish cinnamon, washed with pinkish buff.” Adult female, 20 miles west of Meru, May 18, 1930. Length, 348 mm. “Tris hazel.” The above mentioned female from Mount Kulal was secured on a grassy slope, under tall cedars. Another adult and 2 young about two-thirds grown were flushed at the same time. The specimen taken at this locality had swollen ovaries but no sizable ova. The crop was crammed with millipeds, locusts, spiders, spider egg sacs, large ants, and a praying mantis. 68 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV [In flight this species resembles the North American Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) more than any other bird that I have flushed in Africa.——A. B. F.] [Along Isiolo Creek, 3 of these francolins were obtained on February 25, and 3 others on February 28.—W.T.W.] Francolinus squamatus kapitensis Mearns Francolinus schuetti kapitensis MEARNS, Smiths. Misc. Coll., Vol. LVI, No. 14, December 23, 1910, p. 1 (“Juja Farm, near the Athi River, British East Africa, altitude about 4200 feet’). Three specimens, from Gunga Lake near Meru: Adult male, May 20, 1930. Length, 365 mm. “Iris hazel; bill peach red; legs and feet, grenadine.” Adult female, May 25, 1930. Length, 327 mm. Female in first winter plumage, May 24, 1930. Length, 302 mm. “Tris dark brown; legs and feet, bittersweet orange.” Doctor Friedmann is apparently correct in uniting Francolinus squamatus keniensis' Mearns with Francolinus squamatus kapitensis (which latter name has anteriority), since such differences as are observable seem to be due to individual variation, and are thus not constant enough for the recognition of the Kenya race. On the other hand, Francolinus squamatus kapitensis differs from Francolinus squamatus maranensis* in its more uniform, somewhat more grayish or sooty (less rufescent) upper parts; and particularly in the much wider, less sharply defined edgings of the feathers of the lower surface. The first winter female above listed differs from the juvenal plumage chiefly in having the superciliary region dull grayish brown instead of buff, the upper and lower surfaces lighter, more streaked, instead of barred with black, buff, and dull gray. Pternistis leucoscepus keniensis (Mearns) Pternistes leucoscepus keniensis MEARNS, Smiths. Misc. Coll., Vol. LVI, No. 20, April 17, 1911, p. 1 (‘“‘west slope of Mount Kenya on the Njoro or Kasorongai River, 6500 feet, British Africa’). Eleven specimens, from Archer’s Post: Three adult males, February 28, 1930, Windsor T. White. Lengths, 394, 419, and 432 mm. One adult male, February 28, 1930. Length, 419 mm. “Iris hazel brown.” Two adult males, February 25, 1930. Lengths, 400 and 419 mm. One adult female, February 28, 1930. Length, 349 mm. Two adult females, February 25, 1930. Lengths, 375 and 375 mm. 1Francolinus schuetti keniensis, ibid. (““Nyeri [altitude 5943 feet] base of Mount Kenia, British East Africa’). 2Francolinus schuetti maranensis Mearns, ibid., p. 1 (‘“Maranu, Mount Kilimanjaro, German East Africa, altitude 5000 feet’’). 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 69 _ One unsexed (probably female), February 25, 1930. Length, 375 mm. One unsexed (probably female), February 28, 1930. This series apparently substantiates the distinctness of Pternistis leucoscepus keniensis as compared to Pternistis leucoscepus infuscatus. [Two were shot at Lasamis on April 25, and another on March 21.—W.T.W.] . [One was taken on February 28 in the tall grass on the banks of the Northern Uaso Nyiro near Archer’s Post. The birds above listed as collected on February 25 were obtained from dry grass tussocks about knee high near a small stream with grassy banks winding through the scrub not far from Archer’s Post.—A.B.F.] Family NUMIDIDAE Numida meleagris macroceras Erlanger Numida ptilorhyncha macroceras ERLANGER, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XII, No. 6, June, 1904, p. 97 (“Fluss Muki. Seengebiet” [= Muki River, Lake Rudolf]). Two specimens, from 20 miles west of Meru: Adult female, May 18, 1930. Length, 551 mm, “Iris dark brown.” Female, “subadult” (probably second nuptial plumage), May 18, 1980. Length, 531 mm. Acryllium vulturinum (Hardwicke) Numida vulturina HARDWICKE, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. II, September 26, 1834, p. 52 (““Western coast of Africa” [errore; desig- nated by Friedmann’ as Tsavo, Kenya Colony]). Five specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930, George Runton. Length, 727 mm. “Iris nopal red; bill paris green at base, paler at tip; head and neck, slate gray.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 29, 1930. Length, 651 mm. “Tris nopal red.” Adult female, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 727 mm. “Iris nopal red.” Adult male, Balessa, March 30, 19380. Length, 787 mm. Adult female, Balessa, March 24, 1980. Length, 692 mm. [At Lasamis birds of this species were shot on March 13, April 24 and 25; at Koroli on March 26; and at Balessa on March 29. During our trip by automobile to Maddo Gashi over some 125 miles of distance east from Archer’s Post we several times stopped to hunt Vulturine Guineafowls.—W.T.W.] 1Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 153, Part 1, June 10, 1930, p. 136. 70 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Family RALLIDAE Fulica cristata Gmelin [Fulica] cristata GMELIN, Syst. Nat., Vol. I, Part ii, April, 1789, p. 704 (“Madagascar”). Five specimens, from Crater Lake: Adult female, March 17, 1930. Length, 425 mm. “Iris nopal red; frontal shield white, its caruncles burnt umber; bill sky gray; legs and feet, pale russian blue, faintly washed with yellow-green on sides of tarsus; patch above tibio-tarsal joint light yellow-green touched with english red.” Adult female, March 18, 1930. Length, 406 mm. “Iris carmine; frontal shield white, its caruncles chestnut; bill sky gray; legs and feet, pallid neutral gray, darkening at joints to deep neutral gray.” Adult male, March 18, 1930. Length, 406 mm. Adult female, March 18, 1930. Length, 445 mm. Adult female, March 19, 1930. Length, 413 mm. [There were in Crater Lake on March 18 many European Coots, whose croaking notes could be heard continually from among the rushes and weeds along the border.—A.B.F.] Family GRUIDAE Balearica pavonina gibbericeps Reichenow Balearica gibbericeps REICHENOW, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XL, No. 1, January, 1892, p. 126 (“Deutsch-Ostafrika” [—Lake Jipe]). One adult, from Archer’s Post, collected, March 7, 1930. Length, 1029 mm. “Tris pale russian blue; cheek patch white, its upper edge and the lappets maroon; bill, legs, and feet, black.” [A flock of 42 individuals was met with on Cole’s Plains, an open grassy area in grassy thorn scrub, south of Isiolo, on February 23. —W.T.W.] Family OTIDIDAE Choriotis kori struthiunculus (Neumann) Otis kori struthiunculus NEUMANN, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. LV, No. 2, April, 1907, p. 806 (‘“Zuai-See” [—Lake Zwai, Ethiopia]). Two specimens: Adult female, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 1181 mm.; extent of wings, 2248 mm.; weight, 8164 grams. “Iris anti- mony yellow, with a brownish tinge on inner margin; eyelids black, skin back of eyelids light drab; skin around eyelids ecru drab; lower mandible nearly white; lower edge of nostril and tip of upper man- dible, slaty; legs ivory yellow.” Adult unsexed, Kasut Plain, altitude 1700 feet, March 20, 1930. Length, 1283 mm.; diameter of eye, 19 mm.; weight, 17236 grams. “Iris cream buff and honey yellow, lightest above; eyelids white; skin back of eye and below, smoke gray; upper mandible smoke gray; nostril and lower mandible, white; legs and feet, between ivory yellow and colonial buff.” 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA ffs [One of these bustards was seen near Archer’s Post on March 1.—W.T.W.] [Between Balessa and Mount Kulal on April 1, occasional indi- viduals were noted.—A.B.F.] Eupodotis canicollis somaliensis (Erlanger) Otis canicollis somaliensis ERLANGER, Journ. f. Ornith.,Vol. LIII, No. 1, January, 1905, p. 82 (“Metaker, Ennia-Gallaland”). Two specimens, from Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Adult male. Length, 540 mm. Adult female. Length, 533 mm. [Individuals of this bustard were taken between Isiolo and Archer’s Post on February 24; Isiolo Creek on February 25; at Lasamis on March 21 and April 24; and at Balessa on March 30 —W.T.W.] [Between Balessa and Mount Kulal occasional individuals were noted on April 1. Four were observed on February 25 south of camp near Archer’s Post in a thorn scrub country with very little grass.—A.B.F.] The female of this species above listed differs from the male in substantially the same manner as indicated by Friedmann’. Lophotis ruficrista gindiana (Oustalet) Eupodotis Gindiana OUSTALET, Bull. Soc. Philom., Paris, Ser. 7, Vol. V, No. 4, 1881, p. 164 (in text) (East Africa between Somali- land and Zanzibar; type locality, Zanzibar). Four specimens: Adult male, Koroli, March 24, 1930, Windsor T. White. “Iris straw yellow; eyelids deep olive buff; lower mandible and base of upper mandible, pearl gray; legs and feet, massicot yellow.” Adult male, Koroli, March 25, 1930. Length, 470 mm. _Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 18, 1930. Length, 482 mm. “Tris straw; legs and feet pearl gray.” Adult female, Kinya, May 2, 1980. Length, 470 mm. Family SCOLOPACIDAE Capella gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus) [Scolopax] Gallinago LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 147 (“Europa” [restricted type locality, Sweden]). Two specimens, from Archer’s Post, February 24, 1930: Adult female. Length 273 mm. “Legs deep olive.” | Adult unsexed, probably female. Length, 272 mm. “Legs citrine drab.” [The specimens above listed were obtained in a marsh of cattails and rushes near our camp at Archer’s Post.—A.B.F.] 1Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 153, Part 1, June 10, 1930, p. 147. 72 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Rostratula benghalensis benghalensis (Linnaeus) [Rallus] benghalensis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 153 (“‘Asia” [type locality now by the present writer restricted to Bengal, India]). Two specimens, from Koroli: Adult male, April 15, 1930. Length, 241 mm. “Iris olive brown; bill hair brown at base to dark vinaceous brown at tip; legs and feet, tea green.” Adult male, April 18, 1980. Length, 247 mm. “Iris brown; bill olive brown at base, chestnut brown on terminal half; legs and feet, grayish olive.” Pisobia minuta (Leisler) Tringa minuta LEISLER, Nachtr. Bechsteins Naturg. Deutschl., Part I, 1812, p. 74 (Hanau, Germany). Two specimens: Adult female, 21 miles east of Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 152 mm. “Bill, legs, and feet, iron gray.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 124 mm. Actitis hypoleuca (Linnaeus) [Tringa] Hypoleucos LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 149 (“Europa” [restricted type locality, Sweden]). Three specimens: ; Adult female, Lake Rudolf, April 12, 1930. Adult female, Lake Rudolf, April 13, 1930. Adult female, Lasamis, March 22, 1930, collected by Windsor T. White. Length, 205 mm. [Fairly common along the rock and pebbly beaches of Lake Rudolf on April 11.—A.B.F.] Tringa ocrophus Linnaeus [Tringa] Ocrophus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 149 (“Europa” [restricted type locality, Sweden]). One adult female, from Crater Lake, March 19, 1930. Length, 248 mm. [This species was seen also at Koroli on April 15.—A.B.F.] The specific name of this bird has been often emended to ochro- pus, on the assumption that Linnaeus’s original spelling of ocrophus was a typographical error. He however spelled it with a capital letter, thus indicating that he regarded the word as a noun, which he evidently took from Gesner and Aldrovandus, as the following citation he gives’ indicates: “Rhodolphus s. Ocrophus. Gesn. av. 508. 511. Aldr. orn. 1. 20, c. 39.” This shows that the original spelling Tringa ocrophus should be preserved. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 73 Iliornis stagnatilis (Bechstein) Tlotanus]. stagnatilis BECHSTEIN, Ornith. Taschenb. Deutschl., Part II, 1803, p. 292 (Germany). Two specimens: Adult female, Koroli, April 18, 1930. Length, 264 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill black, the base yellowish olive; legs and feet, buffy olive, touched with isabella color.” Immature female, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 235 mm. [Four were encountered along the shore of Lake Rudolf on April 11; and a flock of 70 at Koroli on April 15, All were wary. —A.B.F.] Rhyacophilus glareola (Linnaeus) [Tringa] Glareola LINNAEuS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 149 (“Europa” [restricted type locality, Sweden]). Four specimens: Adult female, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 222 mm. “Bill with basal third buffy citrine, and the tip black; legs and feet, buffy citrine.” Adult female, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 159 mm. Adult female, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 216 mm. “Tris brown; legs olive buff.” Adult female, Kasut Plain, March 20, 1930. Length, 215 mm. “Bill black at tip, citrine at base; legs and feet, citrine.” Family CHARADRIIDAE Leucopolius varius varius (Vieillot) Charadrius varius VIEILLOT, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., Vol. XXVII, 1818, p. 148 (‘“Afrique” [type locality now by the present writer restricted to Cape of Good Hope]). Five specimens: Adult female, Lake Rudolf, April 18, 1930. Length, 159 mm. “Tris dark hazel; eyelids dark slate; bill black; legs light gray.” Two adult males, from Lake Rudolf, April 13, 1930. Length, 158 and 158 mm., respectively. Adult male, Koroli, April 8, 1980. Length, 160 mm. “Iris dark brown; eyelids and bill, black; tarsus quaker drab; tibia and feet, dark quaker drab.” Adult female, Koroli, April 18, 1930. Length, 162 mm. Colors of unfeathered parts same as preceding male. [Occasionally noticed along the shore of Lake Rudolf, on April 10 and 11.—A.B.F.] For the change of name from Leucopolius pecuarius to Leuco- polius varius see Friedmann’s recent explanation’. 1Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 153, Part 1, June 10, 1930, p. 159, 74 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Afroxyechus tricollaris tricollaris (Vieillot) Charadrius tricollaris ViEILLOT, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., Vol. XXVIT, 1818, p. 147 (“Afrique” [restricted type locality, Cape Town]). Four specimens: Two adults, male and female, from Archer’s Post, taken, March 5, 1980. Length, male, 151 mm., female, 152 mm. “Iris light brown; eyelids scarlet; basal half of bill dark vinaceous; legs and feet, vinaceous fawn.” Adult female, Lasamis, March 22, 19380. Length, 165 mm. “Iris golden brown.” Adult male, Lasamis, March 22, 1930. Length, 165 mm. “Iris golden brown.” The last example shows indication of molt among the contour feathers. Stephanibyx coronatus coronatus (Boddaert) Charadrius Coronatus BoDDAERT, Tabl. Planch. Enlum., 1783, after December 1, p. 49 (based on D’Aubenton, Planch. Enlum., pl. 800; Cape of Good Hope). Fourteen specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 305 mm. “Bill scarlet, tipped with black; legs scarlet.” Two adult females, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Lengths, 305 mm. and 311 mm. Juvenal male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 241 mm. “Iris yellow; bill scarlet, tipped with black; legs scarlet.” Juvenal female, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1980. Length, 297 mm. “Iris yellow; bill scarlet, tipped with black; legs scarlet.” Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 8, 1930. Length, 305 mm. “Tris light cadmium; basal half of bill eugenia red, with the tip black; legs and feet, jasper red.” Two adult females, Kisima Kufuta, May 12, 1930. Lengths, 292 mm. and 296 mm. respectively. Adult male, Kisima Kufuta. May 8, 19380. Length, 312 mm. “Tris light cadmium; basal half of bill eugenia red, the tip black; legs and feet, jasper red.” Two adult males, Kisima Kufuta, May 12, 1930. Lengths, 295 mm. and 303 mm. respectively. Adult male, Koroli, March 25, 1980. Length, 302 mm. “Iris lemon yellow; base of bill, also legs and feet, jasper red.” Adult male, Lasamis, March 18, 1930. Length, 292 mm. “Tris empire yellow; basal half of bill, also legs and feet, eugenia red.” Juvenal male, Lasamis, March 13, 19380. Length, 219 mm. “Tris sayal brown; bill buff pink, tipped with black; legs and feet, buff pink.” . All the birds from Kisima Kufuta are in process of molt so far as the contour feathers are concerned. The two juvenal examples Vol. IV, Plate V Sei. Pub. C.M.N.H. ‘OS6T “0% YOAV, “VIN, VauvVy) 40 LSVY ‘VAVNVSIG LY JOVIg DNIMALVM NVvuog A t - Par at ek : ee ’ i sal Se he 4 Plate VI IV, Vol H .M.N C Sci. Pub 0661 6 0 Z AVN WALVAD SLI OL HLYON DNIMOO'T “AMW'T VONA*) Vol. IV, Plate VII Sci. Pub. C.M.N.H. ‘OS6T ‘9T YoIe, ‘dNVO S,NOSNHOf NILUVI WoUd LSVW DNIMOOT ‘ANVT]T WaLvaD ; Vol. IV, Plate VIII H N M C Sci. Pub “OS6L ‘8 ABIN ‘VSSHIVG WoUd LSAMHLYON DNIMOOT (Y4LNAO NI) IVINY LNOAOW 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 75 from Archer’s Post are molting into the first nuptial plumage. The juvenile from Lasamis is not yet full grown and is molting from the natal into the juvenal plumage in which the dark feathers of the upper surface including the wings have buff or ochraceous buff edgings. Hoplopterus spinosus (Linnaeus) [Charadrius] spinosus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 151 (“in Agypto’”). Five specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 265 mm. “Tris nopal red; legs and feet, black.” Adult unsexed, Archer’s Post, May, 19380. Adult male, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 287 mm. “Tris carmine; bill and feet, black.” Adult female, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 280 mm. Adult male, Lake Rudolf, April 11, 1930. Length, 305 mm. All these are in process of molting the contour feathers. [Several Spur-winged Plovers were observed at Archer’s Post. One of these disputed our right to pitch camp there, and noisily voiced its prior claim to the territory.—A. B. F.] Family RECURVIROSTRIDAE Himantopus himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus) [Charadrius] Himantopus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 151 (“Europa australiore” [restricted type local- ity, southern Italy]). Five specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 337 mm. “Iris carmine; legs and feet, alizarine pink.” Adult male, Koroli, April 18, 1980. Length, 372 mm. “Tris scarlet; eyelids and bill, black; legs and feet, alizarine pink.” Adult male, Koroli, April 15, 1980. Length, 387 mm. “Tris carmine.” Adult female, Koroli, April 15, 1930. Length, 362 mm. “Iris scarlet.” , Adult female, Koroli, April 18, 1930. Length, 377 mm. “Iris nopal red; bill black; legs and feet, old rose and alizarine pink.” [At Koroli stilts were in nearly all the suitable ponds. We saw one flock of about a dozen on April 15, and another of about 15 on April 18.—A. B. F.] Family CURSORIIDAE Cursorius cursor meruensis Mearns Cursorius gallicus meruensis MEARNS, Smiths. Mise. Coll., Vol. LXV, No. 18, November 26, 1915, p. 5 (“plains by the Meru River, northern base of Mount Kenia, British East Africa”). 76 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Two specimens, adult male and female, from Lasamis, collected, March 14, 1930: Adult male, length, 203 mm. The present race, though not recognized by some recent authors, is apparently valid, being of darker coloration than Cursorius cursor littoralis, which latter by the separation of C. c. meruensis is in Kenya confined in general to the coastal region. Rhinoptilus cinctus cinctus (Heuglin) Hemerodromus cinctus HEUGLIN, The Ibis, Ser. 1, Vol. V, No. 1, January, 1863, p. 31, pl. I (“near Gondokoro, on the White Nile, in the Bari country, in 5° N. lat” [British Banana Africa]). Three specimens: Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 6, 1930. Length, 248 mm. “Tris brown; base of bill sulphine yellow; legs and feet, ivory yellow, the latter washed with olive.” Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 10, 1930. Length, 262 mm. Adult female, Kinya, May 1, 1930. Length 238 mm. “Iris brown; basal half of bill clive yellow; legs and feet, cream buff.” This species belongs clearly to the genus Rhinoptilus’* the type of which is by subsequent designation Cursorius chalcopterus Tem- minck. On the other hand, the species commonly known as Rhinoptilus africanus is generically different from Rhinoptilus chalcopterus, and has been formally separated by Austin Roberts under the name Smutsornis*. It differs from Rhinoptilus as follows: bill small, much less in length than the middle toe without claw, instead of equal or greater; angle of the gonys scarcely appreciable instead of prom- inent, the gonys therefore forming nearly a straight line with the lower edge of the rami instead of decidedly ascending; nostrils linear instead of oblong or oblong oval; tail even or a little emarginate, less than one-half the length of wing and but slightly longer than the tarsus, instead of being rounded, at least half as long as the wing, and much longer than the tarsus. The only species belonging to this genus should therefore be called Smutsornis africanus, of which eight subspecies appear to be recognizable. Smutsornis africanus africanus (Temminck). Smutsornis africanus sharpei (Erlanger). Smutsornis africanus granti (W. L. Sclater). Smutsornis africanus bisignatus (Hartlaub). Smutsornis africanus illustris (Friedmann). Smutsornis africanus gracilis (Fischer and Reichenow). Smutsornis africanus hartingi (Sharpe). Smutsornis africanus raffertyi (Mearns). TStrickland, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. XVIII, for 1850 [January 24, 1852], p. 220. 2Ann. Transvaal Mus., Vol. VIII, Part 4, October 30, 1922, p. 202 (type by original desig- nation, Cursorius africanus Temminck). 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA Fi Family BURHINIDAE Burhinus capensis capensis (Lichtenstein) O[edicnemus]. capensis LICHTENSTEIN, Verz. Doubl., 1823, after August, p.69 (“Cap.b.sp.” [=Cape of Good Hope]). Five specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, altitude 2090 feet, March 13, 1930. Length, 410 mm. “Iris barium yellow, the outer third with sepia hair-like lines; basal part of bill amber yellow; legs and feet, mustard yellow.” Adult male, Lasamis, April 23, 1930. Adult female, Lasamis, April 23, 1930. Adult male, Kinya, March 11, 1930, Windsor T. White. Length, 406 mm. Adult female, Koroli, April 15, 1930. Length 445 mm. “Iris apricot yellow; eyelids sepia edged with empire yellow; base of bill empire yellow; legs and feet, empire yellow, washed with brownish olive.” The above-catalogued bird from Koroli apparently shows inter- gradation with the more northern race Burhinus capensis affinis, but it is apparently nearer Burhinus capensis capensis, although the former occurs at Hor in the northern part of Kenya Colony’. Although the generic name Oedicnemus has been long in use for this and a number of allied species, the group apparently does not present any trenchant generic characters to separate it from the Australian Burhinus magnirostris, type of the genus Burhinus. It seems necessary, therefore, to unite the two groups and to use for the combination the older name Burhinus, as has already been done by several authors. Family LARIDAE Larus cirrhocephalus poiocephalus Swainson Larus poiocephalus SWAINSON, Nat. Hist. Birds Western Africa, Vol. II, September 23, 1837, p. 245 (no locality; type locality re- stricted to “West Africa” by Friedmann’). Two specimens, from Lake Rudolf: Adult male, April 18, 1930. Length, 432 mm. “Iris naphtha- line yellow; eyelids brazil red; bill ox-blood red; legs and feet, nopal red washed with scarlet.” Adult male, April 11, 1930. Length, 488 mm. [The specimen obtained on April 11 was shot from a rock blind on the shore of Lake Rudolf. Another or the same individual was noted there on April 10.—A.B.F.] 1Friedmann, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 153, Part 1, June 10, 1930, pp. 184-185. 2Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 153, Part 1, June 10, 1930, p. 194. 78 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Family EREMIALECTORIDAE Pterocles exustus somalicus Hartert Pterocles exustus somalicus HARTERT, Novit. Zool., Vol. VII, No. 1, March 15, 1900, p. 28 (“Milmil” [Somaliland]). Eleven specimens: Adult male, Koroli, March 27, 1930. Length, 292 mm. “Bare space around eye seafoam green.” Adult male, Koroli, March 28, 1930. Length, 305 mm. “Legs and feet, pallid neutral gray.” Adult male, Koroli, March 27, 19380. “Iris black; bare skin around eye seafoam green; bill pale smoke gray; feet drab.” Adult male, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length, 302 mm. Four females from Koroli, March 27, 1980. Lengths, 267, 267, 279, and 292 mm., respectively. In one there was an egg ready for extrusion. Adult female, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length, 267 mm. Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Adult female, Lasamis, March 18, 1930. Length, 291 mm. “Feet pale slate color.” The female taken on April 17 shows slight evidences of molt among the contour feathers. [Four sand grouse were shot on March 30 at Balessa, and 2 at Lasamis on March 22. At Koroli on April 18 we found a place to which sand grouse were coming to water and we were able to secure several.—W.T.W.] [At Koroli, March 27, this species was very numerous, occurring singly, in pairs, and in flocks up to at least 100 birds. It stands so low on the ground that it appears to have scarcely any legs. In flight it is swift, dove-like, and noisy. Its note is a guttural chuckle or cluck. We found this bird at sundown along low gravelly ridges featured by short tufts of grass and a few scattered thorn shrubs. It was beginning to nest on March 27 since I killed from a flock 1 which contained an egg nearly ready for laying. At Koroli on March 28 I found a nest about 50 yards from camp. This nest was under a small bush about 15 inches high and consisted of a slight devression in the sand and was without lining. Another nest with eggs was collected on April 16, which nest was in a similar situation and of the same character as the first. On April 18 at the same locality I saw a pair of birds with 2 small young. At Archer’s Post where the country is thorny scrub with very little grass, flocks of sand grouse were watering at a small stream with tussocks of dry grass about knee high on the banks. At Balessa this sand grouse was wary, and not easily collected. It seemed to be absent from Lake Rudolf.—aA.B.F.] The type genus of the family of sand grouse is the group to which the generic name Pterecles Temminck was first restricted by - 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 19 Bonaparte, and from which the family name Pteroclididae was formed. When W. Sclater transferred the generic name Pterocles Temminck to the group formerly known as Pteroclurus Bonaparte because of the rectification of the type species of Pterocles, he re- named as Eremialector the generic group formerly called Pterocles’. Since this group is the type genus of the family, its name should be of course the basis of the family name, and hence Eremialectoridae. For the change of specific name from senegalensis to exustus, cf. Jackson and Sclater, Birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Pro- tectorate, Vol. I, 1938, p. 439. Eremialector decoratus decoratus (Cabanis) Pterocles decoratus CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XVI, No. 6, November, 1868, p. 413 (‘“Ost-Afrika” [—Lake Jipe, near Mount Kilimanjaro]). Two specimens, from Kinya, taken, May 3, 1930: Adult male. Length, 248 mm. “Iris dark brown; bare skin around eye barium yellow; bill buckthorn brown; feet wax yellow touched with olive.” Adult female. Length, 285 mm. “Iris dark brown; bare skin around eye barium yellow; bill orange buff; feet wax yellow touched with olive.” The range of this subspecies has been given as south of the Northern Uaso Nyiro, but these specimens come from a point north of that river. They are, however, to be referred here rather than to Hremialector decoratus ellenbeckt. Family COLUMBIDAE . Dialiptila guinea guinea (Linnaeus) [Columba] guinea LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 163 (“Africa” [type locality, Guinea, from Edwards]). Three specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 337 mm. “Iris with outer ring reddish brown, the inner ring yellow; eyelids and bare lores, deep carmine; legs and feet, flesh color.” Adult male, Lasamis, March 14, 1930. Length, 355 mm. “Iris with outer ring eugenia red, inner ring deep chrome; bare space around eye vandyke red; legs and feet, flesh pink.” Adult male, Merile, April 25, 19380. Length, 342 mm. “Iris orange buff, its outer edge reddish; bare skin about eyes between garnet brown and nopal red; bill dark neutral gray, fleshy at base; legs and feet, livid pink.” [The specimen collected on April 25 was shot from a flock of 15.—A.B.F.] The bifurcate feathers of the neck and the very broad bare space about the eyes structurally set off this species and Columba 1Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XLII, February 25, 1922, p. 74. 80 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV phaeonota Gray from their allies. The subgeneric name Dialiptila was proposed for them by Salvadori’, of which the type by subse- quent: designation’ is Columba guinea Linneaus. This, therefore, is available as the generic name for the present species. Streptopelia semitorquata semitorquata (Riippell) Columba semitorquata RUPPELL, Neuve Wirbelth. Fauna Abyss., Vogel, 1837, p. 66, pl. XXIII, fig. 2 (“Tarantagebirg” [Ethiopia]). One adult female, from Gunga Lake, collected on May 28, 1930. Length, 334 mm. “Iris a narrow ring of bittersweet orange; bill slate color; legs and feet, pompeian red.” [On February 25 we noticed this dove watering near a small stream in thorn scrub country having very little grass, south of our camp at Archer’s Post.—A.B.F.] Streptopelia capicola somalica (Erlanger) Turtur damarensis somalicus ERLANGER, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. LIII, No. 1, January, 1905, p. 127 (“Sarigo, Siid-Somaliland”’). Three specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, April 24, 1930. Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 283 mm. Adult female, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 260 mm. The 2 birds from Archer’s Post are darker than the single example from Lasamis, and verge toward Streptopelia capicola anceps, although still referable to the present race. Oena capensis capensis (Linnaeus) [Columba] capensis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 12, Vol. I, 1766, after May 24, p. 286 (“Cap.b.spei” [—=Cape of Good Hope]). Four specimens, all from Koroli: Adult male, March 24, 19380. Length, 240 mm. “Iris brown; eyelids slate color; tip of bill zinc orange; base of bill, also legs and feet, perilla purple.” Adult male, April 17, 19380. Length, 240 mm. “Iris brown, bare skin around eye light quaker drab; terminal half of bill ochraceous orange, darker at tip; base of bill, together with legs and feet, mineral red.” Adult male, April 17, 1930. Length, 250 mm. “Iris brown; terminal half of bill ochraceous orange, darker at tip; basal half of bill, also legs and feet, mineral red.” Immature male, April 17, 19380. Length, 249 mm. “Iris dark brown; bare skin around eyes hair brown; bill black at tip, bone brown at base; legs and feet, livid brown, dark.” The last mentioned example, though marked “female”, is un- doubtedly an immature male. It has some black feathers on the sides of the head and of the jugulum, also buffy or buffy white tips on the secondaries, tertials, and some of the upper wing coverts. It is in process of molt. 1Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXI, 1893 (after June 30), p. 243 (in text of key). 2Richmond, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXIV, No. 1267, May 2, 1902, p. 678. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 81 Family CUCULIDAE Cuculus canorus gularis Stephens Cuculus gularis STEPHENS, in Shaw’s Gen. Zool., Vol. IX, Part 1, 1815, p. 88, pl. XVII (no locality [Camdeboo, Cape Province, ex Levaillant]). One unsexed adult from Kisima Kufuta, May 7, 1930. Length, 335 mm. “Iris light crange yellow clouded with sudan brown; eye- lids light cadmium; base of bill light orange yellow; gape flame scarlet; feet light orange yellow.” This bird is in process of molting the contour feathers. Clamator jacobinus jacobinus (Boddaert) Cuculus Jacobinus BODDAERT, Tabl. Planch. Enlum., 17838, after December 1, p. 538 (based on D’Aubenton, Planch. Enlum. d’Hist. Nat., No. 872 [=Coromandel coast of India, ex D’Aubenton]). Two specimens: Adult male, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 298 mm. “Iris dark brown; legs and feet, dark neutral gray.” Immature male, Kinya, April 30, 1930. Length, 311 mm. “Tris dark brown; bill black; legs and feet, chaetura drab.” The immature example is, on the upper parts, in process of molting from the brown plumage of the young into the glossy black of the adult, but wing quills and rectrices are not yet involved. Centropus superciliosus superciliosus Hemprich and Ehrenberg Centropus superciliosus HEMPRICH and EHRENBERG, Symb. Phys., Aves, 1828 [=1833], fol. R, footnote, pl. XI (“Arabiae et Aethiopiae” [type locality, southern Arabia]). One adult female, from Archer’s Post, February 25, 1930. Length, 379 mm. “Iris carmine; legs and feet, deep gull gray.” This specimen is in process of molt of contour feathers, wing quills, and rectrices. [Our only specimen was obtained south of camp at Archer’s Post on February 25 in the brush near a small stream in thorn scrub country having very little grass.—A.B.F.] Lampromorpha caprius (Boddaert) Cuculus caprius BODDAERT, Tabl. Planch. Enlum., 1783, after De- cember 1, p. 40 (based on D’Aubenton, Planch. Enlum, d’Hist. Nat., No. 657 [Cape of Good Hope, ex D’Aubenton]). Seven specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 200 mm. Adult male, Kinya, May 3, 1930. Length, 191 mm. “Iris nopal red; eyelids scarlet; bill and feet, black.” Adult male, Kinya, May 3, 1930. Length, 185 mm. “Iris nopal red; bill and feet, black.” 82 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Adult male, Kinya, April 30, 1930. Length, 191 mm. “Iris with outer ring straw yellow, the inner carmine; eyelids scarlet.” Adult male, Merile, April 28, 1930. Length, 191 mm. “Iris car- mine; eyelids scarlet; bill, legs, and feet, chaetura black.” Adult male, Lasamis, April 22, 1930. Juvenal male, Archer’s Post, May 15, 1930. Length, 150 mm. The juvenal bird differs from the adult in having the anterior upper parts mostly bronzy cinnamon rufous, hazel, or tawny; the metallic green of the rest of the upper surface dull yellowish olive, the feathers edged and tipped with rufous or tawny; the bars on the inner webs of the wing quills likewise cinnamon rufous or tawny instead of white; the edgings, bars, and spots on the tail feathers also mostly tawny or rufous; the anterior lower parts thickly, the posterior surface less numerously, spotted with dull metallic yellow- ish olive; and the lower tail coverts barred with the same. Family MUSOPHAGIDAE Turacus hartlaubi (Fischer and Reichenow) Corythaix Hartlaubi FISCHER and REICHENOW, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXII, No. 1, January, 1884, p. 52 (‘“Fusse des Maeru-Berg (Massai)” [Mount Meru, near Mount Kilimanjaro]). Ten specimens: Adult male, Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 413 mm. “Iris hazel; eyelids scarlet; bill morocco red; legs and feet, dark quaker drab.” Adult female, Meru, May 26, 1980. Length, 399 mm. “Iris hazel; eyelids scarlet; bill morocco red; legs and feet, dark quaker drab.” Male in first nuptial plumage, Gunga Lake, May 22, 1930. Length, 441 mm. “Iris hazel; eyelids scarlet; bili fuscous.” Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 23, 1930. Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 440 mm. Adult female, Gunga Lake, May 26, 1930. Length, 480 mm. “Tris hazel; eyelids scarlet; bill morocco red; legs and feet, dark quaker drab.” Three adult females, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1980. Lengths, 418, 420, and 448 mm. Adult female, Gunga Lake, May 22, 1930. Length, 425 mm. The specimens listed above should belong to the race described by E. A. Mearns as Turacus hartlaubi medius* if this is recognizable; but there seems to be no constant difference between this series and birds from Mount Kilimanjaro. [Turacos were fairly common in the forests of the region around Gunga Lake. Several were seen in the tall forest on May 23.— A.B.F.] 1§miths. Misc. Coll., Vol. LXV, No. 13, November 26, 1915, p. 3 (‘Mount Kenia’’). 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 83 Criniferoides leucogaster (Riippell) Chizadrhis leucogaster RUPPELL, Mus. Senck., Vol. III, No. 2, 1842, p. 27 (southern provinces of Abyssinia). Seven specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, March 13, 1930. Length, 487 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult male, Kinya, May 3, 1980. Length, 488 mm. “Iris hazel; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult male, Kinya, May 3, 1930. Length, 485 mm. “Iris hazel; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult male, Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 508 mm. “Iris brownish olive; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult female, Balessa, March 30, 1930. Length, 527 mm. Adult female, Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 508 mm. “Iris bister; bill lumiere green with touch of primuline yellow at base of upper mandible; legs and feet, black.” Adult female, Balessa, March 30, 19380. Length, 483 mm. The genus Criniferoides was proposed by Austin Roberts’ for the present species, and as it seems well differentiated from Corythaiz- oides A. Smith of which the type is Corythaix concolor A. Smith, it should be employed. Family PSITTACIDAE Poicephalus rufiventris rufiventris (Riippell) Pionus rufiventris RUPPELL, Syst. Uebers. Vog. Nord-Ost-Afr., 1845, after July, p. 83, pl. XXXII (‘“Shoa” [Abyssinia]). Six specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 10, 1930. Length, 234 mm. Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 6, 1930. Length, 253 mm. “Tris flame scarlet; bare skin around eyes, bill, and feet, black.” Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 8, 1930. Length, 235 mm. “Iris with outer ring flame scarlet, the inner buckthorn brown; bare skin around eyes blackish slate; bill dark neutral gray; legs and feet, deep neutral gray.” Adult male, Merile, April 25, 1980. Length, 233 mm. “Iris with outer ring scarlet, the inner ring tawny olive; bill with terminal two- thirds black, the base neutral gray; legs and feet, dark mouse gray.” Adult female, Merile, April 25, 1930. Length, 231 mm. “Iris scarlet with the inner ring tawny olive; skin around eyes black; bill deep neutral gray to black at tip; legs and feet, dark neutral gray.” Adult female, Merile, April 25, 1930. Length, 245 mm. “Iris with outer ring scarlet, the inner ring tawny olive; bare skin around eyes black; bill deep mouse gray at base to blackish mouse gray at tip; legs and feet, mouse gray.” [In the Meru forest on May 24 a flock of about 30 parrots came screeching up along the edge of the forest about half an hour before dusk. They appeared to be larger than those obtained at Merile. —A.B.F.] 7Ann. Transvaal Mus., Vol. XI, Part 4, 1926, p. 218. 84 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Yol. IV Family CORACIIDAE Coracias naevia naevia Daudin Coracias nevia’ DAUDIN, Traité d’Ornith., Vol. II, 1800, p. 258 (“Sénégal”). Two specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, May 15, 19380. Length, 350 mm. “Iris brown; bill black; legs and feet, old gold.” Immature male, Kisima Kufuta, May 8, 1930. Length, 356 mm. The latter individual is in process of molt from the first winter plumage into the first nuptial plumage. Apparently this is only a partial molt, since the primaries, secondaries, and rectrices do not seem to be undergoing change. The generic name Coracias is of feminine gender, and was so, considered by its proposer Linnaeus’ also by most of the earlier authors. Recently, however, many writers, apparently through inad- vertence, have treated it as masculine. Coraciura caudata lorti (Shelley) Coracias lorti SHELLEY, The Ibis, Ser. 5, Vol. III, No. 12, Octo- ber, 1885, p. 399 (‘Somaliland” [plateau south of Berbera]). Three specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 27, 1930. Length, 302 mm. “Tris brown.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 297 mm. Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 10, 1980. Length, 323 mm. These examples from Archer’s Post verge toward Coraciura caudata caudata but are nearer Coraciura caudata lorti. The rollers allied to the present species have a remarkable elongation of the outermost tail feather on each side. The generic name for these is Coraciura Bonaparte’®. To the genus there should be referred the following: Coraciura abyssinica (Hermann) Coraciura spatulata spatulata (Trimen) Coraciura spatulata dispar (Bocage) Coraciura caudata caudata (Linnaeus) Coraciura caudata lorti (Shelley) Coraciura cyanogastra (Cuvier) Eurystomus afer suahelicus Neumann [Eurystomus afer] suahelicus NEUMANN, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. LITI, No. 1, January, 1905, p. 186 (“Tschara, am Tana” [River, Kenya Colony]). A single adult female, collected at Kinya on May 4, 1930. Length, 290 mm. “Iris brown.” IT ypographical error; corrected to naevia on page 463. 2Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, pp. 83, 107. ’Conspectus Volucrum Anisodactylorum, Ateneo Italiano, Vol. II, No. 11, August 15, 1854, p. 317 (type, Coracias cyanogastra Cuvier). 1945 ; OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 85 Family ALCEDINIDAE Halcyon leucocephala leucocephala (Miiller) Alcedo leucocephala P.L.S.MULLER, yore Natursyst. Suppl., 1776, p. 94 (“Senegal’’). A single immature male, from Avene? s Post, taken, February 28, 1930. Length, 216 mm. “Iris brown; bill scarlet.” [The only specimen was collected on February 28 near the small marsh not far from our camp at Archer’s Post.—A.B.F.] Haicyon chelicuti chelicuti (Stanley) Alcedo Chelicuti STANLEY, in Salt, Voyage Abyssinia, Appendix IV, 1814, p. Ilvi (“Chelicut, Abyssinia’’). Four specimens: Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 178 mm. “Tris drab brown.” Adult unsexed, Archer’s Post, May ...., 1930. Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 12, 1930. Length, 180 mm. Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 7, 1930. Length, 178 mm. “Tris dark brown; lower mandible carnelian red.” [The specimen from Archer’s Post obtained on February 28 came from near a small marsh a short distance from our camp. —A.B.F.] Family MEROPIDAE Melittophagus pusillus cyanostictus (Cabanis) Merops cyanostictus CARANIS, in von der Decken’s Reisen Ost- Afrika, Vol. III, Part 1, 1869, p. 34 (“Mombas. Dschagga” [German East Africa; restricted type locality, Mombasa]). Two adult males, from Kenya, but without further data. Both are in process of molt. Melittophagus lafresnayii oreobates Sharpe Melittophagus oreobates SHARPE, The Ibis, Ser. 6, Vol. IV, No. 14, April, 1892, p. 320 (“Savé, Elgon, 6000 feet” [Mount Elgon, Kenya Colony]). One adult male, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 227 mm. “Tris nopal red; feet dark olive gray.” This specimen is in process of molting the wing and tail feathers. Melittophagus revoilii (Oustalet) Merops Revoilii OUSTALET, Miss. Révoil Pays Comalis, Oiseaux, 1882, p. 5, pl. I (“Pays des Comalis’’). One adult female, from Balessa, March 30, 1930. Length, 178 mm. This bird is in much worn plumage but shows no indication of molt. 86 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Family BUCEROTIDAE Bycanistes cristatus brevis Friedmann Bycanistes cristatus brevis FRIEDMANN, Proc. New England Zool. . Club, Vol. XI, August 6, 1929, p. 32 (“Mt. Lutindi, Usambara Moun- tains, Tanganyika Territory”). Six specimens, from Gunga Lake: Adult male, May 22, 1930. Length, 850 mm. “Iris dark brown; face black.” Two adult males, May 238, 1930. Lengths, 842 and 862 mm. Adult female, May 23, 1930. Length, 785 mm. “Face fleshy white; legs and feet, puritan gray, their scutes black.” Adult female, May 28, 1980. Length, 781 mm. Adult female, May 26, 1930. Length, 822 mm. “Iris hazel; skin around eye flesh color.” These examples agree in measurements with those of the small race named Bycanistes cristatus brevis by Friedmann. They further indicate that this is a recognizable subspecies. [A group of 5 was seen flying over the forest near Nanyuki on February 23. This hornbill was fairly common in the region about Gunga Lake, May 28; and large numbers were seen on the following day along the lower edge of the forest.—A.B.F.] Lophoceros erythrorhynchus leucopareus (Hemprich and Ehrenberg) Buceros, Alophius, erythrorrynchus var. leucopareus HEMPRICH and EHRENBERG, Symb. Phys., Aves, 1828 [=1833], fol. aa, footnote 1 ( [littoral] Abyssinia). Three specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 6, 1980. Length, 492 mm. Adult female, Archer’s Post, March 5, 1930. Length, 419 mm. “Tris brown; bare skin around eye pale russian blue; bill morocco red, but darker at tip and flesh color at base.” Adult unsexed, Archer’s Post, May, 1930. [Near Gunga Lake at dusk on May 24 I saw 4 hornbills of this species moving upward along the edge of the big trees.—A.B.F.] Birds of this species from Kenya have more curved, less heavy bills than those examined from Senegal, the type region of Lophoceros erythrorhynchus erythrorhynchus (Temminck), and indicate the dis- tinctness of an eastern race, ranging from the Sudan, Abyssinia, and Eritrea, south to Tanganyika Territory. This has already been sug- gested by Van Someren’. Lophoceros flavirostris flavirostris (Riippell) Buceros flavirostris RUPPELL, Neuve Wirbelth. Fauna Abyss., Vogel, Part 2, 1835, p. 6, pl. II, fig. 2 (“Fusse des Taranta -Gebirgs unfern Massaua” [Ethiopia]). Three specimens, all from Lasamis: 1Novit. Zool., Vol. XXIX, No. 1, 1922, p. 76. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 87 Adult male, March 18, 1980. Length, 518 mm. “Iris pale yellow; bill yellow ocher tipped with reddish brown.” Adult male, April 22, 1930. Adult female, April 23, 1930. Lophoceros melanoleucos suahelicus Neumann Lophoceros melanoleucos suahelicus NEUMANN, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. LIII, No. 1, January, 1905, p. 187 (“Morogoro” [German East Africa] ). Four specimens: | Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 23, 1930. Length, 525 mm. Adult male, Meru, May 26, 1980. Length, 567 mm. “Iris orange buff; bill vinaceous rufous, with maize yellow basal margin.” Adult male, Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 548 mm. “Bill orange cinnamon, with pale yellowish tint at basal margin; feet black.” Adult female, Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 525 mm. “Iris pale orange yellow; bill vinaceous rufous with maize yellow basal margin, and nearly claret brown tip; skin at base of lower mandible pale yellow green.” These specimens indicate the distinctness of Lophoceros mela- noleucos suahelicus. Family UPUPIDAE Upupa epops somalensis Salvin Upupa somalensis SALVIN, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XVI, Octo- ber, 1892, p. 18, pl. I (“Somali’’). A single adult male collected at Kinya on May 3, 1930, is in the collection. Length, 289 mm. “Iris brown.” The original spelling of the subspecific name is as above given, although it is commonly printed somaliensis. Upupa africana Bechstein Ul[pupa]. africana BECHSTEIN, Latham’s Allgem. Uebers. Vogel, Vol. IV, 1811, p. 172 (“Congo und Vorgebirge der guten Hoffnung” [type locality, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa*]). Two specimens: Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 8, 19380. Length, 266 mm. “Tris hazel.” Immature female, Kinya, May 1, 1930. Length, 278 mm. “Iris brown.” Family PHOENICULIDAE Phoeniculus purpureus marwitzi (Reichenow) Irrisor erythrorhynchus marwitzi REICHENOW, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XVI, No. 11, November, 1906, p. 171 (“Mkalama am Ostrande eta by Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXVIII, No. 1411, July 8, 1905, op. ‘ 88 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV der Wemberestreppe” [Kondoa Irangi district, Tanganyika Terri- tory]). Two specimens, from Archer’s Post, collected, February 26, 1930: Adult male. Length, 394 mm. “Iris brown; bill scarlet, the top edged with black; legs and feet, scarlet.” Adult male. Length, 454 mm. “Iris brown; bill scarlet, edged with black; legs scarlet.” Phoeniculus purpureus niloticus (Neumann) Irrisor erythrorynchos niloticus NEUMANN, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XI, No. 12, December, 1903, p. 181 (“Goz abu Guma, am weissen Nil’). A single adult female, taken at Kisima Kufuta, May 7, 19380, is in the collection. Length, 395 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill nopal red; legs and feet, between nopal red and scarlet.” This individual is somewhat intermediate between Phoeniculus purpureus niloticus and Phoeniculus purpureus marwitzi, but is nearer the former. It is thus a southern extension of range for this sub- species from the Endoto Mountains which apparently are its southern- most previous locality. Birds from Archer’s Post, however, only a short distance farther south are Phoeniculus purpureus marwitzat. Phoeniculus granti (Neumann) Irrisor damarensis granti NEUMANN, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XI, No. 12, December, 1903, p. 182 (‘““Ngomeni in Ukamba” [Kenya Colony]). Three specimens, all from Archer’s Post: Adult male, February 26, 19380. Length, 413 mm. “Iris brown; bill scarlet, edged with black; legs and feet, scarlet.” Adult male, February 2, 1930. Length, 426 mm. Immature unsexed, February 26, 1930. Phoeniculus bollei jacksoni (Sharpe) Irrisor Jacksoni SHARPE, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 6, Vol. VI, No. 36, December, 1890, p. 508 (“Kikuyu Country” [Kenya Colony]). Six specimens: Two adult males, Meru, May 26, 19380, Lengths, 360 and 360 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill ox-blood red; eyelids, legs, and feet, nopal red.” Immature male, Meru, May 26, 1980. Length, 346 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill black; eyelids maroon; legs and feet, brazil red, washed with brown.” Adult female, 20 miles west of Meru (in forest), May 23, 1930. Length, 336 mm. Two adult females, 20 miles west of Meru, May 23, 1930. Lengths, 312 and 337 mm. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 89 Family BUBONIDAE Bubo africanus cinerascens Guérin-Méneville Bubo cinerascens GUERIN-MENEVILLE, Rev. Zool., Vol. VI, No. 11, November, 18438, p. 321 (“Abyssinie” [= Ethiopia]). One adult female, from Kinya, May 2, 1930. Length, 377 mm. “Tris brown.” Bubo Jacteus (Temminck) Strix lactea TEMMINCK, Nouv. Rec. Planches Col. Ois., Vol. II, Livr. 1, April, 1822, pl. IV (“Sénégal, sur ce fleuve’”’). One adult female, from Gunga Lake, May 19, 1930. Length, 570 mm. “Iris dark.” Family CAPRIMULGIDAE Caprimulgus poliocephalus poliocephalus Riippell Caprimulgus poliocephalus RUPPELL, Neue Wirbelth. Fauna Abyss., Vogel, 1840, p. 106 (“Kulla” [Abyssinia]). One adult female, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 238 mm. Caprimulgus fossei apatelius Neumann Caprimulgus apateluus NEUMANN, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XII, No. 9, September, 1904, p. 148 (“Galana-Fluss, am Abaya-See” [southern Ethiopia] ). Two specimens: Adult female, Lasamis, March 13, 1930. Length, 217 mm. “Iris dark brown; legs and feet, japan rose.” Adult male, from Kenya, without further data. [On April 16 at Koroli we flushed a bird of this species from its nest on flat bare ground near a lava escarpment. There was no real nest but the 2 eggs rested on bare flat earth near a small lava cinder about the size of one’s fist. At our approach the bird flew off into the rough lava rocks.—A.B.F.] Family MICROPODIDAE Cypsiurus parvus myochrous (Reichenow) Cypselus myochrous REICHENOW, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXV, No. 1, January, 1886, p. 116 (““Karema” [Tanganyika Territory]). One adult male, from Archer’s Post, collected, February 28, 1930. Length, 116 mm. “Iris gray.” [This swift was abundant on February 25 near the Northern Uaso Nyiro at Archer’s Post. It was frequently seen there skim- ming in and out amongst the tall palms.—A. B. F.] Family COLIIDAE Colius striatus kikuyuensis Van Someren Colius striatus kikuyuensis VAN SOMEREN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XL, No. CCXLV, December 8, 1919, p. 27 (““Nairobi’’). Two specimens, collected at Gunga Lake, May 21, 1930. Adult male. Length, 287 mm. “Iris dark brown; bare skin of 90 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV face, neutral gray; bill black, streaked with primrose yellow on top; legs and feet, old rose.” Adult female. Length, 295 mm. “Iris dark brown; bare skin around eyes dark slate color; bill black, streaked with primrose yellow on top; legs and feet, old rose.” Colius leucocephalus turneri Van Someren Colius leucocephalus turneri VAN SOMEREN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XL, No. CCXLV, December 8, 1919, p. 27 (“Northern Guasso N’yiro’’). One adult female, from Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 330 mm. “Iris brown; bare skin around eye chaetura black; bill pale prussian blue, tipped with black; legs and feet, old rose.” Urocolius macrourus pulcher (Neumann) Colius macrourus pulcher NEUMANN, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XLVIII, No. 2, April, 1900, p. 190 (“Bura, Teita’’). Five specimens: Adult female, Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 311 mm. “Iris garnet brown; bare skin around eyes carmine; bill rose doree to car- mine at base, and black at tip; legs and feet, livid brown.” Immature female, Kinya, April 30, 1930. Length, 247 mm. “Iris hazel; bare space around eyes deep mouse gray; bill pearl gray; the space around nostrils chartreuse yellow, at gape citron green; legs and feet, deep purplish vinaceous.” Adult male, Kinya, April 30, 1930. Length, 336 mm. “Iris gar- net brown; bare space around eyes ox-blood red; basal half of bill carmine, the tip black, with a light blue line between these 2 colors; legs and feet, deep purplish vinaceous.” Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 284 mm. Adult unsexed, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 292 mm. All these examples except the first are more or less in process of molt. Further examination of pertinent material seems to indicate that the birds of this species from Abyssinia (Ethiopia) are subspecifi- cally separable from those of Senegal, although Friedmann’ considers them identical. Both are, of course, different from Urocolius macrourus pulcher. Senegal specimens average in wing measure- ment 88 mm., thus smaller than birds from Abyssinia, a good series of which averages 90.8 mm. Furthermore, in the western (Senegal) race the maxilla has a more extensive black tip, the carmine at the - base (yellow in the dried skin) being consequently less extensive ‘than in the Abyssinian bird. This difference though slight is easily appreciable. Only 1 of the specimens from Abyssinia has as long an area of black on the maxilla as have the individuals of the Senegal 1Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 153, Part 1, June 10, 1930, pp. 331-333. ‘OS6T ‘9 [dW “LSVAHLYON DNIMOO'T “IVINY LNAOW 40 ONY NYHLAOS AHL LY NOMWMIdGdxXy YATINA-ALIHM AHL JO dNVO , Plate IX IV Vol .N.H. M Ser Pub. C. = ‘OS6T ‘OT [lady “LNVSVaIaNQ DNIMIVM SAUVIN GNNOu) NMAYLS-VAVT “HDNOY AHL, ‘dWVO YVAN DYOHS aAMWT AHL WOU LSAMALNOG SNIMOOT “ATOGAY AMV] ao WHOHS NYaLSVAHLNAOS AHL NO dAIuNy NOILIGddXY AHL dO Suds Wa, Vol. IV, Plate X H N M Sci. Pub. C y ' ‘ ; . ‘ ~) *) ‘ ‘ - Plate XI IV, Vol H N M C Sci. Pub OS6L ‘OG YARN ‘vVSSaIVE Lv (saunydopgqhjow SNjeWDI O01YINMS) SAHOIULSO IIVWOS ONNOX AXAOTOD ATHAILOMLOUg Vol. IV, Plate XII Pub. C.M.N.H. Sci. ‘OS6L yt Yoreyy “LSOd S,aaHoOuy LV ada, VIOVOY NV WOUd dNVOD S,NOILIGddXY AHL DNIMALA (Sniafvwawnwsa sojydozda'T) NOAVAVI, V UNV (Sn}Zva7RId SnYyonUOW saz4hsouvoaNy) SAYNLINA aaaooy 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 91 race. Birds from Senegal differ also in being more buffy below than Abyssinia examples. The name to be applied to the race from Abyssinia above diag- nosed is Urocolius macrourus syntactus Oberholser’, since Lanius macrourus Linnaeus’ was based on the bird from Senegal. As has already been pointed out by the writer*, Lantus macrourus Linnaeus and Colius indicus Latham should be generically separated from the rest of the colies, under the generic term Urocolius Bona- parte’. This group differs from the genus Coliws in having the tail- feathers very narrow and stiff; the first (outermost) primary longer than the eighth, instead of much shorter; the nostrils linear or nar- rowly elliptical instead of rounded or oval; and the gonys not ascend- ing but horizontal, in a line with the lower margin of the rami. Family TROGONIDAE Heterotrogon vittatus keniensis Bowen Heterotrogon vittatum keniensis BOWEN, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. LXXXII, October 1, 1930, p. 265 (“forest above Meru, Kenya Colony’). Two specimens, from Meru, May 29, 1930: Adult male. Length, 292 mm. “Iris ox-blood red; a patch be- low each eye orange; bill glass green; legs and feet, light vinaceous.” Adult female. Length, 283 mm. “Iris ox-blood red; patch be- low and behind each eye orange; lower mandible and basal half of upper mandible, glass green; legs and feet, light vinaceous fawn.” The male is in process of molt. [One individual was discovered on May 25 among some dense trees on the steep sides of the crater walls above Gunga Lake. —A. B. F.] The gender of the generic name Heterotrogon should be mascu- line, like Trogon; and its original describer without doubt uninten- tionally treated it as neuter, as have most subsequent authors. Family CAPITONIDAE Buccanodon leucotis kenyae (Bowen) Smilorhis leucotis kenye BOWEN, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. LXXXII, March 22, 1930, p. 3 (“Meru, Kenya Colony”). A single adult male, taken at Meru, May 29, 1930. “Iris dark brown; bill and feet, black.” Trachyphonus bohmi béhmi Fischer and Reichenow Trachyphonus Bohmi FISCHER and REICHENOW, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXII, No. 1, January, 1884, p. 179 (“Pare-Gebirge, Aruscha, iProc. ae Nat. Mus., Vol. XXVIII, No. 1411, July 8, 1905, p. 863 (in text) (‘“Abys- re gig i sin 2Syst. Nat., Ed. 12, Vol. I, 1766, after May 24, p. 134. 8Oberholser, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXVIII, No. 1411, July 8, 1905, p. 863. *Conspectus Volucrum Anisodactylorum, Ateneo Italiano, Vol. II, No. 11, August 15, 1854, p. 313 (type, Lanius macrourus Linnaeus). 92 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Ukamba,Barawa” [type locality, Barawa, Juba River, Italian Somali- land]). Three specimens: Adult male, Kinya, May 1, 1930. Length, 199 mm. “Iris morocco red.” Adult female, Koroli, March 25, 1930. Length, 203 mm. Adult male, Koroli, March 25, 1930. Length, 194 mm. Although sometimes considered a subspecies of Trachyphonus darnaudii, the wholly black pileum and black throat patch, together with apparent lack of actual intergradation, indicate that it is a distinct species. Family PICIDAE Campethera taeniolaema hausburgi Sharpe Campothera hausburgi SHARPE, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. X, No. LXVIII, January 31, 1900, p. 86 (“Mt. Kenya”). One adult female, from Meru, collected, May 26, 1930. “Iris carmine; bill dusky neutral gray; legs and feet, light hellebore green.” Campethera nubica nubica (Boddaert) Picus Nubicus BoDDAERT, Tabl. Planch. Enlum., 1783, after De- cember 1, p. 41 (based on D’Aubenton, Planch. Enlum. d’Hist. Nat., No. 667; type locality, Nubia). Two specimens: Adult female, Archer’s Post, February 27, 1930. Length, 297 mm. “Iris acajou red.” Immature female, Kinya, May 1, 1930. Length, 176 mm. “Iris brown; bill blackish plumbeous; legs and feet, dawn gray.” The latter bird is apparently in a transition plumage between the juvenal and first winter plumage. It differs from the adult female in having smaller white spots on the pileum; a narrower red band on the occiput; upper surface including the wings paler, the light mark- ings in general larger; and the dark spots on the jugulum and breast duller, more brownish, less intensely black. Dendropicos fuscescens hemprichii (Ehrenberg) Picus Hemprichit EHRENBERG, in Hemprich and Ehrenberg, Symb. Phys., Aves, 1828 (=18353) fol. r, footnote (“Arkiko” [Ethiepia]). Two adult males, from Balessa, taken, April 8, 1930. Lengths, 140 and 145 mm., respectively. “Iris carmine; legs and feet, andover green.” Family ALAUDIDAE Spilocorydon africanus athi (Hartert) Mirafra africana athi Hartert, Novit. Zool., Vol. VII, No. 1, March 15, 1900, p. 46 (“Athi Plain, British East Africa” [Kenya Colony] ). 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 93 One adult male, Archer’s Post, February 25, 1930. Length, 203 mm. “Iris brown; legs and feet, tilleul buff.” The elongated operculate nostrils and other characters serve to separate this species generically from Mirafra. Calendulauda poecilosterna poecilosterna (Reichenow) Alauda pecilosterna REICHENOW, Ornith. Centralbl., Vol. IV, No. 20, October 15, 1879, p. 155 (“Kibaradja” [Tana River, Kenya Colony]). Two specimens: Adult female, Lasamis, March 14, 1930. Length, 167 mm. Adult female, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length, 175 mm. “Iris light brown; bill black; legs and feet, avellaneous.” The rather slender bill and circular nostrils situated in the middle of the nasal fossae, together with its other characters, dis- tinguish this species, which is worthy of generic separation from Mirafra. Calendulauda poecilosterna massaica (Fischer and Reichenow) Megalophonus massaicus FISCHER and REICHENOW, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXII, No. 1, January, 1884, p. 55 (‘“‘Klein-Aruscha” [Tanganyika Territory]). One unsexed specimen, from Archer’s Post, collected, February 25, 1930. Length, 175 mm. Galerida cristata somaliensis Erlanger Galerida cristata somaliensis (REICHENOW MS.) ERLANGER, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. LV, No. 1, January, 1907, p. 49 (“Zeila” [Somali- land]). Seven specimens: Adult male, Lake Rudolf, April 13, 1930. Length, 175 mm. Adult female, Koroli, March 26, 1930. Length, 167 mm. “Upper mandible drab; lower mandible pale drab gray; legs and feet, ecru drab.” Adult male, Koroli, March 26, 1930. Length, 161 mm. “Upper mandible buffy brown; lower mandible tilleul buff; legs and feet, avellaneous.” Juvenal male, Koroli, March 26, 1980. Length, 147 mm. “Bill drab gray, touched with hair brown; legs and feet, light mineral gray.” Juvenal male, Koroli, April 15, 1930. Length, 171 mm. “Iris hazel; upper mandible hair brown; lower mandible pale drab gray; legs and feet, drab gray.” Juvenal female, Koroli, April 15, 1930. Length, 171 mm. “Iris hazel; upper mandible hair brown; lower mandible pale drab gray; legs and feet, pale drab gray.” 94 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Juvenal female, Koroli, April 15, 1930. Length, 178 mm. “Upper mandible hair brown; lower mandible pale drab gray; legs and feet, drab gray.” [At Lake Rudolf on April 12 this lark was the most common land bird, and was responsible for most of the bird notes heard there.—A.B.F.] Eremopteryx signata (Oustalet) Pyrrhulauda signata OUSTALET, Bibliothéque Ecole Hautes Etudes, Vol. XXXI, Art. 10, 1886, p. 9 (“Somaliland’’). * Four specimens, from Koroli: Adult male, April 16, 1930. Length, 127 mm. “Iris hazel; bill pale gull gray; legs and feet, light cinnamon drab.” Adult male, March 26, 1930. “Iris brown; bill pale olive gray; legs and feet, avellaneous.” Adult female, April 16, 1930. Length, 121 mm. “Tris hazel; bill drab; legs and feet, light pinkish cinnamon.” Immature male, March 26, 1930. Length, 128 mm. “Iris brown; bill pale olive gray; legs and feet, avellaneous.” Family MOTACILLIDAE Budytes flavus thunbergi (Billberg) [Motacilla] Thunbergi BILLBERG, Syn. Faun. Scand., Vol. I, Part 2, Aves, 1828, p. 50 (“Lapponia ad Enontekis et Enara’”’). A single adult male is in the collection. It was obtained at Archer’s Post on February 27, 1930. Length, 159 mm. “Iris brown.” Budytes flavus rayi Bonaparte Budytes Rayi (Goutp MS.) BoNAPARTE, Geogr. and Comp. List Birds Eur. and North Amer., April, 1838, p. 18 (“British Islands” [restricted type locality, England]). One immature male, from Lake Rudolf, April 13, 1980. Length, 160 mm. Anthus nicholsoni neumannianus Collin and Hartert Anthus nicholsoni neumannianus COLLIN and HARTERT, Novit. Zool., Vol. XXXIV, No. 1, August 10, 1927, p. 50 (nom. nov. pro Anthus nicholsoni iongirostris Neumann, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XIII, No. 5, May, 1905, p. 77 (‘ Gardulla am Gandjule-See” [southern Ethiopia] ). Two specimens: Adult male, Mount Kulal, altitude 5500 feet, April 5, 19380. Length, 180 mm. Adult male, Crater Lake, March 17, 1930. Length, 180 mm. “Tris brown.” Both of these individuals are in worn plumage, but not yet in molt. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 95 Tmetothylacus. tenellus (Cabanis) Macronix tenellus CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXVI, No. 2, April, 1878, p. 205 (“Ost-Afrika”; “Teita” [on p. 220; Kenya Colony]). Four specimens: Adult male, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length, 165 mm. “Iris hazel; legs and feet, neutral gray.” Adult male, Lasamis, March 14, 1930, Windsor T. White. Length, 159 mm. Adult male, Merile, April 27, 1930. Length, 159 mm. Adult male, Merile, April 27, 1930. Length, 159 mm. The localities at which the above-listed specimens of this re- markable bird were obtained are apparently new stations for the species. é, Macronyx croceus croceus (Vieillot) Alauda crocea ViIEILLOT, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., Vol. I, 1816, p.- 365 (“Java” [type locality subsequently given by Swainson as Senegal] ). A single immature male, from Gunga Lake near Meru, obtained on May 25, 1980. Length, 216 mm. Family TIMELIIDAE Turdoides hypoleucus (Cabanis) Crateropus hypoleucus CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXVI, No. 2, April, 1878, p. 205 (“Ost-Afrika”; “Kitui” [on p. 226; Ukamba, Kenya Colony]}). A single adult female, taken at Gunga Lake, May 25, 1930. Length, 245 mm. In passing it might be worth while to call attention to the fact that the generic name Turdoides is of masculine, not feminine, gen- der, as some recent authors have apparently thought. It is of identi- cal orthography with such generic names as Picoides, Regulaides, and others, all of which are properly used as masculine. All these words are adjectives with masculine termination like the Latin ad- jective hyaloides and others, but treated of course as nouns because employed as generic names. Were they feminine they would have the termination ‘is’ instead of ‘es’. Cossypha heuglini heuglini Hartlaub Cossypha Heuglini HARTLAUB, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XIV, No. 1, January, 1866, p. 36 (“Keren” [error for Wau, Bahr el Ghazal; cf. Heuglin, Ornith. Nordost-Afr., Vol. I, 1869, p. 375]). One adult male, from Crater Lake, March 17, 1930. Length, 240 mm. “Iris brown.” This example is in process of molt. The present writer has previously called attention’ to the unsat- isfactory reference of the genus Cossypha to the Turdidae, because of its scutellated tarsi. It seems much more at home in the Time- liidae. 1Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXVIII, No. 1411, July 8, 1905, p. 894. 96 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Family PYCNONOTIDAE Pycnonotus dodsoni dodsoni Sharpe Pycnonotus dodsoni SHARPE, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1895, No. 3, October 1, 1895, p. 488 (“Sillul” [Ogaden, western Somali- land]). Four specimens: Adult male, Crater Lake, March 17, 1930. Length, 172 mm. “Tris dark brown.” Adult male, Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 178 mm. “Iris brown; bill, legs, and feet, fuscous black.” Adult male, Lasamis, April 23, 1930. Immature male, Lasamis, April 22, 19380. All these individuals are more or less in process of molt. Pycnonotus dodsoni peasei Mearns Pycnonotus layardi peasei MEARNS, Smiths. Misc. Coll., Vol. LVI, No. 20, April 17, 1911, p. 8 (“Pease’s Farm, Kitunga, British East Africa” [Kenya Colony]). Two specimens, from Gunga Lake: Adult male, May 25, 19380. Length, 194 mm. Adult male, May 20, 1930. Length, 198 mm. Both of these are in process of molt both of wing quills and contour feathers. This is evidently a recognizable race, although by some ornithol- ogists not so considered. As stated by Friedmann’ it is larger and darker than Pycnonotus dodsoni dodsoni. Pycnonotus tricolor fayi Mearns Pycnonotus layardi fayi MEARNS, Smiths. Mise. Coll., Vol. LVI, No. 20, April 17, 1911, p. 7 (“Fay’s Farm, N’jabini, British East Africa” [Kenya Colony]). A single immature specimen, from Nairobi, but without further data. It is in process of molt. Phyllastrephus fischeri placidus (Shelley) Xenocichla placida SHELLEY, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1889, No. 3, October 1, 1889, p. 363 (Kilimanjaro, 6000 feet’ [Tanganyika Territory, East Africa]). Three specimens: Adult male, Meru, May 29, 1930. Length, 195 mm. “Iris light brown; bill black; legs and feet, pale payne gray.” Adult male, Meru, May 29, 1930. Length, 208 mm. “Iris olive brown; legs and feet, light payne gray.” 1Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 153, Part 2, June 23, 1937, p. 106. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 97 Adult female, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 190 mm. “Tris mikado brown; bill black at tip, lighter at base; legs and feet, light payne gray.” Stelgidillas gracilirostris percivali (Neumann) Criniger gracilirostris percivali NEUMANN, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XI, No. 12, December, 1903, p. 185 (“Fort Smith, Kikuyu’). A single adult male of this rare bulbul is in the collection. It was collected at Meru on May 29, 19380. Length, 195 mm. “Iris maroon; bill and feet, black.” Family MUSCICAPIDAE Muscicapa striata neumanni Poche Muscicapa grisola neumanni PocHE, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XII, No. 2, February, 1904, p. 26 (nom. nov. pro Muscicapa grisola sibirica Neumann, nec Gmelin). One adult male, from Balessa, was obtained on April 8, 1930. Length, 147 mm. Alseonax gambagae somaliensis (Bannerman) Muscicapa somaliensis BANNERMAN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XXV, No. CLV, November 30, 1909, p. 20 (“Waghar Mountains, N. Somaliland”). One adult, sex uncertain, from Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 125 mm. “Iris brown.” It forms apparently the first certain record for Kenya Colony. This bird, placed in the genus Muscicapa by some recent authors, really agrees better in structural generic details with the genus Alseonax, particularly in so far as the primaries are concerned. An analysis of the characters of these and related genera was some time ago published by the present writer’. Bradornis microrhynchus erlangeri Reichenow [Bradornis griseus] var. erlangeri REICHENOW, Vogel Afr., Vol. III, Part 2, October, 1905, p. 830 (in text) ([{Hanole, southern] “Somalilande”). Five specimens: _Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 141 mm. “Tris brown.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 152 mm. ' “Tris brown.” Adult female, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 152 mm. “Iris brown.” Adult male, Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 146 mm. “Iris brown; bill black; legs and feet, fuscous black.” 1Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXVIII, No. 1411, July 8, 1905, p. 911. 98 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Juvenal female, Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 146 mm. “Legs and feet, deep neutral gray.” The juvenal plumage differs from that of the adult in having the upper surface much less uniform, the pileum streaked with much darker grayish brown and with buffy white; remainder of the upper surface spotted and streaked with buffy white, buff, and dark brown; tips of upper wing coverts with terminal spots of buff and buffy white; lower surface with much less buff, particularly on anterior areas, in fact, almost pure white, with streaks of hair brown on breast and jugulum. Melaenornis pammelaina tropicalis (Cabanis) Melanopepla tropicalis CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXII, No. 2, April, 1884, p. 241 (“Ost-Afrika” [=—Ikanga, Ukamba, Kenya Colony]). One adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 18, 1930. Length, 191 mm. “Iris dark brown, bill, legs, and feet, black.” Batis molitor puella Reichenow Batis puella REICHENOW, Jahrb. Hamburg wiss. Anst., Vol. X, Part 1, 1898, p. 125 (Bussisi, Tanganyika Territory). One adult male, from Meru, May 26, 19380. Length, 121 mm. “Tris cosse green; bill, legs, and feet, black.” This individual is in process of molt. Its head and back are darker, more blackish than the same parts in birds from-more western and southern localities in Kenya. Terpsiphone viridis ferreti (Guérin-Méneville) Tchitrea Ferreti GUERIN-MENEVILLE, Rev. Zool., Vol. VI, No. 6, June, 1843, p. 162 (‘“Abyssinie’’). Five specimens: : Male, subadult (long-tailed chestnut stage), Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 345 mm. “Iris dark brown; eyelids windsor blue; bill colum- bia blue, legs and feet, payne gray.” Male, subadult (long-tailed chestnut stage), Meru, May 29, 1930. Length, 362 mm. Two adult females, Meru, May 26, 1930. Lengths, 190 mm. and 201 mm., respectively. “Iris dark brown; eyelids windsor blue; bill cadet gray; legs and feet, payne gray.” Juvenile, unsexed, Crater Lake, March 17, 1930. Length, 175 mm. “Tris dark brown.” _All but the second female and the immature bird are in pro- cess of molt. The reason for the use of the generic name Terpsiphone instead of Tchitrea was a long time ago explained by Doctor L. Stejneger.* 1Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXXVII, No. 1721, August 4, 1910, p. 652. te 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 99 Family TURDIDAE Turdus olivaceus elgonensis (Sharpe) Merula elgonensis SHARPE, The Ibis, Ser. 6, Vol. III, No. 11, July, 1891, p. 445 (“Mt. Elgon” [type from Kikuyu]). Two specimens: Adult male, Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 230 mm. “Iris hazel; bill and legs, mikado orange; feet mikado orange, washed with raw sienna.” Juvenal male, Gunga Lake, May 22, 1930. Length, 243 mm. “Tris brown; bill mars yellow; legs and feet, orange citrine.” Petrophila rufocinerea rufocinerea (Riippell) Saxicola rufocinerea RUPPELL, Neue Wirbelth. Fauna Abyss., Vogel, 1837, p. 76, pl. XX VII (“Simen” [Province,Ethiopia]). One adult male, from Mount Kulal, April 4, 1930. Length, 171 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill and feet, black.” The relatively long wings easily separate the genus Petrophila from Monticola, even though the former is not recognized by some recent authors. Oenanthe oenanthe oenanthe (Linnaeus) [Motacilla] Oenanthe LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, Jan- uary 1, 1758, p. 186 (“Europae” [restricted type locality, Sweden]). Two specimens: Adult female, Koroli, March 26, 1980. Length, 163 mm. “Bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult, no indication of sex, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Cichladusa guttata guttata (Heuglin) Crateropus guttatus HEUGLIN, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. X, No. 4, July, 1862, p. 300 (“Mittleren Lauf des Bahr el abiad” [upper White Nile; type from Aniop, Bahr el Jebel]). Three specimens, from Lasamis: Adult male, April 24, 1930. Adult male, April 25, 1930. Length, 195 mm. “Iris hazel; bill black; legs and feet, chaetura black.” Adult male, March 13, 1930. Length, 168 mm. “Iris dark brown; legs and feet, blackish brown.” Family SYLVIIDAE Erythropygia leucoptera leucoptera (Riippell) Salicaria leucoptera RUPPELL, Syst. Uebers. Vogel Nord-Ost-Afr., 1845, p. 38, pl. XV (“Shoa’’). A single adult male, from Merile, April 27, 1930. Length, 167 mm. 100 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV The genus Erythropygia has scutellate tarsi and therefore seems out of place in the family Turdidae. It apparently is better placed in the Sylviidae. Acrocephalus scirpaceus scirpaceus (Hermann) Turdus scirpaceus HERMANN, Observ. Zool., March, 1804, p. 202 (Alsace). One adult male, from Koroli, March 24, 1980. Length, 142 mm. “Legs olive brown; feet dark olive buff.” Calamonastes simplex simplex (Cabanis) Thamnobia simplex CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXVI, No. 2, April, 1878, p. 205 (“Ost-Afrika” [=—Ndi, Teita district, Kenya Colony]). One adult female, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 125 mm. “Iris brown.” Apalis melanocephala nigrodorsalis Granvik Apalis melanocephala nigrodorsalis GRANVIK, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. LXXI, Sonderheft, February 15, 1923, p. 244 (“Kiambu” [near Nairobi] ). One adult male, from Meru, taken, May 29, 1980. Length, 145 mm. “Tris maroon; bill black; legs and feet, benzo brown.” This is a rare bird, which has been recorded apparently from only 2 localities, both in Kenya. Sylvietta brachyura leucopsis (Reichenow) Sylviella leucopsis REICHENOW, Ornith. Centralbl., Vol. IV, No. 15, August 1, 1879, p. 114 (‘“Kibaradja” [Tana River, Kenya Colony]). One adult male, from Archer’s Post, February 28, 1980. Length, 90 mm. Eremomela griseoflava flavicrissalis Sharpe Eremomela flavicrissalis SHARPE, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1895, No. 8, October 1, 1895, p. 481 (‘“Shebeli” [western Somali- land]). One adult male, from Koroli, April 16, 19380. Length, 86 mm. “Tris light brown; bill, legs, and feet, benzo brown.” It shows evidence of molt. Cisticola cinereola schillingsi Reichenow Cisticola schillingsi REICHENOW, in Schillings, mit Blitzlicht und Biichse, Thierw. Aquatorial-Ostafrika, Anhang, 1905, p. 556 (“Ngap- tuk und Dénje Erok” [type locality, Doinyo Erok, Kenya Colony]). One adult male, taken on Mount Kulal at 5500 feet altitude, April 5, 1980. Length, 147 mm. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 101 Family CAMPEPHAGIDAE Campephaga quiscalina miinzneri Reichenow Campephaga quiscalina miinzneri REICHENOW, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XXIII, No. 6, June 15, 1915, p. 91 (“Mahenge in Deutsch- Ostafrika” [=Tanganyika Territory]). One adult male, from Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 197 mm. “Iris very dark brown; bill, legs, and feet, black.” This individual is in process of molt. The present bird is commonly considered a subspecies of Campe- phaga quiscalina, but it is possibly a distinct species. Apparently it has not hitherto been recorded from Kenya. . Coracina caesia pura (Sharpe) Graucalus purus SHARPE, The Ibis, Ser. 6, Vol. III, No. 9, Jan- uary, 1891, p. 121 (“Mount Elgon’’). Two specimens: Adult male, Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 242 mm. “Iris very dark brown; bill and feet, black.” Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 24, 1930. Length, 240 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill and feet, black.” Both of these birds are in process of molt of both contour feathers and quills. Family DICRURIDAE Dicrurus adsimilis divaricatus (Lichtenstein) Muscicapa divaricata LICHTENSTEIN, Verz. Doubl. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 1823, p. 52 (Senegambia). Three specimens: A Adult male, Kinya, May 2, 1980. Length, 220 mm. “Iris nopal red.” Adult female, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 219 mm. “Iris carmine.” Immature female, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 210 mm. “Iris light blue.” The two females are both in process of molt. Family PRIONOPIDAE Eurocephalus ruppelli ruppelli Bonaparte E[urocephalus]. ruppelli BONAPARTE, Rev. et Mag. Zool., Ser. 2, Vol. V, No. 9, October, 1858, p. 440 (“Nilo albo, Schoa’”). Three specimens, from Kisima Kufuta: Adult female, May 6, 1930. Length, 226 mm. “Iris brown; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Two adult females, May 8, 1930. Lengths, 220 and 222 mm., respectively. “Iris hazel; bill slate black; legs and feet, slate gray.” 102 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Nilaus brubru minor Sharpe Nilaus minor SHARPE, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1895, No. 8, October 1, 1895, p. 479 (“Milmil; Sibbe; The Haud; Okoto” [type from Okoto, western Somaliland]). Five specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, April 22, 1930. Adult female, Lasamis, April 23, 1930. Immature female, Balessa, April 8, 19380. Length, 188 mm. “Iris brown, legs and feet, deep green blue gray.” Immature female, Archer’s Post, February 26, 19380. Length, 137 mm. “Iris brown; legs and feet, slate.” Immature, sex unknown, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 140 mm. The 3 immature individuals are in process of molt from the juvenal to the first winter plumage. They resemble the adult female, but differ in having the pileum finely spotted with buff or buffy white; the white collar on the hind neck and the other white markings of the upper surface mixed with buff; the lower surface and the superior median coverts more or less barred with fuscous. Also, the two adults show some indications of molt. This helmet shrike is without much doubt specifically distinct from Nilaus afer, although by some authors treated as a race of that species. It seems, on the other hand, however, to be a subspecies of Nilaus brubru. Family LANIIDAE Lanius minor Gmelin [Lanius] minor GMELIN, Syst. Nat., Vol. I, Part i, 1788, about July 1, p. 308 (“Italia, Hispania, Russia’’ [type locality, Italy]). A single adult male, obtained at Lasamis on April 22, 1930, is in the collection. Lanius collaris humeralis Stanley Lanius humeralis STANLEY, in Salt, Voyage Abyssinia, Appendix IV, 1814, p. li (“Chelicut” [Abyssinia] ). Six specimens: Adult male, Crater Lake, March 19, 1930. Length, 210 mm. “Tris brown; bill and feet, black.” Immature male, Crater Lake, March 19, 1980. Length, 210 mm. Immature male, Gunga Lake, May 238, 1930. Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Two adult females, Gunga Lake, May 25, 1930. Lengths, 224 and 225 mm., respectively. All these are in process of molt. The two immature males are molting from the juvenal into the first winter plumage. [Our specimens from Crater Lake were collected as they sat on dry bushes near the rushes of the lake.—A. B. F.] 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 103 Lanius somalicus somalicus Hartlaub Lanius somalicus HARTLAUB, The Ibis, Ser. 1, Vol. I, No. 4, October, 1859, p. 342 (“near Bender Gam, in the country of the Ker- Singeli-Somals” [Red Sea]). Two specimens, from Koroli: Adult male, March 26, 1930. Length, 212 mm. “Bill, legs, and feet, black.” Juvenal male, April 15, 1980. Length, 216 mm. “Iris brown; upper mandible fuscous, lower mandible fuscous on terminal half, passing into smoke gray at base.” The second bird is beginning to molt into the first winter plumage. Lanius dorsalis Cabanis Lanius (Fiscus) dorsalis CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXVI, No. 2, April, 1878, pp. 205, 225 (“Ost-Afrika” [—=Ndi, Kenya, Colony]). Seven specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 6, 1930. Length, 217 mm. “Tris hazel; bill and feet, black.” Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 10, 1930. Length, 221 mm. Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 12, 1930. Length, 222 mm. Adult male, Kinya, May 1, 1980. Length, 224 mm. Adult female, Kinya, May 1, 1980. Length, 215 mm. Immature male, Archer’s Post, February 27, 1930. Length, 210 mm. “Iris brown.” Immature male, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 198 mm. The two immature birds are just completing the post-juvenal molt. The adult male from Kinya and the first Kisima Kufuta male also show indications of molt. Family LANIARIIDAE Laniarius ferrugineus ambiguus Madarasz Laniarius ambiguus MADARASz, Ann. Mus. Nat. Hung., Vol. II, Part 1, June 25, 1904, p. 205 (“Kiboscho und Moschi” [type locality, Kiboscho, Kilimanjaro]). Two specimens, from Gunga Lake, obtained on May 25, 1930: Adult male. Length, 218 mm. Immature male. Length, 236 mm. Laniarius nigrifrons nigrifrons Reichenow Laniarius nigrifrons REICHENOW, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. IV, No. 6, June, 1896, p. 95 (“Marangu am Kilimandjaro’”’). One adult female, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 195 mm. “Tris ox-blood red; bill black; legs and feet, light payne gray.” 104 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV There seem to be no trenchant structural characters to separate from Laniarius the group of species currently considered to represent the genus Chlorophoneus. Such as have been assigned appear totally to disappear when intermediate species are examined. The present species should therefore be referred to Laniarius. Dryoscopus cubla hamatus Hartlaub Dryoscopus hamatus HARTLAUB, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1863, No. 2, August 1, 1863, p. 106 (“Kazeh” [Victoria Nyanza]). Two specimens, from Gunga Lake, collected, May 21, 1930: Adult male. Length, 180 mm. “Iris scarlet; bill black; legs and feet, clear payne gray.” Nearly adult female. Length, 185 mm. “Iris deep mouse gray; bill black; legs and feet, clear payne gray.” Both these birds show evidence of molt. The female is in the plumage preceding the adult stage, the jugulum, upper breast, sides of neck, and scapulars being strongly suffused with buff, which color somewhat tinges also the sides. Pomatorhynchus australis littoralis (Van Someren) Harpolestes australis littoralis VAN SOMEREN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XLI, No. CCLVIII, April 1, 1921, p. 102 (“Changamwe” [Kenya Colony]). One adult female, from Gunga Lake, May 20, 19380. Length, 192 mm. This specimen shows some molt of both wing quills and contour feathers. It represents apparently an extension of the known range of the subspecies, since this seems not to be known northwest of the Tana River. Rhodophoneus cruentus hilgerti_ (Neumann) Pelicinius cruentus hilgerti NEUMANN, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XI, No. 12, December, 1903, p. 182 (“Shiekh Hussein”? [Somaliland]). Two specimens, from Kisima Kufuta, collected on May 10, 1930: Adult female. Length, 242 mm. “Iris brown; bill black.” Juvenal female. Length, 256 mm. The latter example is molting from the juvenal into the first winter plumage. It still retains the buff edgings on the wings and the narrow pale buff tips on the feathers of the occiput and hind neck, which impart an obsolescently barred effect. The adult female is also in process of molt. Family PARIDAE Parus afer barakae Jackson _ Parus barake Jackson, The Ibis, Ser. 7, Vol. V, No. 4, October, 1899, p. 689 (“Njemps” [near Lake Baringa, Kenya Colony]). One adult male, from Mount Kulal, April 6, 1930. Length, 130 mm. “Iris brown; legs and feet, slate gray.” 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 105 Some of the wing quills and tail feathers are in molt. [The only individual noted was a specimen from Mount Kulal. It was collected in some thorn trees about 20 feet tall near the base of a sheer cliff near our camp at an altitude of about 5000 feet. Its note was very similar to that of the black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus atricapillus) of Ohio.—A.B.F.] Family ORIOLIDAE Oriolus monacha percivali Ogilvie-Grant Oriolus percivali OGILVIE-GRANT, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XIV, No. C, October 30, 1903, p. 18 (“Kikuyu”). Five specimens: Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 238 mm. “Iris ox-blood red; bill deep brownish vinaceous, darker at tip; legs and feet, deep neutral gray.” Adult female, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 220. “Iris ox-blood red; bill deep brownish vinaceous, darker at tip; legs and feet, deep plumbeous.” Adult female, Meru, May 29, 1980. Length, 230 mm. Adult male, Meru, May 29, 1930. Length, 235 mm. Immature male, Meru, May 29, 1950. Length, 208 mm. All are in process of molt of either quills or contour feathers, or both. The immature example differs from the adults in more greenish (less yellowish) upper surface; less clearly yellow (more greenish) lower parts; dark blackish brown, yellowish olive streaked, instead of black, pileum; and olive yellow chin and throat much streaked and spotted with blackish brown, instead of solidly black. The bill is dark colored, somewhat blackish. This bird is apparently a species distinct from all others except Oriolus monacha, with which it apparently intergrades. The black central tail feathers are not a feature of age, as the immature ex- amples show it practically as weil as do adults. In view of these circumstances and others that J. P. Chapin has detailed’, it appears that he is correct in considering this oriole a highland race of Oriolus monacha. Family CORVIDAE Corvus corax edithae Phillips Corvus edithe PHILLIPS, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. IV, No. XXVII, May 31, 1895, p. 36 (“Somaliland” [Hainwaina Plain]). Five specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, March 18, 1930. Length, 483 mm. “Iris blue black; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Two adult females, Lasamis, March 13, 1930. Lengths, 488 and 457 mm., respectively. “Iris blue black; bill, legs, and feet, black.” 1The Auk, Vol. LXI, No. 1, January, 1944, pp. 289-291. 106 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Adult, sex not indicated, Lasamis, March 13, 1930. Length, 470 mm. “Iris blue black; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult female, Koroli, March 25, 1980. Length, 445 mm. These specimens extend the range of this raven for some dis- tance southeast from the southern end of Lake Rudolf, the nearest locality at which it apparently previously has been taken. The bird from Koroli is in molt. Corvultur albicollis (Latham) [Corvus] albicollis LATHAM, Index Ornith., Vol. I, 1790, p. 151 (“Africa?” [type locality restricted to Cape Town by Meinertz- hagen’]). Two specimens: Adult male, Mount Kulal, altitude about 6000 feet, April 2, 1930. Length, 578 mm. Adult male, Gunga Lake, May 27, 19380. Length, 546 mm. Rhinocorax rhipidurus (Hartert) Corvus rhipidurus HARTERT, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XX XIX, No. CCXXXVII, November 30, 1918, p. 21 (mew name for Corvus affinis Riippell). : Three specimens: Adult female, Archer’s Post, February 25, 1930. Length, 470 mm. Adult female, Lasamis, March 14, 1930. . Length, 461 mm. Adult male, 1930. (No further data). Family STURNIDAE Creatophora cinerea (Meuschen) Rallus cinereus MEUSCHEN, Museum Geversianum, 1787, p. 40, No. 17 (no locality [type locality, Cape of Good Hope]). Thirteen specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 6, 1930. Length, 232 mm. “Iris brown; bare cheeks and top of head, lemon chrome; bill pale ochraceous buff; wattles and bare throat, black; front of tarsus bone brown; feet brownish drab.” Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 6, 1930. Length, 223 mm. “Iris dark brown; bare space around eyes lemon yellow; bill pale ochraceous buff; legs and feet, brownish drab.” Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 6, 1930. Length, 231 mm. Adult female, Kinya, May 2, 1930. Length, 220 mm. Adult male, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 230 mm. Adult male, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 224 mm. _ Adult male, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 225 mm. “Iris brown; bare skin around eye lemon chrome; bill pale drab gray; bare throat spaces black; legs and feet, bone brown.” 1Novit. Zool., Vol. XX XIII, No. 2, October 20, 1926, p. 96. Vol. IV, Plate XIII Sci. Pub. C.M.N.H. ‘OS6T ‘8T [dy ‘Ilowoy LV ‘NaH, SaITT OL NOILVHOINDN AAILOALOUG AH], OL ONILSAUL (snoynwos snjzsnxa saj00101q) ASNOUD GNVS GNVIIIVINOS DNNOX Vol. IV, Plate XIV scl. Pub. C:M.N.H. ‘O86L ‘g Adena«geay Che Av HAOGY AHA, AHL NI ‘(Wosp]DUOp s8nj]A1a])]NY) AAAVAM-MONAVAS NOSGTIVNOG AHL JO ASOHY, SLSUN GH], “LSogd 8s ‘ waHouy “dNVOD ASVY@ LV SNMINIONdS YOU ASNOHAYOLS 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 107 Adult female, Koroli, March 24, 1980. Length, 228 mm. “Iris dark brown; bare skin posterior to eye chalcedony yellow.” Adult female, Koroli, March 24, 1930. Length, 224 mm. “Bill pale gray with a lavender tint.” Four adult females, from Koroii, taken, March 24, 1930. Lengths, respectively, 218, 219, 222, and 228 mm. The first-listed example from Kisima Kufuta is entirely bare- headed and has fully developed wattles. The first Koroli male has fairly well developed wattles, and the head nearly all bare of feathers excepting the forehead. The second male from Koroli has the head feathered except for the postocular and subocular regions, and has partly developed throat wattles, and a small wattle among the feathers of the fore part of the crown. On the throat of the second- listed female from Koroli the throat wattles are just beginning to develop. In most of the females from Koroli the ovaries were swollen on March 24. [At Koroli this starling was very common in pairs and in flocks of from 3 to 50. Restless and hard to kill, these birds seem to be the counterpart of Sturnus vulgaris. In March, during our first visit to Koroli, we found them passing up and down a wet water- course, altogether hundreds of them, and about equal numbers were passing simultaneously in each direction. Occasionally they would swarm into a shrub, chatter a minute or two, then continue on their course.—A. B. F.] Speculipastor bicolor Reichenow Speculipastor bicolor REICHENOW, Ornith. Centralbl., Vol. IV, No. 14, July 15, 1879, p. 108 (‘‘Kipini” [Kenya Colony]). Three specimens, from Kisima Kufuta: Male, nearly adult, May 13, 1930. Length, 225 mm. “Iris orange chrome; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Female, nearly adult, May 18, 1930. Length, 204 mm. “Iris orange; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Immature male, May 12, 1930. Length, 206 mm. “Iris hazel; bill, legs, and feet, black.” The first-mentioned male is molting into the adult plumage, this involving rectrices, wing quills, and contour feathers. The female is likewise involved in molt into the adult plumage. The immature example is in the first winter livery, but shows some indications of feather change. Lamprocolius corruscus jombeni Van Someren Lamprocolius curruscus jombeni VAN SOMEREN, Journ. East Afr. and Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc., No. 37, January, 1930, p. 197 (“Jombeni, N.E. of Mt. Kenia”). A single adult male, from Gunga Lake, May 22, 1930. Length, 225 mm. “Iris cadmium yellow.” This individual is in process of molt of the rectrices and con- 108 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV tour feathers. Like other Kenya specimens this one is smaller than typical ex- amples, but is nevertheless too large to be referred to Lamprocolius corruscus mandanus. Cosmopsarus regius magnificus Van Someren Cosmopsarus regius magnificus VAN SOMEREN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XLIV, No. CCLXXXVI, March 31, 1924, p. 71 (“Tsavo” [Kenya Colony]). Nine specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 7, 1930. Length, 323 mm. “Tris ivory yellow; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 7, 1930. Length, 335 mm. “Iris ivory yellow; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Immature female, Kisima Kufuta, May 8, 1930. Length, 256 mm. “Iris ivory yellow; bill and feet, black.” Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 311 mm. Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 319 mm. Immature female, Kisima Kufuta, May 9, 1930. Length, 298 mm. Immature male, Kinya, May 2, 19380. Length, 321 mm. “Iris grayish olive; gape primuline yellow; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Immature male, Kinya, May 1, 1930. Immature female, Kinya, May 1, 1980. Length, 285 mm. “Iris brown.” All these show some indication of molt among either wing quills or contour feathers, in some cases both. The two immature females from Kisima Kufuta are molting from the immature into the adult plumage. The 3 from Kinya are in what is apparently the first win- ter dress, with dull brown head and throat. Pyrrhocheira walleri walleri (Shelley) Amydrus walleri SHELLEY, The Ibis, Ser. 4, Vol. IV, No. 15, July, 1880, p. 335, pl. VIII (“Usambara Mountains”). One adult male, Meru, May 26, 1930. Length, 263 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and feet, black.” This example shows some evidences of molt of the contour feathers. The genus Pyrrhocheira Reichenbach, though by some recent authors merged with Onychognathus, differs enough structurally to warrant its separation. The tail is nearly square or only slightly rounded, the difference between the longest and shortest rectrices being less than the length of the tarsus; while in Onychognathus the tail is strongly graduated or even wedge-shaped, with the difference between the longest and shortest rectrices exceeding the length of the tarsus. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 109 Stilbopsar kenricki (Shelley) Peoptera kenricki SHELLEY, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. III, No. XVIII, May 26, 1894, p. 42 (“Usambara Mts.” [Tanganyika Terri- tory]). Two specimens, from Gunga Lake, May 22, 1930: Adult male. Length, 222 mm. “Iris light cadmium.” Adult female. Length, 215 mm. “Iris light cadmium.” Previous records of this starling are few and represent only about 3 localities, from the Usambara Mountains to Mount Kili- manjaro and the region about Mount Kenya. Lamprospreo superbus (Rtppell) Lamprotornis superbus RUPPELL, Syst. Uebers. Vogel Nord-Ost- Afr., 1845, p. 65, pl. XX VI (“Shoa” [Abyssinia] }. Eleven specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 13, 1930. Length, 205 mm. “Iris cream buff; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Immature male, Kisima Kufuta, May 11, 1930. Length, 206 mm. “Tris dark brown; bill and feet, black.” Male, nearly adult, Kinya, April 30, 1930. Length, 193 mm. Adult female, Lasamis, April 24, 1930. Two adult males, Lasamis, April 23, 1930. Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 25, 1930* Length, 203 mm. “Tris pale yellow; legs and feet, black.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, February 26, 1930. Length, 187 mm. “Iris ivory yellow.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, March 6, 1930. Length, 192 mm. “Tris light brown.” One immature male and 1 immature female, from Archer’s Post, April 25, 1930. All these examples show some indication of molt among contour or other feathers, although this is slight in some of the immature birds. The male from Kinya is changing from immature into adult plumage. The other immatures differ from the adults in their much less glossy upper surface, excepting the wings; in the dark brown only slightly glossy anterior lower parts, and in the lighter, ochra- ceous tawny instead of deep orange rufous posterior portions. The present species, together with Spreo pulcher (Miiller), have been generically separated from the remaining forms of the genus Spreo under the name Lamprospreo Roberts’, and later Painterius Oberholser’. This group differs sufficiently in structural characters to warrant such a division. As thus constituted, the genus Lampro- spreo differs from Spreo in several important respects. The palate just anterior to the angle of the gonys is smooth instead of ridged; the exposed culmen is equal to the hind toe with claw (instead of 1Ann. Transvaal Mus., Vol. VIII, No. 4, October 30, 1922, p. 272 (in text). 2Scient. Publ. Cleveland Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. I, No. 3, September 30, 1930, p. 81. (type, Lamprotornis superbus Ruppell). 110 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV much shorter); 5 (instead of 4) primaries are sinuate on the outer webs; the notch on the inner webs of the primaries is conspicuous; counting from the outermecst primary, the 4th, or 4th and 5th (instead of the 3rd) are longest, and the 2nd is shorter, instead of longer, than the 5th; the feet reach to the end of the tail, which is relatively shorter and much less strongly rounded; also the lower tail-coverts are relatively longer as compared with the length of the tail. Buphagus erythrorhynchus erythrorhynchus (Stanley) Tanagra erythrorhyncha STANLEY, in Salt, Voyage Abyssinia, Appendix IV, 1814, p. lix (“Abyssinia’’). ‘ A single adult female, collected at Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 229 mm. “Tris flame scarlet; eyelids cadmium; bill scarlet red; legs and feet, deep brownish drab.” This specimen is in progress of molt of both wing quills and contour feathers. [The only specimen was obtained at Archer’s Post near the small marsh a short distance from our camp.—A.B.F.] Family NECTARINIIDAE Cinnyris venustus blicki Mearns Cinnyris venusta blicki MEARNS, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XLVIII, No. 2076, January 19, 1915, p. 386 (“near the south shore of Lake Stephanie, in northern British East Africa”). Two specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, March 138, 1930. Length, 102 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and feet, black.” Adult male, Kinya, April 30, 1930. Length, 109 mm. “Iris brown.” Drepanorhynchus kilimensis kilimensis (Shelley) Nectarinia kilimensis SHELLEY, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1884, No. 4, April 1, 1885, p. 555 (Kilimanjaro, 5000 ft.” [Tan- ganyika Territory]). One adult male, from Gunga Lake, May 20, 1930. Length, 184 mm. Although commonly placed in the genus Nectarinia, the very much curved bill and the narrow V-shaped bare area parting the feathers of the forehead are structural characters justifying the reference of this species to the genus Drepanorhynchus’ of which Drepanorhynchus reichenowi is the type. Anthreptes orientalis orientalis Hartlaub Anthreptes orientalis HARTLAUB, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXVIII, No. 2, April, 1880, p. 218 (“Lado” [upper Nile]). Three specimens, all from Balessa: 1Fischer and Reichenow, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXII, No. 1, January, 1884, p. 56. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA Bish Adult male, March 31, 1980. Length, 127 mm. “Iris brown; bill blackish brown No. 1; legs and feet, black.” Adult female, April 8, 1980. Length, 122 mm. Juvenal male (?), April 8, 1980. Length, 130 mm. “Legs and feet, deep neutral gray.” The immature example is similar to the adult female but has the lower surface washed with primrose yellow. It is in process of molt. Family PLOCEIDAE Bubalornis albirostris intermedius (Cabanis) Textor intermedius CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XVI, No. 6, November, 1868, p. 413 (“Ost-Afrika” [type locality, Kisuani, Usam- bara district, Tanganyika Territory]). Six specimens: Adult male, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length, 242 mm. “Iris brown; bill nopal red; legs and feet, buffy brown.” Immature male, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length, 199 mm. “Iris deep mouse gray; bill ochraceous buff at tip, mummy brown at base; legs and feet, light neutral gray.” Adult male, Lasamis, April 24, 1930. _ Three immature males, from Lasamis, collected on April 24, 30. The adult male from Lasamis shows some molting wing quills, and 2 of the immature males from Lasamis are in process of molt from the juvenal plumage. Dinemellia dinemelli dinemelli (Gray) Textor dinemelli (HORSFIELD MS.) GrRAy, Genera Birds, Part 1, May, 1844, Vol. II, p. [850] pl.- (No locality; type locality, Shoa, fide Riippell, Syst. Uebers. Vogel Nord-Ost-Afr., 1845, pp. 72, 76). Four specimens: Adult male, Koroli, March 26, 1930. Length, 211 mm. “Tris brown, with an outer ring of ivory yellow; bare skin around eye black; bill, legs, and feet, blackish brown.” Adult female, Koroli, March 26, 1930. Length, 202 mm. “Iris with outer ring ivory yellow; bare skin around eye blackish brown; bill, legs, and feet, brown.” Adult male, Koroli, April 17, 1980. Length, 206 mm. “Iris brown; bare skin around eyes, with bill and legs, fuscous.” Adult male, Lasamis, April 23, 1930. All show indications of molt among the wing quills. Plocepasser mahali melanorhynchus Bonaparte P[locepasser]. melanorhynchus BONAPARTE, Consp. Gen. Avium, Vol, I, Part 2, about February 3, 1851, p. 444 (“Schoa’”). Six specimens: 112 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Adult male, Balessa, March 31, 1930. Length, 184 mm. “Iris maroon; legs and feet, russet vinaceous.” Two adult males, Archer’s Post, March 6, 19380. Lengths, 164 and 162 mm., respectively. “Iris dark brown.” Adult male, Lasamis, April 22, 1930. Adult male, Kinya, May 2, 1980. Length, 182 mm. Adult female, Kinya, May 2, 1930. Length, 182 mm. All these specimens show indication of molt, chiefly among the wing feathers and rectrices. Fullerellus, gen. nov.’ Diagnosis.—Differs from the genus Plocepasser Smith, by reason of its decidedly shorter tail, this less than two-thirds the length of the wing instead of seven-tenths; bill longer and relatively more slender, its height at base not more than half the length of exposed culmen, its width at base only two-fifths instead of one-half the length of the exposed culmen; exposed culmen nine-tenths of the length of the tarsus; outstretched feet reaching very nearly or quite to the end of the tail, falling short, if at all, by much less than half the length of the tarsus, instead of falling far short; first (outer- most) primary narrower and more pointed, much less than one- third the length of the second primary, instead of equal to or more than one-third the length of the second; second primary equal to or longer than the fourth, instead of shorter than the fourth; 5 instead of 6 primaries sinuate on outer webs. Type.—Ploceipasser donaldsoni Sharpe. Remarks.—The very distinct Plocepasser donaldsoni is so peculiar in its structural characters that it seems out of place in the genus Plocepasser, and merits removal to another generic group. Since all the generic names based on species now in the genus Plocepasser are synonyms of this, there remains to be provided a new generic term for Plocepasser donaldsoni. In view of this it seems desirable to recognize Mr. Arthur B. Fuller’s many and important contributions to the progress of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History by giving his name to this new genus. Fullerellus donaldsoni (Sharpe) Ploceipasser donaldsoni SHARPE, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. V, No. XXXI, December 20, 1895, p. 14 (“Eastern Africa” [near Lasamis]). Eleven specimens: Adult male, Lasamis, April 20, 1930. Length, 168 mm. “Iris sorghum brown; bill black; legs and feet, light mouse gray.” Adult male, Lasamis, April 20, 1930. Length, 162 mm. “Iris nopal red; bill black; legs and feet, light vinaceous fawn.”’ 1Named for Arthur Bennett Fuller, the naturalist of the White-Fuller Expedition, who cok lected most of the birds. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 113 Adult male, Lasamis, April 20, 19380. Length, 169 mm. “Iris nopal red; bill black; legs and feet, vinaceous fawn.” Adult female, Lasamis, April 20, 1980. Length, 172 mm. “Iris sorghum brown; bill black; legs and feet, pale drab gray.” Adult male, Koroli, March 26, 1930. Length, 161 mm. “Iris carmine; bill black; legs and feet, avellaneous touched with vinaceous fawn.” Adult male, Archer’s Post, March 6, 1980. Length, 159 mm. “Eyelids scarlet.” Adult female, Archer’s Post, March 6, 1930. Length, 170 mm. “Tris dark brown.” Adult female, Archer’s Post, February 28, 1930. Length, 165 mm. “Iris red.” Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 11, 1930. Length, 157 mm. Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 11, 1930. Length, 156 mm. Adult female, Kisima Kufuta, May 11, 1980. Length, 156 mm. The 4 specimens of this little known weaver bird from Lasamis are of course virtual topotypes, but they differ in no respect from the others. The 3 birds from Kisima Kufuta taken in May are ap- parently beginning to molt. [At Archer’s Post, February 23, some of these weaver birds had hung their nests in the thorn trees over our tents, and with their warbling chirrups serenaded us almost constantly, even during the night.—A.B.F.] Whitellus, gen. nov.’ Diagnosis.—Similar to Pseudonigrita Reichenow, but tail much longer, nearly three-quarters (7/10) of the length of the wing, in- stead of barely more than one-half; bill much stouter, its height at base about three-quarters of the length of exposed culmen, instead of less than two-thirds, also broader at base; second primary (count- ing from the outermost) much narrowed on the terminal third of inner web, thus being there much narrower than the third primary, instead of just as wide; tertials in closed wing falling decidedly short of the tip of the seventh primary; feet falling short of the end of tail by at least half the length of the culmen, instead of reach- ing to or beyond the end of the tail. Type.—Nigrita cabanisi Fischer and Reichenow. Remarks.—The type of this new genus differs so much from the type of Pseudonigrita, Pseudonigrita arnaudi (Bonaparte), that its removal to a genus of its own seems desirable, as aiready sug- gested by at least one recent author, Frederick J. Jackson. No other species seem to be congeneric. This new genus is very appropriately dedicated to Mr. Windsor T. White, who was the organizer and leader of the White-Fuller Ex- pedition to East Africa in 1930, during which the specimens recorded in the present contribution were collected. He is one of the trustees of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 1Named in honor of Mr. Windsor T. White, of Cleveland, Ohio, the leader of the White- Fuller Expedition. 114 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Whitellus cabanisi (Fischer and Reichenow) Nigrita Cabanisit FISCHER and REICHENOW, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXII, No. 1, January, 1884, p. 54 (“Ebene am Pare-Gebirge” [Masai Land]). Six specimens: Two adult males, from Lasamis, April 20, 1930. Lengths, 125 and 135 mm., respectively. ‘Iris flame scarlet; base of bill naphtha- line yellow, tip pale vinaceous fawn; legs and feet, vinaceous fawn.” Adult female, Lasamis, April 20, 1980. Length, 130 mm. Colors of unfeathered parts the same as those of the males above listed. Adult male, Lasamis, March 18, 1930. Length, 1388 mm. “Iris grenadine red; legs and feet, japan rose.” Two specimens from Kinya, April 30, 1930. Male, length, 135 mm., female, 185 mm. Passer castanopterus fulgens Friedmann Passer castanopterus fulgens FRIEDMANN, Occ. Papers Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. V, October 10, 1931, p. 428. (“Indunamara Mountains, Kenya Colony’’). Five specimens, from Koroli: Adult male, March 24, 1980. Length, 1832 mm. “Legs and feet, honey yellow.” Adult male, April 17, 1930. Length, 1381 mm. “Iris brown, bill black; legs and feet, avellaneous.” Adult female, April 17, 19380. Length, 1381 mm. “Iris light brown; upper mandible natal brown, lower mandible light vinaceous fawn; legs and feet, wood brown.” } Juvenal female, April 17, 1930. Length, 128 mm. “Iris brown; apper mandible natal brown, lower mandible light vinaceous fawn; legs and feet, buffy brown.” Juvenal male, April 17, 19380. Length, 132 mm. The juvenal female is practically identical with the adult of the same sex. The juvenal male is similar, but has the pileum and hind neck more cinnamomeous. Passer gongonensis (Oustalet) Pseudostruthus gongonensis OUSTALET, Le Naturaliste, Ser. 2, Vol. XII, No. 90, December 1, 1890, p. 274 (“Gongoni” [near Mom- basa]). Thirteen specimens: Adult male, Kinya, May 2, 19380. Length, 180 mm. “Iris burnt sienna; bill black.” Adult female, Kinya, May 4, 1930. Length, 180 mm. Adult female, Merile, April 27, 1980. Length, 185 mm. Immature, unsexed, Archer’s Post, May 15, 1930. Length, 185 mm, “Iris brown; bill black; 'egs and feet, citrine drab.” 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 115 Two immature males, Archer’s Post, May 15, 1930. Lengths, 172 and 178, respectively. Seven immature birds, without indication of sex, from Archer’s Post, March 15-21, 1930. All the immature birds are in process of molt. Sorella eminibey Hartlaub S[orella]. Emini Bey HARTLAUB, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXVIII, No. 2, April, 1880, p. 211 (“Lado” [upper Nile]). Four adult males: Two from Kisima Kufuta, May 11, 19380. Lengths, 120 and 123 mm., respectively. One from Merile, April 28, 1930. Length, 123 mm. “Iris sac- cardo umber; bill black; legs and feet, buffy brown.” One from Lasamis, April 20, 1930, Windsor T. White. Length, 119 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill black; legs and feet, pale verona brown.” Gymnoris pyrgita massaica Neumann Gymnoris pyrgita massaica NEUMANN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XXI, No. CXLI, March 30, 1908, p. 70. (“Escarpment Station, Kikuyu” [Kenya Colony]). One adult male, from Kinya, taken on April 30, 1930. Length, 160 mm. Othyphantes reichenewi reichenowi (Fischer and Reichenow) Sycobrotus Reichenowi (FISCHER MS.) FISCHER and REICHENOW, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XXXII, No. 2, April, 1884, p. 180 (“‘Gross- Aruscha, Naiwascha-See”’). Three specimens: Immature male, Crater Lake, March 19, 1930. Length, 164 mm. “Tris brownish olive; bill drab; legs and feet, light drab.” Immature female, Gunga Lake, May 28, 1930. Length, 169 mm. “Tris dark brown; upper mandible fuscous, lower mandible pale ecru drab; legs and feet, deep brownish drab.” Immature female, Gunga Lake, May 24, 1980. Length, 168 mm. These young birds have the upper parts dull olive green, the back and scapulars broadly streaked with fuscous black. The lower surface is entirely yellow, that of the male more golden (less green- ish), the jugulum and flanks tinged with ochraceous. Phormoplectes insignis ornatus (Granvik) Ploceus insignis ornatus GRANVIK, Ornith. Monatsb., Vol. XXX, No. 2, March 1, 1922, p. 40 (“Kiambu bei Nairobi”). One adult male, from Meru, collected on May 26, 1930. Length, 159 mm. “Iris pompeian red; bill black; legs and feet, natal brewn.” The contour feathers and some of the wing quills are in process of molt. 116 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Textor cabanisii kisumui (Van Someren) Hyphantornis intermedius kisumui VAN SOMEREN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XLI, No. CCLX, May 26, 1921, p. 122 (“Kisumu”). Three specimens, from Lasamis: Adult male, April 21, 1930. Adult male, April 25, 19380. Adult female, April 25, 1980, with nest and 1 egg. Since the generic name Textor Temminck, as hereinafter ex- plained’ should replace Sitagra Reichenbach, the specific name inter- medius cannot be employed for the present species, because it would thus be preoccupied by Textor intermedius Cabanis’, which is now Bubalornis albirostris intermedius. The oldest available specific name therefore becomes cabanisii Peters*. For the subspecies cur- rently known as Sitagra intermedia intermedia there is available Hyphantornis intermedius kisimui Van Someren, which is apparently the same bird. This subspecies would therefore have the name Tesxtor cabanisui kisimus (Van Someren). Textor vitellinus uluensis (Neumann) Hyphantornis vitellinus uluensis NEUMANN, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XLVIII, No. 3, July, 1900, p. 282 (“Ulu Berge” (i.e.,Machakos, Kenya Colony]). Seven specimens: Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 138, 1930. Length, 142 mm. “Iris cadmium orange; bill black; legs and feet, light grayish vinaceous.” Adult male, Kisima Kufuta, May 18, 1930. Length, 145 mm. “Tris scarlet; bill black; legs and feet, russet vinaceous.” Two adult males, from Merile, April 27, 1930. Lengths, 146 and 147 mm., respectively. Adult male, Lasamis, April 20, 1930. Length, 151 mm. “Iris orange buff; bill black; legs and feet, brownish drab.” Adult female, Kinya, May 3, 1930. “Upper mandible pale clove brown; legs pale warm sepia.” Juvenal female, Kinya, May 3, 1980. Length, 137 mm. “Tris dark brown; upper mandible pale clove brown, lower mandible pale vinaceous fawn; legs and feet, light payne gray.” This juvenal female differs from the adult of the same sex in having the upper surface almost uniform olive green, with only obscure narrow dull brown shaft streaks on the back and scapulars; and the jugulum lacks ochraceous tinge, being almost clear wax yellow. iCf. postea, pp. 117-118. 2Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XVI, No. 6, November, 1868, p. 413. 2H yphantornis Cabanisii Peters, Journ. f. Ornith., Vol. XVI, No. 2, March, 1868, p. 133 (‘‘Inhambane’’). 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 117 Textor rubiginosus rubiginosus (Riippell) Ploceus rubiginosus RUPPELL, Neue Wirbelth. Faun. Abyss., Vogel, 1835, p. 93, pl. XX XIII, fig. 1 (Temben, Abyssinia). Eleven specimens: Adult male, Merile, April 28, 1930. Length, 168 mm. “Iris brazil red; bill black; legs and feet, deep quaker drab.” Adult male, Merile, April 28, 1930. Length, 167 mm. “Iris brazil red; bill black; legs and feet, quaker drab.” Adult female, Merile, April 28, 1930. Length, 156 mm. “Iris nopal red; bill black; legs and feet, light quaker drab.” Two immature females, Merile, April 28, 1930. Lengths, 152 and 159 mm., respectively. “Iris brazil red; bill black; legs and feet, light quaker drab.” Two adult males, Lasamis, April 21 and 22, 1930. Adult female, Lasamis, April 21, 1930. Three adult males, Lasamis, April 21, 1930. Of the examples listed above, the 2 adult males from Merile and the first 2 from Lasamis are in process of molt. The immature females are darker than adults, more richly rufescent above, and also on the jugulum and sides, with narrow indistinct fuscous shaft streaks on the feathers of the jugulum. The generic name Sitagra Reichenbach, in use for the group to which the present species belongs whether employed in generic or subgeneric sense, should be replaced by Textor Temminck. This arises from the fact that Temminck first made use of Textor as a generic name for Oriolus textor Gmelin (=Oriolus cucullatus Miiller =Hyphantornis vel Sitagra cucullata Auct.) in the following man- ner: “Oriolus textor, Ib. sp. 22 [Latham, Index Ornith., Vol. I, 1790, p.180] est du genre Tisserin (Textor).” Since the present writer has already fully explained’ the rea- sons for this change of generic name, it will be pertinent to quote the following statements there made: “Messrs. Iredale and Bannerman have (Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, XLI, May 26, 1921, pp. 128-129) incidentally cited from Lichtenstein a use of the generic name Textor prior to that of Temminck (Nouv. Rec. Planch. Col., II, livr. 54, February 12, 1825, p. [2] to texte of Genus Oriolus Linn. [in text]), and proposed to consider this Textor Lichtenstein (Verz. Doubl. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 1823, p. 24) ex Tem- minck a tentative synonym of Malimbus Vieillot. Unfortunately, how- ever, Textor here is a nomen nudum. This prior publication of the generic name Textor, to which they refer, appeared in a note headed: ‘Huic familiae adnumeramus species sequentes, in museo nostra obvias.’ The sixth (and last) paragraph of this note reads as follows: ‘F. textrix n. Textor Malimbus Temm. et Africae species complures. Vel ipsa F. Caffra,phalerata, Oryx,ignicolor,quoad rostri formam hue referendae.’ From this it is evident that ‘Textor Malimbus Temm.’ is not intended as a synonym or a substitute for ‘F.textrix n.,’ which precedes it, but merely as one of the species, of which F. textrix and iProc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXXIV, June 30, 1921, p. 137. 118 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV ‘Africae species complures’ are the others. This is still additionally evident from the second sentence of the paragraph of Lichtenstein’s above quoted. Furthermore, the specific name malimbus apparently here for the first time appears in print, as we are unable to find that Temminck ever used it, and it is here, therefore a nomen nudum. This being the case, the generic name Jextor used here in combina- tion with it is likewise invalid from this introduction.” Since the generic name Textor Temminck is thus not preoccupied by Textor Lichtenstein, it should replace Sitagra, as already explained. Hyphanturgus nigricollis melanoxanthus Cabanis Hyphanturgus melanoxanthus CABANIS, Journ. f. Ornith., XXVI, No. 2, April, 1878, p. 205 (“Ost-Afrika” [type locality, Mombasa]). A single adult male, taken at Lasamis on April 25, 1930, is in the collection. The plumage shows only slight evidences of molt. Quelea quelea aethiopica (Sundevall) Ploceus sanguinirostris var. major (Plloceus]. aethiopicus) SUN- DEVALL, Ofv. k. Vet.-Akad. Forh. Stockholm, 1850, p. 126 (Sennar, Egyptian Sudan). Seven specimens: , Adult male, Koroli, April 17, 19380. Length, 140 mm. “Iris brown; eyelids flame scarlet; bill garnet brown; legs and feet, orange cinnamon.” Adult female, Koroli, April 17, 1980. Length, 180 mm. “Eyelids isabella color; bill chamois; legs and feet, vinaceous fawn.” Adult female, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Length, 127 mm. “Bill apricot yellow; legs and feet, vinaceous cinnamon.” Three adult males, Koroli, April 17, 1930. Lengths, 131, 138, and 139 mm., respectively. Adult female, Lasamis, April 21, 1930. The last mentioned female is in process of molt. Euplectes capensis kilimensis Neunzig Euplectes capensis kilimensis NEUNZIG, Zool. Anz., Vol. LX XVIII, Nos. 5-8, September, 1928, p. 115 (“Moschi” [Tanganyika Territory]). One adult male, Gunga Lake, May 20, 1930. Length, 160 mm. This bird is in process of molt from the buffy dress into the black breeding plumage. Euplectes diademata Fischer and Reichenow Euplectes diadematus FISCHER and REICHENOW, Ornith. Cen- tralbl., Vol. III, No. 11, June 1, 1878, p. 88 (“Malindi”). The collection contains a single adult male in fine breeding plumage, obtained at Kisima Kufuta on May 10, 19380. Length, 126 mm. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 119 It is of interest in passing to note that of the species commonly referred to the genus Huplectes, one, Euplectes taha, differs struc- turally so much from the others that it should be removed to a genus of its own. From Euplectes, of which the type is Loxia orix Linnaeus, it is easily separable by. its exceedingly short first (outermost) pri- mary, which is only half as long as the primary coverts instead of nearly or quite as long as these. Furthermore, the feathers of the rump and upper tail coverts are very full and long, reaching to near the end of the tail, whereas in the other species the feathers of rump and upper tail coverts are normal and extend posteriorly over not more than three-quarters of the tail. There is already a generic name available for Huplectes taha in Taha Reichenbach’, of which the type is Euplectes taha Smith. The forms to be referred to this genus are: Taha taha taha (Smith). Taha taha ladoensis (Reichenow). Taha taha stricta (Hartlaub). Taha taha intercedens (Erlanger). Coliuspasser eques (Hartlaub) Vidua eques HARTLAUB, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Vol. for 1863, No. 2, August 1, 1863, p. 106, pl. XV (‘“Kazeh, in eastern Africa” [=Tabora, Tanganyika Territory]). One adult male, from Archer’s Post, May 15, 1930. Length, 188 mm. “Iris dark brown; bill russian blue; legs and feet, black.” There seems to be little evidence that Coliuspasser eques is a subspecies of Coliuspasser albonotatus. Not the slightest indication of intergradation is discernible in any of the considerable series of both examined in the present connection. They are, therefore, apparently better considered distinct species. Coliuspasser laticaudus suahelicus (Van Someren) Penthetria laticauda suahelica VAN SOMEREN, Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club, Vol. XLI, May 26, 1921, p. 121 (‘Nairobi River’). Five specimens, all from Gunga Lake: Adult male, May 20, 1930. Length, 276 mm. Adult male, May 22, 1930. Length, 275 mm. “Iris very dark brown.” Adult male, May 20, 1930. Length, 268 mm. Immature male, May 24, 1930. Length, 218 mm. “Iris brown.” Adult female, May 23, 1930. Length, 141 mm. The first mentioned specimen has still many buff edgings on the feathers of both upper and lower parts. The immature male is in brownish black plumage with a short tail.. Although the present subspecies is by some authors considered a form of Coliuspasser ardens, it seems to be specifically distinct. iSingvogel, 1862, p. 73. 120 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OF THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM Vol. IV Both Coliuspasser ardens ardens and Coliuspasser ardens teitensis have no red on the head, and there seem to be no intermediates be- tween them and Coliuspasser laticaudus which has the hind part of the crown, all the occiput, and the cervix red. Since in this respect Coliuspasser laticaudus suahelicus agrees with C.l.laticaudus it is thus properly considered a subspecies of this. On the other hand Coliuspasser ardens tropicus' seems to be a recognizable race, differing from Coliuspasser ardens ardens in some- what smaller size and broader tail feathers. Uraeginthus cyanocephalus (Richmond) Estrilda cyanocephala RICHMOND, The Auk, Vol. XIV, No. 2, April, 1897, p. 157 (“Useri River, near Mount Kilimanjaro”). One adult male, from Kinya, May 1, 1930. “Iris nopal red; bill light mallow purple, the tip darker; legs and feet, light russet vinaceous.” Steganura paradisaea (Linnaeus) [Emberiza] paradisaea LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. 10, Vol. I, January 1, 1758, p. 178 (“Africa” [=Angola]). One adult male, from Balessa, March 30, 1930, collected by Windsor T. White. Length, 381 mm. Family FRINGILLIDAE Crithagra burtoni albifrons Sharpe Crithagra albifrons SHARPE, The Ibis, Ser. 6, Vol. III, No. 9, January, 1891, p. 118 (“Kikuyu”). A single female was obtained at Gunga Lake on May 28, 1930. Length, 165 mm. “Iris dark brown; upper mandible fuscous, lower mandible drab gray; legs and feet, benzo brown.” There seem to be no trenchant and therefore satisfactory struc- tural characters to separate Loxia sulphurata Linnaeus from Poli- ospiza tristriata (Riippell) and the other species commonly associated with this in the genus Poliospiza, of which Poliospiza tristriata is the type. Although Loxia sulphurata is currently placed in the genus Serinus Koch, it should consequently be removed to the genus Poliospiza. Furthermore since Loxia sulphurata Linnaeus is the type of Crithagra Swainson’ and since this name long antedates Poli- ospiza Bonaparte’, it follows that the generic name Crithagra should supplant Poliospiza for the species now assembled thereunder. 1[Coliuspasser ardens] var. tropica Reichenow, Vogel Afrikas, Vol. III, 1st Halfte, July, 1904, p. 135, in text (“Ost Afrika, von Sambesi nordwarts, und von Angola’ [type from Karema, Tanganyika Territory]). 2Zool. Journ., Vol. III, No. 11, for December, 1827 (1828) p. 348. 8Consp. Gen. Avium, Vol. I, Part 2, 1850, p. 519. 1945 OBERHOLSER — BIRDS FROM KENYA 121 Emberiza poliopleura (Salvadori) Fringillaria poliopleura SALVADORI, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, Ser. 2, Vol. VI, May, 1888, p. 269 (“Sodde, Scioa’”’). Three specimens: Adult male, Koroli, March 26, 1930. Length, 150 mm. “Bill, legs, and feet, wood brown.” Juvenal male, Lasamis, April 22, 1930. Juvenal male, Lasamis, April 23, 1930. All 3 individuals are in process of molt. Sci. Pub. C.M.N.H. | Vol. IV, Plate XV ay nent ES pase / iene Lake Srayttlfe 3 kasut| Plain A WY, "Ny sity PP Ali Wag 4 eA ass ii Boy, ee S Were, Lasams = SIN Ww TIS Merile RA suse RON fdinya Lorian Swamp | Misime kututa J Northern Uase pee 5 eee —— oS Garbatula Kings Camp « /ssolo Sy Coles// Plains . WD \Gun PINS *\) Lake ‘S Meru ws TTD) Vy, Lake i, % Nakura My Ban WA Wes SS, > ith) NY hi wy 77 aM "1 WN iA) stl e Nalrobi ROUTE OF WHITE ~-FULLER EXPEDITION ——eooo Pic TRA OF KE es C0. 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