~~ >? > - G6 . . hod 8 $59) Ox06000040abs0s074be. > 7 etetees by Cos ag Ot Oe er te B & : pagdgest > — or . ps ; + OR Ome ey . ’ ' : ; a i at or © Ooh ee + ee ee hee Siete ee rd seri gh setts sere el oe eee Ge ee ee ee ee ee ee a es eee ee ae ohn ll oe 2 ee ee. ee. ee ee se ehlL CU errr TT eee — = — Ft os : Pompe ered Tae ree >t. 4 ee ct eer SO ae a ua ee ae verry Pr ee 2 rs > i > [ a@ oa ; : ae ' : i - r - > ~~ s aad f j P< j a fy ae «| / : P - - . -~ BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB EDITED BY BR. SEFRPERY: (Gs HARRISON Volume 81 1961 PRICE FOUR SHILLINGS PREFACE IN WRITING my last Preface, after ten years as Editor, it is first my very pleasant duty to thank all the many contributors who have supported the Bulletin during this time. The fact that the Bulletin has been able to expand steadily is due entirely to their efforts and in these years certain trends have occurred in the papers submitted for publication. Initially, African ornithology provided a major proportion of these, but now we have been able to expand in other fields and the material published is more balanced, although the African publications are no less and are always welcome. The number of new species and races being described is falling, as would be expected. At the same time, broader reviews of interspecific variation are being made and papers dealing with phylogenetics, variants and hybrids are increasing. A number have also been published on functional anatomy and on pathology, as well as several on general ornithology. The trend therefore is for longer papers, which often have to be divided between several issues. The short note however, is still most welcome, particularly when trying to complete the last page of an issue. The supply of papers remains excellent. The reasons for this are that the waiting time for publication averages only 7-8 months; all contributors are now sent proofs and receive up to 50 free copies instead of 10 as formerly. Now that the Scientific Index is again being published annually, it is most gratifying that we should have received a Royal Society grant towards the cost of the proposed index to cover the 10-year gap (1950- 1959). At a Special General Meeting held in September, it was agreed that members with fifty years unbroken membership of the Club automatically become life members and the following are to be congratulated upon qualifying under the new rule:— Dr. D. A. Bannerman, Major Antony Buxton, Captain Collingwood Ingram, Sir Philip Manson-Bahr, Colonel _R. M. Meinertzhagen, Mr. D. Seth-Smith and Mr. N. F. Ticehurst. Once again, we are indebted to Mrs. B. P. Hall for the annual Scientific Index and to Mr. C. N. Walter for the List of Authors. Miss E. Forster, Dr. J. M. Harrison, Captain C. R. S. Pitman and Mr. J. J. Yealland have also helped me with the present volume, for which I am very grateful. The numbers attending the B.O.C. meetings in 1961 show an increase of 76 over last year and were as follows:— Members, 205; Temporary associates (home), 2; (overseas), 5; Guest of the Club, Maxwell Knight; Guests, 98; Total 310. Finally, | would like to thank our publishers, the Caxton and Holmes- dale Press, Sevenoaks and particularly the Manager, Mr. K. Wiltsher, for their help and efficiency in dealing with our problems, which are so often outside the usual run of publishing queries. I would also like to wish my successor, John Yealland, and the Bulletin every possible success for the future. JEFFERY HARRISON, Sevenoaks, December 1961. ill COMMITTEE 1959 Captain C. R. S. PITMAN, Chairman (elected 1959). Mrs. B. P. HALL, Vice-Chairman (elected 1959). Dr. J. G. HARRISON, Editor (elected 1952). Miss E. Forster, Secretary (elected 1960). Mr. C. N. WALTER, Hon. Treasurer (elected 1950). Mr. I. J. FERGUSON-LEES (elected 1958). Mr. P. A. D. HOLLoM (elected 1959). Mr. R. S. R. FITTER (elected 1959). Mrs. P. V. UPTON (elected 1960) OFFICERS OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB PAST AND PRESENT Chairmen P. L. SCLATER 1892-1913 LORD ROTHSCHILD 1913-1918 W. L. SCLATER 1918-1924 H. F. WITHERBY 1924-1927 Dr. P. R. LOWE 1927-1930 Major S. S. FLOWER 1930-1932 D. A. BANNERMAN 1932-1935 G. M. MATHEWS 1935-1938 Dr. A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON = 1938-1943 D. SETH-SMITH 1943-1946 Dr. J. M. HARRISON 1946-1949 Sir PHILIP MANSON-BAHR 1949-1953 Colonel R. MEINERTZHAGEN 1953-1956 C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED 1956-1959 Captain C. R. S. PITMAN 1959- Vice-Chairmen LORD ROTHSCHILD 1930-1931 W. L. SCLATER 1931-1932 H. F. WITHERBY 1932-1933 iv Vice-Chairmen—cont. G. M. MATHEWS N. B. KINNEAR H. WHISTLER D. SETH-SMITH Colonel R. SPARROW Dr. G. CARMICHAEL Low Hon. Guy CHARTERIS W. L. SCLATER Dr. D. A. BANNERMAN Capt. C. H. B. GRANT B. W. TUCKER F. J. F. BARRINGTON Dr. E. HOPKINSON C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED Dr. J. M. HARRISON Sir PHILIP MANSON-BAHR B. G. HARRISON Lt.-Colonel W. P. C. TENISON Miss E. M. GODMAN Colonel R. MEINERTZHAGEN Major A. G. L. SLADEN Colonel R. MEINERTZHAGEN Mr. E. M. NICHOLSON Captain C. R. S. PITMAN Mrs. B. P. HALL Editors R. BOWDLER SHARPE W. R. OGILVIE-GRANT D. A. BANNERMAN D. SETH-SMITH Dr. P. R. LOWE N. B. KINNEAR Dr. G. CARMICHAEL LOw Captain C. H. B. GRANT Dr. G. CARMICHAEL Low Lt.-Colonel W. P. C. TENISON Captain C. H. B. GRANT Dr. J. G. HARRISON 1933-1934 1934-1935 1935-1936 1936-1937 1937-1938 1938-1939 1938-1939 1939-1940 1939-1940 1940-1943 1940-1943 1943-1945 1943-1945 1945-1946 1945-1946 1946-1947 1946-1947 1947-1948 1947-1948 1948-1949 1948-1949 1949-1953 1953-1956 1956-1959 1959- 1892-1904 1904-1914 1914-1915 1915-1920 1920-1925 1925-1930 1930-1935 1935-1940 1940-1945 1945-1947 1947-1952 1952-1961 A Vv Honorary Secretaries and Treasurers HOWARD SAUNDERS W. E. DE WINTON H. F. WITHERBY Dr. P. R. LOWE C. G. TALBOT-PONSONBY D. A. BANNERMAN Dr. PHILIP GOSSE J. L. BONHOTE C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED Dr. G. CARMICHAEL Low C. W. MACK WORTH-PRAED Honorary Secretaries Dr. A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON C. R. STONOR N. B. KINNEAR Dr. G. CARMICHAEL Low Lt.-Colonel W. P. C. TENISON Captain C. H. B. GRANT W. E. GLEGG Miss G. M. RHODES N. J. P. WADLEY Miss E. FORSTER Honorary Treasurers C. W. MACK WORTH-PRAED Major A. G. L. SLADEN Miss E. P. LEACH C. N. WALTER 1892-1899 1899-1904 1904-1914 1914-1915 1915-1918 1918-1919 1919-1920 1920-1922 1922-1923 1923-1929 1929-1935 1935-1938 1938-1940 1940-1943 1943-1945 1945-1947 1947 1947-1949 1949-1950 1950-1960 1960- 1935-1936 1936-1942 1942-1949 1950- vi LIST OF MEMBERS AS AT 3lst OCTOBER 1961 Amended as follows :— New Members BairD, D. E., The Edward Grey Institute, Botanic Gardens, Oxford. BOULTON, Rudyerd, Atlantica Ecological Research Station, Southern Rhodesia. CALDWELL, Lt. Col. F. G., 0.8.£., c/o National Provincial Bank Ltd., 96/97, Strand, W.C.2. CorTrTre.i, G. W. Jnr., R.F.D., 2 Hillsboro, New Hampshire, U.S.A. Downs, Dr. W. G., 10 Halstead Lane, Pine Orchard, Connecticut, U.S.A. Eppy, Miss M. G., Tapline, Beirut, Lebanon. Feeny, P. P., 7 Sir Harry’s Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, 15. GALBRAITH, C. J., British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, S.W.7. Goopwin, Miss V., Little Orchard, Rowe Holt, Nr. Wimborne. Hitt, D. S., Dept. of Zoology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Humpureys, Commander J. N., R.N. Staff College, Greenwich, S.E.10. Lawson, W. J., Durban Museum & Art Gallery, City Hall, Smith Street, Durban, South Africa. Lona, R. C., Chididi Mission, P.O. Box 14, Port Herald, Nyasaland. LonGuHurstT, Mrs. A. R., 1 Newington Green Road, Canonbury, N.1. Scott, R. E., Dungeness Bird Observatory, Dungeness, Romney Marsh, Kent. TROLLOPE, J., 37 Station Road, Hounslow, Middlesex. VAN OosTEN, Jan R., 3010 North 14th, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A. VAN OrDEN, Chr., Zwolseweg 333, Apeldoorn, Netherlands. VIOLA, Miss P., 27 Earls Court Gardens, S.W.5. WaArb, P., Regional Research Station, Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria. Wixuis, G. S., 397 Folkestone Road, Dover, Kent. Woopcock, M. W., 27 Selborne Road, Sidcup, Kent. Woopwarp, lan D. W., **‘ Lavrock’’, 66 Oak Street, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. Resigned or died ALLEN, J., ‘“‘Cleveland’’, Longfield Avenue, New Barn, Longfield, Dartford, Kent. BROWNLOw, Lt. Col. H. G., Monomark BM/DIPPER, London, W.C.1. GILBERT, Capt. H. A., Bishopstone, Bridge Sollars, Nr. Hereford. SLADEN, Major A. G., Crabtree, Furlong, Haddenham, Aylesbury, Bucks. LIST OF AUTHORS, Etc. Page ACCOUNTS, FINANCIAL ... se a +. aha! is pik “fs ¢ 74 A NATIONAL BIRD FOR BRITAIN ous of as ian isd oy Fak 3 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ... a amt ve Sai Pos Ay ~ 77 AN ORNITHOLOGICAL BRAINS TRUST as on Fe =) 7: ma | Asn, J. S. A melanistic C opal ih te i colly it in Dorset a ar 81 Dwarfism in a Pheasant eo . ar say 95 Beer, J. V. and Storey, G. W An ovarian tumour in a Mallard is ¥/ Sad * ve be, 153 Benson, C. W. A note on Euplectes axillaris ... Ao is 8 Aa ee 6 Jacanas and other birds perching on hippo .. sae ta - 7. 85 Some notes from Northern Rhodesia oes Pe ie fot Sh TS . 5 , Vil Page BENSON, C. W., BOULTON, R. and IRwin, M. P. Stuart © Some records from the Mpika and Serenje Districts, Northern Rhodesia 3 BENSON, C. W. and IRwin, M. P. Stuart The range of Tchagra minuta reichenowi ic ne ir oe 8 BENSON, C. W. and Pitman, Capt. Charles R. S. Further breeding records from Northern Rhodesia (No. 2) ae 2 ASG BOULTON, R. See BENSON, C. W. CHAPIN, James P. What is Tchitrea melampyra Hartlaub, 1857? bi oe = tian fea _ CLANCEY, BA. On western Palaearctic Anthus pratensis (Linnaeus) 10 The South African races of the Red-billed Firefinch Lagonostic ta senegala (Linnaeus) ... 17 A new race of the Violet-eared Waxbill Granatina ‘granatina (Linnaeus) from southern Portuguese East Africa ... 34 Geographical variation in the South African populations of the Magpie- Shrike Lanius melanoleucus Jardine 52 On the South African subspecies of the Variegated Honeyguide Indicator variegatus Lesson... 56 Further comments on the taxonomy of British Anthus pr atensis (Linnaeus) 147 See WILLIAMSON, Kenneth CLANcEY, P. A. and LAwson, W. J. On the polytypic variation of the Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythror- hynchus (Stanley), with the characters of a new subspecies hes 128 CLANCEY, P. A. and WINTERBOTTOM, J. M. On racial variation in Zosterops pallida Swainson, sens. strict. ... a. 35 Comins, Derek M. a A note on the Sand Crab bie oe SP as a Bae) of birds in South Africa .. fs 111 XIII CONGRESSUS INTERNATIONALIS ORNITHOLOGICUS cs. sil a sit 112 COURTENAY-LATIMER, M. On the races of the Stonechat occurring in the Cape Province, South Africa, with the description of a new form ts + : We. i14 _DRIver, Pa. e. M. The behaviour of Sea Ducklings be: iis aig “vs Ai vw. Je ENGLAND, Derrick A bird photographer in Spain Mr hah “< ani fe we he FINNIS, R. G. Song variation in the Great Tit, Parus major newtoni Fitter, R. S. R. Some reflections on the British List, with special reference to the unwritten rule that rare birds may not now be shot Tt ef “ely id 93 HALL, Mrs. B. P. Is Muscicapa gabela an Akalat? ies i es = 45 The status of Mirafra pulpa and Mir afr a candida 108 The relationship of the Guinea-Fowls Agelastes meleagric ides Bonaparte and Phasidus niger Cassin ... at eA 132 Harrison, C. J. O. A variant plumage of the See Wagtail Motacilla flava thunbergi Billberg Note on some eggs and nests attributed to > the Stork- billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis (Linne) HARRISON, Dr. James M. The significance of some plumage phases of the House-Sparrow, Passer domesticus amira vac and the stun omusied Passer 1 ene Temminck Part I Part Il HARRISON, Dr. James M. and Harrison, Dr. Jeffery G. Variant winter plumage of the female Tufted Duck Albinistic Paes in the Mallard, bie At. Mandarin a and Savadori’s s Ducks ; : Harrison, Dr. Jeffery G. A comparative study of the method of skull pneumatisation in certain birds See HARRISON, Dr. James M. Harrop, J. H. African Serpent Eagle in Sierra Leone HorvaTH, L. The evolutionary significance of pecs imaite aberrations in the si cs sae Pyrrhula pyrrhula Linnaeus FS x Irwin, M. P. Stuart The anomaly of the Sar td al Be Swallows of the oe holo- melaena-orientalis group of races . i : See BENSON, C. W. JOHNSGARD, Paul A. The systematic position of the Marbled Teal Keve, Dr. Andrew A new race of the Little Ow! from Transylvania KNIGHT, Maxwell Hand-rearing of birds KOHL, Stephen See Keve, Dr. Andrew Lawson, W. J. On the question of the occurrence of Peters’ Twinspot Hypargos niveo- guttatus (Peters) in Sul do Save, Southern Mozambique ... The distribution of the races of Bradornis pallidus (V. Muller) in Southern Africa with the description of a new race The South African races of the Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos (Wagler) Comments on the geographical variation in Cc arols’ Penduline Tit Antho- scopus caroli (Sharpe) in southern Africa . 7 ses - See CLANCEY, P. A. Lawson, T. R. See SaGe, Bryan L. MARCHANT, S. Observations on the paveeae of the cae Prerocles one and senegallus 47 141 96 119 103 168 12 52 66 124 37 51 77 54 71 87 149 134 ix Moreau, R. E. Passerine migration across the Mediterranean and the Sahara PARKES, Kenneth C. A substitute name for a Philippine Tailor-bird _PirMaNn, Capt. Charles R. S. The Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyanus tropicalis Peters a host of the Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius Stephens in Southern Rhodesia More aquatic predators of birds Part I a a. it Part II Part III Nile Crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus versus Spurwing Goose se Plectropterus gambensis ; he ; sie Birds perching on Hippopotamus Unusual nesting behaviour of the House Sparrow, Pas ser : domesticus (L.) See BENSON, C. W. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE Ripcey, S. Dillon The validity of a substitute name SAGE, Bryan L. and LAwson, T. R. Greater Black-backed Gull with massive infestation of a parasitic worm ... Simpson, C. David The African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus (Gmelin) SmiTH, K. D. On the Clamorous Reed-Warbler Aeracepeatis stentoreus ae & Ehrenberg) in Eritrea ; ~ SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING Storey, G. W. See BEER, J. V. _ TEN YEAR SCIENTIFIC INDEX FOR THE ** BULLETIN”’ TRAYLOR, Melvin A. } A new race of Parus funereus (Verreaux) Two new birds from Angola “24 New name for Estrilda jamesoni benguellensis Delacour VAURIE, Charles a. A new subspecies of the Nubian Bustard is Voous, K. H. ‘ ‘Geographical variation in the Black Woodpecker ... S Wuite, C. M. N. The African Rough winged Swallows % A new form of Spike-heeled Lark from Bechuanaland eh Variation in Macronyx croceus Vieillot ve >, Notes on :— 3 Eremomela icteropygialis a ae African Thrushes Part! __.... 2 Part II African species of Turdus Oenanthe pileata Gmelin — Page WILLIAMSON, Kenneth On western Palaearctic Anthus pratensis (Linnaeus) e sh Sy 1] See CLANCEY, P. A. WINTERBOTTOM, J. M. Note on the relations of the species of Wagtails_ ... 2 Ser ay 46 See CLANCEY, P. A. WooDWARD, lan D. Pied Blackbird with symmetrical markings ... 7 co es i 20 INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES _ All generic and specific names are indexed. Only new subspecific names are included: these are indexed under the generic name in heavy type, and under the subspecific name. abyssinicus, Turdus 164~-166 Accipiter melanoleucus !58 — rufiventris 145 Acrocephalus arundinaceus 29 — stentoreus 28-29 Actophilornis africanus 80, 82-85, 158 acuta, Anas 171 aegyptiacus, Alopochen 148 aeruginosus, Circus 158 aethiopicus, Threskiornis 148 afra, Pytilia 163 africana, Mirafra 4,110 africanus, Actophilornis 80, 82-85, 185 africanus, Phalacrocorax 80, 85, 148 agaze, Neotis nuba 26 Agelastes meleagrides 132 — niger 132 Agelaus phoeniceus 105 Agrobates 151 aguimp, Motacilla 85, 148 Aix galericulata 168-172 — sponsa 105 alba, Egretta 146 alba, Motacilla 46-47 alba, Porphyrio 80, 106 albicapilla, Cossypha 151 albiceps, Psalidoprocne 29-32, 163 albicilla, Haliaeetus 50 albicollis, Corvus 163 albicollis, Muscicapa 122 albifrons, Amblyospiza 6 albofasciata, Chersomanes 33 Alcedo atthis 4 alchata, Pterocles 133-141 Alethe anomala 152 — castanea 44 — poliocephala 44-45 Alethe poliocephala hallae subsp. nov. 44 -alleni, Porphyrio 80 alleni, Porphyrula 106 Alopochen 79 Alopochen aegyptiacus 148 Amblyiospiza albifrons 6 Anas 32-42 Anas acuta 171 Anas angustirostris 37-42 — bahamensis 155 — capensis 38 — clypeata 168, 172 — crecca 169-170 — erythrorhyncha 80 — flavirostris 39, 169-171 — platyrhynchos 60, 107, 153-156, 168-172 : — punctata 40 — querquedula 40 — sparsa 60-61, 106-107 — strepera 171 — undulata 106 — versicolor 40 — waigiuensis 168-172 Anastomus lamelligerus 157 anchietae, Buccanodon 4 angolensis, Phormoplectes 5 angustirostris, Anas 37-42 angustirostris, Marmoretta 37-42 Anhinga anhinga 146 — rufa 78-80, 148 anhinga, Anhinga 146 anomala, Alethe 152 anomala, Bessonornis 152 ansorgei, Cossypha 152 ansorgei, Xenocopsychus 152 Anthoscopus caroli 5, 149-150 Anthus caffer 147 — _ leucophrys 4 — pratensis 10-12, 147-148 apivorus, Pernis 4, 133 Apus caffer 161 archeri, Alethe 152 archeri, Bessonornis 152 Ardea cinerea 146 — goliath 85, 146 Ardeola ibis 85, 148 argentatus, Larus 50, 58-59 aridula, Cisticola 4 armatus, Hoplopterus 80, 106 Artomyias fuliginosa 146 arundinaceus, Acrocephalus 29 Athene noctua 51-52 5 Athene noctua daciae subsp. nov. 5| atra, Fulica 107 atratus, Cygnus 170 atricapilla, Sylvia 122 atricollis, Eremomela 4 atrogularis, Orthotomos 33 atthis, Alcedo 4 aurantiaca, Pyrrhula 69 axillaris, Euplectes 6-7 Aythya 38-42, 169 Aythya ferina 38, 170 — fuligula 103-105, 170 — marila 170 — novae-zeelandiae 170 — nyroca 40, 170 baboecala, Bradypterus 146 bahamensis, Anas 155 barbata, Tychaedon 151 barlowi, Chersomanes albofasciata 33 bengalensis, Sterna 50 bergii, Thalasseus 58 Bessonornis, anomala 152 — archeri 152 — humeralis 152 bicinctus, Pterocles 160 bicolor, Dendrocygna 60, 79, 106-107 bocagei, Cossypha 152 boehmi, Muscicapa 162 Bostrychia hagedashia 157 Bradornis pallidus 71-73 Bradornis pallidus divisus subsp. noy. 73 Bradypterus baboecala 146 Buccanoden anchietae 4 Budytes flavus 148 bullockoides, Melittophagus 81, 106 Bulweria bulwerii 59-60 _ bulwerii, Bulweria 59-60 Buphagus 86 Buphagus erythrorhynchus 128-131 Buphagus erythrorhynchus scotinus subsp nov, 130 Burhinus capensis 159 caeruleus, Elanus 158 _ caffer, Anthus 147 caffer, Apus 161 caffra, Cossypha 152 -Cairina moschata 168-172 _ — scutulata 169-170 candida, Mirafra 108-111 _ cantillans, Mirafra 108-111 canus, Larus 50, 60 capensis, Anas 38 ; capensis, Burhinus 159 ; capensis, Microparra 158 capensis, Motacilla 47 capensis, Pelargopsis 141-143 capicola, Streptopelia 80 Caprimulgus natalensis 4 caprius, Chrysococcyx 161 carbo, Phalocrocorax 50, 78-79 xi caroli, Anthoscopus 5, 149-150 caryophyllacea, Rhodonessa 41 cassini, Muscicapa 147 castanea, Alethe 44 Cercomela dubia 118 — familiaris 118, 146 — melanura 118 — schlegelii 118 — scotocerca 118 — sinuata 118 — tractrac 118 Cercotrichas 151 Ceryle rudis 143, 148 Chaetops 118-119, 151 chalcospilos, Turtur 86-90 chalybea, Psalidoprocne 31 Charadrius tricollaris 158 Chersomanes albofasciata 33 Chersomanes albofasciata barlowi subsp. nov. 33 chiniana, Cisticola 4 Chlidonias leucoptera 148 Chlorocichla flavicollis 4 — flaviventris 162 chloropus, Gallinula 79 Chrysococcyx caprius 161 Ciconia nigra 157 cinerea, Ardea 146 cinerea, Motacilla 46-47 cinnamomeiventris, Thamnolea 119 Circus aeruginosa 158 cirrocephalus, Larus 159 Cisticola aridula 4 — chiniana 4 — fulvicapilla 4, 146 — galactotes 6 — melanura 146 — pearsoni 146 — tinniens 146 citreola, Motacilla 47 clanceyi, Saxicola torquata 116 Clangula hyemalis 113-114 clara, Motacilla 4, 46-47, 162 clypeata, Anas 168-172 colchicus, Phasianus 95-96, 121 collybita, Phylloscopus 81-82 Columba livia 17 — oenas 17 — palumbus 17 communis, Sylvia 122 conspicillatus, Pelecanus 79, 106 Coracia pyrrhocorax 13-17 Coracias garrulus 133 corax, Corvus 140 coromandelianus, Nettapus 79 corone, Corvus 12-17 Corvus albicollis 163 — corax 140 — corone 12-17 — frugilegus 12-17 — monedula 12-17 corythaix, Tauraco 161 Cossypha albicapilla 151 — ansorgei 152 — bocagei 152 — caffra 152 — cyanocampter 152 — dichroa 152 — heinrichi 151 — heuglini 151-152 Cossypha humeralis 152 — _ isabellae 152 — natalensis 152 — niveicapilla 152 — polioptera 152 — roberti 152 — semirufa 152 Cossyphicula roberti 152 crecca, Anas 169-171 cristatus, Podiceps 50 croceus, Macronyx 34 cucullatus, Orthotomus 33 Cuculus solitarius 48-49 Cyanecula wolfi 27-28 cyanocampter, Cossypha 152 Cyanosylvia suecica 133 Cygnus atrata 170 — olor 61, 107 cyornithopsis, Sheppardia 45-46 daciae, Athene noctua 51 decoratus, Pterocles 80, 106 Delichon 60, 107 Dendrocopus major 64 Dendrocygna bicolor 60, 79, 106-107 — vidua 148 dichroa, Cossypha 152 divisus, Bradornis pallidus 73 domesticus, Gallus 121 domesticus, Passer 12-17, 96-103, 119- 123, 148-149 Dryocopus martius 62-66 Dryotriarchus spectabilis 52 dubia, Cercomela 118 Egretta alba 146 Elanus caeruleus 158 Emarginata sinuata 118-119 Eremomela atricollis 4 — icteropygialis 90-92 — salvadori 92 Eremomela icteropygialis viriditincta subsp. nov. 91 ericetorum, Turdus 25 Erithacus suecicus 27-28 erythaca, Pyrrhula 68-69 erythrocephala, Pyrrhula 68-69 Erythropygia 151 erythrorhyncha, Anas 80 erythrorhynchus, Buphagus 128-131 erythrorhynchus, Tockus 161 xii = Estrilda jamesoni kabisombo nom. nov. . 164 Estrilda melanotis 5 Eudyptula minor 57 Euplectes axillaris 6-7 europaea, Sitta 64 expressus, Lanius melanoleucus 54 Falco fasciinucha 145 familiaris, Cercomela 118, 146 fasciinucha, Falco 145 ferina, Aythya 38, 170 flava, Motacilla 47-48 flavicollis, Cholorocichla 4 flavirostra, Limnocorax 86 flavirostris, Anas 39, 169-170 flaviventris, Chlorocichla 162 flavus, Budytes 148 frugilegus, Corvus 12-17 Fulica atra 60, 107 fuliginosa, Artomyias 146 fuliginosa, Psalidoprocne 32-33 fuligiventer, Phylloscopus 82 fuligula, Aythya 103-105, 170 fulvicapilla, Cisticola 4, 146 funereus, Parus 3 fuscata, Sterna 59, 107 fuscatus, Phylloscopus 82 fuscus, Larus 50, 60 gabela, Muscicapa 45—46 gabela, Parus funereus 3 gabela, Sheppardia 46 galactotes, Cisticola 6 galericulata, Aix 168-172 Gallinago nigripennis 159 Gallinula chloropus 79 Gallus domesticus 121 gambensis, Plectropterus 112 garrulus, Coracias 133 Garrulus glandarius 13-17, 147 Gavia stellatus 50 glandarius, Garrulus 13-17, 147 Glareola nuchalis 85, 148 goliath, Ardea 85, 146 Granatina granatina 34-35 granatina, Granatina 34-35 Granatina granatina retusa subsp. nov. 34 grandis, Motacilla 46 grylle, Uria 50, 60 gurial, Pelargopsis 141 gutturalis, Pterocles 160 hagedashia, Bostrychia 157 Halcyon pileata 142-143 — smyrnensis 142-143 Haliaeetus albicilla 50 hallae, Alethe poliocephala 44 heinrichi, Cossypha 151 heterolaemus, Phyllergates 33 heuglini, Cossypha 151-152 Hirundo 60, 106-107 Hirundo rustica 79 hirundo, Sterna 50 hispanica, Oenanthe 133 _ hispaniolensis, Passer 96-103, 119-123 -holomelaena, Psalidoprocne 29-32, 124— 128 Hoplopterus armatus 80, 106 humeralis, Bessonornis 152 humeralis, Cossypha 152 -hyemalis, Clangula 113-141 Hypargos margaritatus 55 — niveoguttatus 54-55 _ hypermetra, Mirafra 110 hypoleuca, Muscicapa 122 hypoleucos, Tringa 86, 148 _ ibis, Ardeola 85, 148 icteropygialis, Eremomela 90-92 Indicator variegatus 56 isabellae, Cossypha 152 Ixobrychus 157 jamesoni, Estrilda 164 kabisombo, Estrilda jamesoni 164 Karrucincla schlegelii, 118-119 Lagonosticta rubricata 5 — rufopicta 5 — senegala 17-19 ee eerns, ees 157 - Laniarius 1 Lanius > ae 52-54 _Lanius melanoleucus expressus subsp. nov. 54 Larus argentatus 50, 58-59 - — canus 50, 60 _ — cirrocephalus 159 — fuscus 50, 60 ‘Larus marinus 49-50, 60 _ — ridibundus 50, 60, 96, 155 _ leucogenys, Pyrrhula 69 _ leucophrys, Anthus 4 _ leucoptera, Childonias 148 leucosticta, Tychaedon 151 _ libonyanus, Turdus 48-49, 164-166 _ Limnocorax flavirostra 86 litsipsirupa, Turdus 166 livia, Columba 17 - longicaudus, Stercorarius 50 7 ~ Lophonetta specularoides 38 Luscinia suecicus 27 _ Macrodipteryx vexillarius 146 -Macronyx croceus 34 eee spatensis, Motacilla _ magna, Philomela 27 major, Dendrocopus 64 major, Parus 21-25 major, Philomela 28 mangbettorum, Psalidoprocne 31-32 margaritatus, Hypargos 55 marila, Aythya 170 marina, Pelagodroma 58 marinus, Larus 49-50, 60 Marmoretta angustirostris 37-42 martius, Dryocopus 62-66 melaena, Pentholaea 119 melampyra, Tchitrea 144-145 melanoleucus, Accipiter 158 melanoleucus, Lanius 52—54 melanoleucus, Urolestes 53—54 melanotis, Estrilda 5 melanotos, Sarkidiornis 80 melanura, Cercomela 118 melanura, Cisticola 146 meleagrides, Agelastes 132 Melittophagus bullockoides 81, 106 merganser, Mergus 169-170 Mergus merganser 169-170 — serrator 113-114 merula, Turdus 20 Microparra capensis 158 minor, Eudyptila 57 minuta, Tchagra 8-9 minutus, Ixobrychus 157 Mirafra africana 4, 110 — candida 108-111 — cantillans 108-111 — hypermetra 110 — pulpa 108-111 — williamsi 108-111 mollisima, Somateria 113-114 monachus, Neophron 157 monedula, Corvus 12-17 Monticola 119 monticola, Oenanthe 43-44 Monticola rupestris 111 morio, Onychognathus 163 moschata, Cairina 168-172 Motacilla aguimp 85, 148 — alba 46-47 — capensis 47 — cinerea 46-47 — citreola 47 — clara 4, 46-47, 162 — flava 47-48 — grandis 46 — madaraspatensis 46 Muscicapa albicollis 122 Muscicapa boehmi 162 — cassini 147 — gabela 45-46 — hypoleuca 122 Musophaga rossae 16] Myrmecocichla 118-119 natalensis, Caprimulgus 4 natalensis, Cossypha 152 Nectarinia olivacea 5, 163 verticalis 5, 163 neglecta, Phylloscopus 82 Neophron monachus 157 Neotis nuba 26-27 Neotis nuba agaze subsp. nov. 26 Netta 38-42, 166 Netta rufina 38-40, 170 Nettapus coromandelianus 79 niger, Phasidus 132 nigra, Ciconia 157 nigricauda, Oenanthe ankeoll 43 nigripennis, Gallinago 159 nipalensis, Pyrrhula 69 nitens, Psalidoprocne 29-33 niveicapilla, Cossypha 152 niveoguttatus, Hypargos 54—55 noctua, Athene 51-52 novae-zeelandiae, Aythya 170 nuba, Neotis 26-27 nuchalis, Glareola 85, 148 nyroca, Aythya 40, 170 ochrurus, Phoenicurus 122 Oenanthe 43, 118-119 Oenanthe hispanica 133 monticola 43-44 Oenanthe monticola nigricauda subsp. nov. 43 oenas, Columba 17 oleaginea, Psalidoprocne 43); Oligura 28 olivacea, Nectarinia 6 olor, Cygnus 61, 107 onocrotalus, Pelecanus 58 orientalis, Psalidoprocne 29-31, 124-128 Oriolus oriolus 133 oriolus, Oriolus 133 Orthotomus atrogularis 33 cucullatus 33 Orthotomus atrogularis rabori nom. nov. pallida, Zosterops 35-36 pallidus, Bradornis 71—73 palumbus, Columba 17 paradisea, Vidua 163 paradoxus, Syrrhaptes 136 parasiticus, Stercorarius 50 Parus funereus 3 Parus funereus gabela ubsps. nov. 3 Parus major 21-25 Passer domesticus, 12-17, 96-103, 119- 123, 148-149 hispaniolensis 96-103, 119-123 pearsoni, Cicticola 146 Pelagodroma marina 58 Pelargopsis capensis 141-143 gurial 141 Pelecanus 80 Pelecanus conspicillatus 79, 106 onocrotalus 58 XIV peli, Scotopelia 161 pelios, Turdus 164-166 Pentholaea melaena 118-119 Pernis apivorus 4, 133 petiti, Psalidoprocne 31 Petronia petronia 133 petronia, Petronia 133 Phalacrocorax africanus 80, 85, 148 carbo 50, 78-79 Phasianus colchicus 95-96, 121 Phasidus niger 132 Philomela magna 27 major 28 philomela, Sylvia 28 phoeniceus, Agelaus 105 Phoenicurus 119 Phoenicurus ochrurus 122 Phormoplectes angolensis 5 Phyllergates heterolaemus 33 Phylloscopus collybita 81-82 fuligiventer 82 fuscatus 82 neglecta 82 Pica pica 12-17 pica, Pica 12-17 Picus viridis 133 pileata, Halcyon 142-143 pileata, Oenanthe 166-168 Pinarochroa 118-119 Pinarornis 151 Platalea 80, 106 platyrhynchos, Anas 60, 107, 153-156, 168-172 Plectropterus gambensis 112 Ploceus 151 Ploceus xanthopterus 6 Pnoepyga 28 Podiceps crisrtatus 50 ruficollis 61, 81 poliocephala, Alethe 44-45 polioptera, Cossypha 152 pomarinus, Stercorarius 50 Porphyrio alba, 80, 106 alleni 80 Porphyrula alleni 106 pratensis, Anthus 10-12, 147-148 pristoptera, Psalidoprocne 32-33 Psalidoprocne albiceps 29-32, 163 chalybea 31 fuliginosa 32-33 holomelaena 29-32, 124-128 mangbettorum 31-32 nitens 29-33 oleaginea 32 orientalis 29-31, 124-128 petiti 31 pristoptera 32-33 Pterocles alchata 133-141 bicinctus 160 decoratus 80, 106 gutturalis 160 _ Pterocles senegallus 133-141 _pulpa, Mirafra 108-111 punctata, Anas 40 pyrrhocorax, Coracia 13-17 Pyrrhula aurantiaca 69 erythaca 68-69 erythrocephala 68-69 leucogenys 69 — nipalensis 69 pyrrhula 64-70 pyrrhula, Pyrrhula 64, 66-70 Pytilia afra 163 — quadrivirgata, Tychaedon 151 Quelea 106 Quelea quelea 80 ~ quelea, Quelea 80 querquedula, Anas 40 rabori, Orthotomus atrogularis 33 retusa, Granatina granatina 34 Rhodonessa caryophyllacea 41 ridibundus, Larus 50, 60, 96, 155 Rissa tridactyla 50 roberti, Cossypha 152 roberti, Cossyphicula 152 rossae, Musophaga 161 -rubricata, Lagonosticta 5 _ rudis, Ceryle 143, 148 rufa, Anhinga 78, 80, 148 ruficollis, Podiceps 61, 81 rufina, Netta 38-40, 170 rufiventris, Accipiter 145 _ rufocinerea, Tchitrea 144-145 rufopicta, Lagonosticta 5 rupestris, Monticola 111 rustica, Hirundo 79 salvadori, Eremomela 92 _ Sarkidiornis melanotos 80 Saxicola 118-119 - Saxicola toquata 114-117 Saxicola torquata clanceyi subsp. nov. 116 schlegelii, Cercomela 118 schlegelii, Karrucincla 118 scotinus, Buphagus erythrorhynchus 130 scotocerca, Cercomela 118 5 Scotopelia peli 161 ‘ scutulata, Cairina 169-170 _ semirufa, Cossypha 152 semirufa, Thamnolea 119 _ Senegala, Lagonosticta 17-19 _ senegallus, Pterocles 133-141 -Sericea, Sylvia 28 _Serrator, Mergus | 13-114 Sheppardia cyornithopsis 45 _ — gabela 46 @ sharpei 45-46 * sharpei, Sheppardia 45-46 - Signata, Tychaedon 151 Sinuata, Emarginata 118 + - os XV Sitta europaea 64 smyrnensis, Halcyon 142-143 solitarius, Cucullus 48—49 Somateria mollisima 113-114 sparsa, Anas 60-61, 106-107 spectabilis, Dryotriorchis 52 specularoides, Lophonetta 38 sponsa, Aix 105 stagnatalis, Tringa 78 stellatus, Gavia 50 stentoreus, Acrocephalus 28-29 Stercorarius longicaudus 50 — parasiticus 50 — pomarinus 50 Sterna bengalensis 50 — fuscata 59, 107 — hirundo 50 strepera, Anas 171 Streptopelia capicola 80 Sturnus vulgaris 12-17, 60 suecica, Cyanosylvia 133 suecicus, Erithacus 27-28 suecicus, Luscinia 27 Sylvia atricapilla 122 — communis 122 — philomela 28 — sericea 28 Syrrhaptes paradoxus 136 Tauraco corythaix 161 Tchagra minuta 8—9 Tchitrea melampyra 144-145 — rufocinerea 144-145 — viridis 145 Thalasseus bergii 58 Thamnolea cinnamomeiventris 119 — semirufa 118-119 Threskiornis aethiopicus 148 tinniens, Cisticola 146 Tockus erythrorhynchus 161 torquata, Saxicola 114-117 torquatus, Turdus 20 tractrac, Cercomela 118 tricollaris, Charadrius 158 tridactyla, Rissa 50 Tringa hypoleucos 86, 148 — stagnatalis 78 Turdus 151 Turdus abyssinicus 164-166 — ericetorum 25 — libonyanus 48-49, 164-166 — litsipsirupa 166 — merula 20 — olivaceus 162, 164-166 — pelios 164-166 torquatus 20 Turtur chalcospilos 86-90 Tychaedon barbata 151 — leucosticta 151 — quadrivirgata 151 — signata 151 undulata, Anas 106 Uria grylle 50, 60 Urolestes melanoleucus 53-54 vaalensis, Zosterops 36 variegatus, Indicator 56 versicolor, Anas 40 verticalis, Nectarinia 5, 163 vexillarius, Macrodipteryx 146 vidua, Dendrocygna 148 Vidua paradisea 163 viridis, Picus 133 viridis, Tchitrea 145 xVi viriditincta, Eremomela icteropygialis 91 vulgaris, Sturnus 12-17, 60 waigiuensis, Anas 168-172 williamsi, Mirafra 108-111 wolfi, Cyanecula 27-28 Xanthophilus xanthops 79 xanthops, Xanthophilus 79 xanthopterus, Ploceus 6 Xenocopsychus ansorgei 152 Zosterops pallida 35-36 — vaalensis 36 The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 24 South Park, Sevenoaks X\ ines Woe ioe BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB \¢ Edited by Dr. JEFFREY HARRISON Volume 81 January No. | 196] Peyu A) ‘2PElIDOIONTMAO a Tes 2 a See eae 1961 Vol. 81 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 42 JAN i: 4 Volume 81 a Number | PU RCHASEL Published: |! th January, 1961 The five hundred and eighty-sixth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, S.W.7., on 20th December, 1960. Chairman: CAPTAIN C. R. S. PITMAN Members present, 46; Guests, 14; Total, 60. An Ornithological Brains Trust The Christmas meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club took the form of a Brains Trust, Sir Landsborough Thomson being the Chairman and Miss Phyllis Barclay- Smith, Sir Julian Huxley and Dr. W. H. Thorpe making up the panel. The selected questions ranged over a wide field of ornithological matters and there were some supplementary questions and comments from a large and appreciative gathering. (1) What benefit, if any, has the study of ornithology been to mankind? After some discussion as to what constituted a benefit, it was agreed that ornithology had played an important and leading part in fields of biological revelation. A study of ornithology fostered friendly relations with other peoples and by reason of its many facets it attracted the interest of many, both amateur and professional. Large numbers of people derived an aesthetic benefit from the observation of birds. As to the birds themselves, there were instances of their practical value to mankind and many people gained pleasure and knowledge from the keeping of them as pets. (2) Observations on ringed bulbuls in Cape Province have shown that, while young hens lay a clutch of only two eggs, they graduate to three eggs in subsequent seasons. Is it not probable that, contrary to usual belief, clutch size in all species is more in- fluenced by the age of the hen than by good or bad seasons? The clutch size of, for instance, the short-eared owl is known to be higher in times of food abundance and undoubtedly the food supply has an effect. Much would depend on the species of bird and first year statistics. Much would depend on the species of bird and first year statistics would bulk large because of the mortality factor. (3) Would it be an advantage if the numbers at International Ornithological Con- gresses were limited by invitation? It was considered a mistake to limit numbers by invitation and very difficult to decide what the limit should be. It is naturally essential that the subjects to be considered should be adequately covered by those competent to speak upon them. It is important that the young ornithologist should have an opportunity of attending, but if very large numbers of people are present, the place tends to become like a ‘‘mad-house’’. There was a supplementary suggestion to the effect that the numbers of papers might be limited so as to permit more time for discussion. (4) Although a high degree of specialisation is usually associated with the least primitive birds, are not, in fact, the most successful species those which are most adaptable and therefore least specialised? Vol. 81 2 1961 This was considered to beg at least six different questions and the whole matter needed to be examined in relation to specific cases. Adaptability itself might be a form of specialisation. (5) What in your opinion are the most distressing features of the modern interest in ornithology? At least one member of the panel felt no distress, though he preferred to be alone when observing rare birds. Undue interest in rare breeding birds can be a danger and precautions are necessary to guard them against their human watchers. The older ornithologists had a more general knowledge of nature and this wideness of view is lost by specialisation. A member of the audience felt that the young ornithologists were often ignorant of other forms of life. (6) It was agreed that the family name of the bustards should correctly be Orididae, not, as given in ‘‘Check-list of Birds of the World’’, Peters, ii, 1934, Otidae. (7) The true finches, especially the Carduelines, often feed largely on the seeds of composites such as dandelion, thistle, etc., yet except for the aberrant Estrildine Nesocharis, the questioner has seen no evidence that seeds of composites are eaten by other finch-like groups—buntings, weavers, sparrows and Estrildines. Can the panel say if this is correct and, if so, suggest a reason? It was agreed that this is in general correct and presumably the birds learn to feed on the seeds that are most easily dealt with. (8) Does the panel agree that putting out food for birds, although aesthetically and morally justifiable, can be biologically harmful by tipping the balance still further in favour of species that are already successful and abundant? It was felt that while much depended on circumstances, it was not in general harmful, but there might be instances (as in the case of the herring gull in Germany) of certain birds becoming a nuisance because of it. So far as is known there were not many cases of harm being done by feeding birds in gardens, though possible that tits, finding food so easily and readily obtainable, may, as a result of so much leisure time, take to the tearing of wallpaper. Birds other than common ones would also benefit from having suitable foods put out for them and on the whole it was felt not to be an important biological factor and to have no moral implications. (9) Why does the cuckoo go **cuk-cuckoo’’ in autumn? This gave rise to some discussion and no parallel case could be thought of. Among the suggestions were the possibility of a re-starting of a form of sub-song, that part of the call might be made with the bill closed, that the altered call might have some different meaning and that there might be some change in the vocal organs. The question brought forth the story of Dr. Chapin explaining (with imitations) to his companion on a tram- car in Amsterdam the calls of African cuckoos. (10) Precise scientific terms have an obvious value to specialists in that branch of science, but does not their use in publications such as ** The [bis’’ tend to discourage non-specialists from taking an interest in many of the wider fields of ornithology? It is important to distinguish what terms are necessary to explain what could not conveniently be made clear in any other way. Technical terms cannot be avoided and many of the scientific ones are of international usage. If existing ones were abolished, others would become necessary and while jargon is to be deplored, proper terms are essential and may even constitute a challenge to the student. It is the responsibility of the editor to curb the excessive use of such terms. (11) In countries such as Britain where there is ‘‘sporting shooting’’, a high per- centage of ground predators are destroyed by keepers, and a high percentage of flying birds destroyed by sportsmen. If these conditions continue will the instinct to escape by ae disappear from game birds? If so, how long will it be before they lose the power of ight? One response was to the effect that the answer to the first part was *“No’’, so the second did not arise. Another was that such birds might learn to fly higher and in any case it would be a matter of millions of years for such an eventuality to occur. A member of the audience prophesied that sportsmen would have lost the use of their feet by then. (12) County reports often contain observations of movements not out to, or in from, the sea, which are described as migratory or passage. How do the observers know that what they see are not local weather movements or even just a change of feeding-ground? _ (We gather here ourselves by way of a change of feeding-ground, but an observant London starling might think it is a build-up to emigration). 1961 i 3 Vol. 81 _ This brought no appreciable comment beyond a stressing of the need for very careful observation of such bird movements. (13) Does the scientific significance of different standards in nest-sanitation really justify the number of words that have been written on it? It is interesting that such birds as kingfishers are so unhygienic in their nesting arrangements. The whole subject was felt to be in need of further investigation. (14) What advice would you give to the compiler of a regional handbook on whose sight records to accept, of what species? Serve on a committee working for a number of years anonymously. A National Bird for Britain Lord Hurcomb brought the evening to a very appropriate close by announcing that the result in the choice of a National Bird for Britain was overwhelmingly in favour of the robin. tl a A new race of Parus funereus (Verreaux) by MELVIN A. TRAYLOR Received 9th July, 1960 Among the Angola birds reported by Heinrich (1958, Jour. f. Orn., 99: 322-362; 399-421) was the Dusky Tit, Parus funereus, from Gabela. Gabela is on the escarpment of the central plateau in Caunza Sul, with a small area of evergreen forest much of which is now planted with coffee plantations. The population of Dusky Tits found here is separated by some hundreds of miles from Gabon, where it is very rare, and by many more from southern Cameroon, the nearest locality at which it is fairly common. When compared to Cameroon and Uganda specimens, the _ Angola males are noticeably paler and may be called: Parus funereus gabela subsp. nov. Type: Adult 3 from 15 km. south of Gabela, Cuanza Sul, Angola, collected 8th August 1954 by Gerd Heinrich; Chicago Natural History Museum. No. 224676. Diagnosis: Throat and breast of males dull blackish slate, not black with a greenish gloss as in funereus. Averages slightly smaller in wing length than funereus. Females average paler and more bluish slate below. Wing length: gabela: 233 86, 86; 299 77, 84. funereus: 633 82, 86, 89, 89, 91, 91,; 399 80, 83, 83. . Size of type: Wing 86, tail 60, bill 13, tarsus 20. Remarks: Besides the four adults of gabela whose measurements are given above, Heinrich collected two juvenal females. As noted by Chapin (1954, Bul. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 75B:106) the juvenal plumage is much darker than that of the female, almost as dark as the males. Heinrich found these birds frequenting the tops of the taller trees. This _ accords with observations of the nominate race in Cameroon and Uganda. . Some records from the ; Mpika and Serenje Districts, Northern Rhodesia by C. W. BENSON, R. BOULTON AND M. P. STUART IRWIN Received 7th June 1960 The records which follow supplement information in Benson and _ White’s Check List (1957). They result from collecting by M.P.S.I. in the . 4 CE eee Vol. 81 — a a 1961 — two districts in March and April, 1960, and by C.W.B. and R.B. in | Serenje in the latter month. The Kanchibiya River was visited at 11°30’S., 31°17’E., likewise the Luombwa at 12°24’S., 30°05’E., the Mlembo at 12°33’S., 30° 20’E., and the Musola at 12°38’S., 30°15’E., Co-ordinates — are given for any other localities not so specified in the Check List. Most — of the specimens listed are now in the National Museum, Bulawayo. It is also worth mentioning that specimens of Caprimulgus n. natalensis Smith, Mirafra africana chapini Grant & Mackworth-Praed and Cisticola aridula perplexa White were collected at five miles south-east of Mukuku. _ Pernis apivorus apivorus (Linné). 2, 3rd April, Kondolilo Falls, Brachystegia woodland. Stomach-contents, large mud-nest building wasps, some adults, but mostly already pupated grubs, still soft bodied, not fully chitinized, and in some cases still in cocoons. Alcedo atthis semitorquata Swainson. An occupied nesting tunnel was found on the Lubachi Stream, in the - Mpika District at 11°35’S., 31°17’E., on 31st March. The tunnel was in a bank rising about 5ft. above the water-level, and itself Ift. above the water. It apparently contained very small young, as both parents were bringing — food, and showed great agitation on a close approach, but no sound was heard from the interior of the tunnel. Buccanodon anchetae katangae Vincent. 23, 39, 27th/28th March, Kanchibiya River, Brachystegia woodland. Motacilla clara torrentium Ticehurst. 3, 26th March, Kondolilo Falls. I. R. Grimwood saw a pair on the Lusiwashi River, at the foot of the Muchinga Escarpment, at 13°20’S., 31°04’E., on 18th November, 1958. Anthus leucophrys bohndorffi Neumann. 3g, 7th April, 10 miles south-east of Mukuku; 3, 10th April, Luombwa River. Chlorocichla flavicollis flavigula (Cabanis). 3, 12th April, Luombwa River. Sylvia communis icterops Ménétriés. 2, 31st March, 12 miles south of Kanchibiya River, Brachystegia wood- land. oi Eremomela atricollis Bocage. 33, 2, 6th/7th April, Mlembo River; 3, 12th April, Musola River. Cisticola chiniana fortis Lynes. 3, 5th April, Serenje District at 13°16’S., 30°06’E. Cisticola fulvicapilla angusticauda Reichenow. 43, 32, 27th/31st March, near Kanchibiya River; 6g, 89, 6th/7th April, Mlembo River; 2, 12th April, Musola River. Some of these specimens are juveniles, with skull-ossification not started. They differ from adults in having the underside tinged yellowish, the flanks fawn rather than greyish, while the rufous of the crown is not sharply defined from the mantle and back, which have a strong rusty tinge, extending to the outer webs of the wing-coverts, Measurements in mm. as follows :— — ees Er. 4 - ‘ o +e at : | pasar: | 5 Vol. 81 ’ ‘ > Wing Tail ~ Adults 65 47-49 49-53 89 44-47 44-5] ~ Juveniles “ 43 . 44-47 46-51 49 43-44 46-47 Anthoscopus caroli subspp. 23, 29, 6th/7th April, Mlembo River; 3, 9th April, Musola River. Intermediate between A. c. caroli (Sharpe) and A. c. rhodesiae Sclater. Nectarinia verticalis viridisplendens (Reichenow). 3, 9, 12th April, confluence of Kasanka and Musola Rivers, 12°35’S., 30°15’E.; 2, 4th April, near Serenje District Headquarters; 9, 14th April, Lusiwashi River at 13°12’S., 31°02’E. The Musola specimens were together, and accompanied by a fledged young bird still under parental care and being fed. The male had testes measuring 4 x 3, 5 x 4 mm. and therefore apparently shortly to breed again. Nectarinia olivacea lowei (Vincent). fg, 10th April, Luombwa River, both testes 5 x 4 mm. _ Phormoplectes angolensis (Bocage). 3, 9, 2nd/3rd April, Kondolilo Falls, from mixed bird parties in _ Brachystegia woodland. _ Lagonosticta rubricata haematocephala Neumann. 3, 6th April, Mlembo River; 3, 9°, 12th April, Musola River. The Musola specimens were collected with the same shot, and in neither had skull-ossification started. They resemble adults in the colour of the tail, upper and under tail-coverts, lower abdomen and thighs. But else- _where on the underside they are yellowish brown, with only a little red on the chin and throat. The top of the head is greyish brown, rather than greyish vinous, and the brown of the mantle and back is warmer, more “tawny than in adults. A juvenile collected by W. F. H. Ansell at Kabompo on 10th March is very similar, but probably even younger, since red is altogether lacking on the underside. The Mlembo specimen is also juvenile, but apparently rather older than the two from the Musola, red on the underside being rather more developed. _ Lagonosticta rufopicta nitidula Hartlaub. 4 2, 30th March, Luitikila River, near Mpika. _ Estrilda melanotis kilimensis (Sharp). _ &, 14th April, Musense, top of Muchinga Escarpment at 13°15’S., 30°05’E , oocytes mostly of diameter | mm. - P.S.— More recently, at Musense, the last mentioned locality above, ~C.W.B. has collected Cossypha bocagei chapini Benson, Phylloscopus laurae _ eustacei (Benson) (including a female in almost full breeding condition on 10th October) and Heliolais erythroptera rhodoptera (Shelley). Vol. 81 6 . 1961 A note on Euplectes axillaris by C. W. BENSON Received 9th July, 1960 Benson & White (1957) record specimens from the Kafue Flats, Northern ‘Rhodesia as near FE. a. axillaris. Further collecting in Kafue drainage, from near Kalomo north-east to the Lukanga Swamp and Broken Hill, confirms that this is substantially correct. On the other hand, material from the Northern and North-Western Provinces, Barotseland and the Caprivi Strip is easily separable as E. a. bocagei, the patch on the wing- shoulder in the great majority of adult males being orange-yellow rather than orange-red, and the cinnamon on the lesser wing-coverts more ex- tensive and paler. It will also be seen from the accompanying Table that males in breeding dress tend to have a shorter tail. Despite recent intensive collecting, there is no evidence of the occurrence of the species anywhere in the Luangwa Valley or the Zambesi Valley below the Victoria Falls, though it no doubt occurs in the lower part of the Zambesi Valley, since specimens have been available from Port Herald, in the extreme south of Nyasaland. This absence is probably due to lack of suitable marshy habitat, and is paralleled by several other swamp-dwelling species, namely Ploceus xanthopterus (Moreau, 1959), Cisticola galactotes and Amblyospiza albifrons (Benson & White, 1960). Furthermore, Euplectes a. axillaris is unknown from Southern Rhodesia except from Mt. Selinda (Smithers ef. a/., 1957). TABLE Measurements of males of Euplectes axillaris in breeding dress Area Number of Range and mean (mm) Mean specimens wing tail tail/ wing ratio E. a. axillaris 1. Pondoland Natal, Transvaal 13 85-99 (90.9) 63-80 (71.8) 79 2. Portuguese East Africa south of Zambesi, southern Nyasaland 4 82, 85, 86, 87. Gi, Tz jee Snes 3. Kafue drainage, Northern Rhodesia 10 88-92 (90.5) 69-80 (75.1) 83 E. a. bocagei 4. Northern and North- Western Provinces, Northern Rhodesia 17 85—98 (91.3) 57-74 (66.2) 73 (other localities below). Notes supplementary to Table. Area 1: One male in non-breeding dress has wing 85, tail 53 mm. Area 2: Six males in non-breeding dress have wing 85—90 (87.8), tail 51-65 (60.8) mm.; three females wing 68, 70, 73, tail 41, 43, 44 mm. A male in breeding dress from Chinteche, northern Nyasaland, has wing 95, tail 80 mm. Area 3: Six males in non-breeding dress have wing 88-94 (89.7), tail 56-59 (59.3) mm.; ; one female wing 70, tail 43 mm. Area 4: Fourteen males in non-breeding dress (including six from Barotseland and the Caprivi Strip) have wing 88—96 (91.4), tail 53-65 (60.4) mm.; seven females wing 67-74 (70.6), tail 42-49 (45.6) mm, 1961 7 Vol. 81 It is remarkable that males from Kafue drainage should be so similar to E. a. axillaris, and yet quite easily distinguishable from those from the neighbouring Caprivi Strip and Barotseland, in Zambesi drainage. But in view of the habitat of the species, the watershed would be a barrier to dispersal. Actually, Kafue males do tend to have the cinnamon in the wing-coverts rather more extensive than in eastern birds, in this one respect showing some approach to E. a. bocagei, but the difference is not such as to justify their separation by name from E. a. axillaris. Apart from this, there is some individual variation in the series of males from all four areas, in the colour of the shoulder-patch, as well as in the extent of cinnamon and its intensity. Nevertheless, the subspecific division by name indicated in the Table is justified. Both Bannerman (1949) and Chapin (1954) regard E. a. mechowi as a synonym of E. a. bocagei. Nevertheless, Rand ef al. (1959) recognise E. a. mechowi as well as E. a. bocagei, on the basis of only eight males, the distinction given being that E. a. mechowi has the shoulder-patch reddish orange, E. a. bocagei yellowish orange. Four specimens from the Katanga are assigned to EF. a. mechowi, one from Balovale to E. a. bocagei. This appears to be based on individual variation. | have seen a specimen in the British Museum from the Kabompo River, in the North-Western Province of Northern Rhodesia, in which the shoulder-patch is as red as in any specimen of E. a. axillaris. On the other hand, there is a specimen from Natal and another from the Transvaal in the series now examined, in which the patch is as orange as in any of E. a. bocagei. Furthermore, Schouteden (1958) includes the Katanga within the range of E. a. bocagei, which he states has the shoulder-patch as orange-yellow, rather than orange-red as in E. a. phoeniceus. He had thirty-five specimens available of the former, over two hundred of the latter form. The measurements in the Table indicate considerable variability. This is also commented on by Bannerman (1949), but like him I consider that - we are dealing with one, not two, species, both on a basis of my examina- tion of specimens and on field-observations. To my personal knowledge, EF. a. bocagei in the Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, whence a specimen has been available from as far east as Mbesuma (32°E.), must be quite isolated from the populations not _far to the eastward in the Lake Nyasa littoral, believed to be E. a. phoeni- ceus (Benson, 1953). In Nyasaland the species is unknown above 2,000ft.. whereas in Northern Rhodesia all the occupied habitat is at 3,000—5,000ft. ‘There is no lack of apparently suitable habitat at higher levels in Nyasa- land. Immature males, not included in the Table, are similar to females, likewise lacking any cinnamon in the wing-coverts, but with the feathers on the wing-shoulder black edged with orange-red in E. a. axillaris, more a orange-yellow in E. a. bocagei. Six such males of E. a. axillaris have wing 80-85 (81.8), seven of F. a. bocagei 82-88 (84.3) mm. 1 am greatly indebted to Messrs. P. A. Clancey, M. P. Stuart Irwin and A. Prozesky, for the loan of specimens respectively from the Durban Museum, the National Museum, Bulawayo and the Transvaal Museum. | must also thank Messrs. W. F. H. Ansell and C. M. N. White for their comments. f Vol. 81 8 ieee oe 1961 References :— ~ Bannerman, D. A. (1949). The birds of tropical West Africa, 7. London. Benson, C. W. (1953). A check list of the birds of Nyasaland. Blantyre and Lusaka: Benson, a W. and White, C. M. N. (1957). Check list of the birds of Northern Rhodesia. Lusaka. Benson, C. W. and White, C. M. N. (1960). Discontinuous distributions (Aves and Mammalia). Proc. First Fed. Sci. Congress, in press. Chapin, J. P. (1954). The birds of the Belgian Congo, 4. New York. Moreau, R. E. (1959). Notes on Ploceinae. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 79: 117-124. Rand, A. L., Friedmann, H. and Traylor, M. A. (1959). Birds from Gabon and Moyen Congo. Fieldiana: Zool. 41 (2): 221-411. Schouteden, H. (1958). De vogels van Belgisch Congo en van Ruanda-Urundi, 9. Tervuren. Smithers, R. H. N., Stuart Irwin, M. P. and Paterson, M. L. (1957). A check list of the birds of Southern Rhodesia. Cambridge, England. The range of Tchagra minuta reichenowi by C. W. BENSON and M. P. STUART IRWIN Received 16th July, 1960 It has been usual to include eastern Southern Rhodesia as within the range of Tchagra minuta anchietae, the latest author to do so being Rand, in Mayr & Greenway (1960). However, Clancey (1959) described a new form, 7. m. remota, ranging from the eastern highlands of Southern Rhodesia to southern Nyasaland. Benson (1960) follows him in using the name remota, the differences between material from Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia (anchietae) being readily apparent. Neither of these authors, however, was able to examine any material from East Africa. Thanks to Mrs. B. P. Hall and Mr. J. G. Williams, we have had the loan of specimens from the British Museum and the Coryndon Museum respectively, in order to decide whether remota really was distinct from East African reichenowi. We are also grateful to Mr. O. Prozesky for the loan of several Nyasaland specimens, in the Transvaal Museum. The observations which follow are based also on all the material from the Rhodesias and Nyasaland in the National Museum, Bulawayo. Im- mature specimens, in which subspecific differences are difficult to perceive, are not used. They have the centre of the crown mottled with white or tawny, the mantle streaked with black, and the bill brownish horn instead of black. Certain little known localities have been verified from Reichenow (1902) or Swynnerton & Hayman (1950). Eight specimens from eastern Southern Rhodesia agree well in colour with three from north-eastern Tanganyika, one being from Mtoni, in the Bagamoyo District at 6°27’S., 38°49’E., and two from the Usambara Mts. On the other hand, three from further west in Tanganyika, from the Uluguru and Nguru Mts. and from Njombe, may be placed with anchietae. Professor E. Stresemann has kindly informed us that nine specimens from eastern Tanganyika in the Berlin Museum agree in colour with reichenowi. These include the specimen which he mentions as the type, collected by G. A. Fischer on the Pangani River, five from the Usambara Mts., one from Dar-es-Salaam, one from the Uluguru Mts., and one from Kisaki (5°30’S., 35°30’E.). On the other hand he reports that four from further — west, from Songea, Neu-Langenburg and Kissabu (both at the north end —— 2 oe * ‘ a “> 1961 | 9 Vol. 81 of Lake Nyasa), and Urungu-Kitangulu (south-east shore of Lake Tan- ganyika) are better placed with anchietae. He adds that the colour- differences between the two series are similar to those between remota and anchietae as given by Clancey. Of seven Nyasaland specimens which we have examined, one from Port Herald and one from the Ncheu-Neno _ boundary, especially the latter, agree best with eastern Southern Rhodesia (remota) and eastern Tanganyika specimens (reichenowi). On the other hand, one each from Fort Hill, the Songwe River, 20 miles north-west of Karonga, Chinteche and Mlanje are nearer to anchietae. It remains to decide whether remota can be distinguished from reichen- owi on size. The following measurements are available :-— Wing Tail Culmen from base. Eastern Southern _ Rhodesia (remota) are eee 14. 755°77, 17 Tae hae POST Te. 2922. 25520) eo a 73.74; 15 69, 71, 75 24, 22,22 Nyasaland (remota) lg 76 75 22 12 76 70 22 Nyasaland (anchietae) 3g 73, 74, 75 69, 69, 72 2H 22° 22 22 74, 74 Fai, bo 2EF22 Tanganyika (anchietae) 3g +73, 76, 78 70. 72-92 21,22 Tanganyika (reichenowi) moti, 75 67). 72 21,22 12 69 67 21 — = Pypfessor Stresemann has given us the following wing-measurements of the Tanganyika specimens in the Berlin Museum. A male of reichenowi measures 70 mm., three females 72, 74, 78 mm., three others, sex not stated, 69, 69, 73, 74, 74 mm. Three males of anchietae measure 75, 75, 77 mm., one other specimen, sex not stated, 76 mm., and 80 mm. in one _ from Angola. It seems to us that, while there is a tendency to larger size in remota, the difference is not such as to justify its recognition. Accordingly reichen- _ owi must be regarded as ranging from Lamu, in coastal Kenya, through eastern Tanganyika to southern Nyasaland and eastern Southern Rho- _ desia. The position in northern Portuguese East Africa requires further _ investigation. Reichenowi must occur in coastal areas, but it is possible _ that anchietae occurs inland, along the east side of the Lake Nyasa, since a specimen from Mlanje, in south-eastern Nyasaland, certainly agrees better with anchietae than reichenowi. Mr. C. M. N. White has examined the specimens with us, and agrees ~ with our finding. _ References :— Benson, C. W. (1960). Recent records from north-western Northern Rhodesia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 80, in press. Vol. 81 10 196 Clancey, P. A. (1959). Miscellaneous taxonomic notes on African birds. Durban Mus. Novit. 5 (16): 197-218. Mayr, eo gone Greenway, J. C. (1960). Check-list of birds of the world, 9. Cambridge, wosiexow. A. (1902). Die v6gel Afrikas. Atlas. Neudamm. Swynnerton, G. H. and Hayman, R. W. (1950). A check list of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and Zanzibar Protectorate. Journ. East Afr. Nat. Hist. Soc. 20: 274-392. On western Paiaearctic Anthus pratensis (Linnaeus) by P. A. CLANCEY Received 30th May, 1960 Kenneth Williamson, Bird Migration, vol. 1, 2, 1959, pp. 88-91, dis- cusses once again the geographical variation exhibited by the western Palaearctic populations of the Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis (Linnaeus), 1758: Sweden, recognising the richly coloured insular populations of Iceland, the Faeroes, and, presumably, ‘‘Highland’’ Britain as sub- specifically discrete under the name A. p. theresae Meinertzhagen, 1953: Achill Island, western Ireland. Earlier but purely taxonomic papers dealing with the same question are those of Clancey, Bul/. B.O.C., vol. Ixiii, 1942, pp. 6, 7; ibid., vol. lxviii, 1948, pp. 54-56; and Meinertzhagen, ibid., vol. Ixxiil, 1953, p. 43. Vaurie, Birds of the Palearctic Fauna, 1959, p. 69, admits the distinction of A. p. theresae, the range of which he restricts, following Meinertzhagen, /oc. cit., to ‘‘Western Ireland’’, while A. p. whistleri Clancey, 1942: Dornoch, Sutherlandshire, northern Scotland, is placed in the synonymy of A. p. pratensis. As correctly pointed out by Williamson in his valuable paper the two names listed above are available for the saturated, western, ‘“Atlantic’’ populations of this common pipit, but he has unnecessarily complicated the issue by claiming that the Type of A. p. whistleri is subspecifically indeterminate, and that the name for the enlarged western insular race should be the much later A. p. theresae. I believe that there are solid grounds for questioning the validity of the claim that the name A. p. whistleri is inapplicable to the western, ‘‘Atlantic’’ race of the Meadow Pipit. A, p. whistleri was described during the darkest days of the War years on the basis of a comparison between series of freshly moulted autumn and breeding birds collected in the Dornoch district of south-eastern Sutherlandshire in 1938 (August-September) and 1942 (June), and the limited Continental material at that time available in the collections of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) and Dr. James M. Harrison, of Sevenoaks. It is of importance to note that much of the paratypical series of A. p. whistleri consisted of actual breeding birds shot at the type-locality in June, 1942, so that as far as the differential diagnosis is concerned, A. p. whistleri is a name correctly given to the breeding Meadow Pipit of the Scottish Highlands and no other. Indeed, the distinctions given for A. p. whistleri in the original description are mainly those to be discerned in a critical study of breeding material, though later work on A. p. whistleri and A. p. pratensis has shown that by far the best and most reliable racial eae separating these two forms are to be seen in autumn-taken birds. 1961 11 Vol. 81 Williamson bases his main argument in favour of synonymizing A. p. whistleri on the assumption that the paratypical series was a composite of two distinct geographical races, and that the 7ype of whistleri is like Swedish topotypes of the nominate race in juvenile dress. That such a view is scientifically admissible is open to grave doubt. The Type, which 1s in the Clancey Collection, now in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, is a bird of the year in the final stages of transitional moult from juvenile to first-winter plumage, and has most of the head, and the whole of the back, body-plumage, wings and tail more or less completely moulted through. It is quite incorrect to state that this Type—the actual name- bearer—is largely in juvenile dress and to compare it with others in such plumage. I agree that we cannot be absolutely certain in the light of our new knowledge on migration that this bird was hatched from a nest in the type-locality in the north of Scotland, but the inescapable indications are that it was. To argue speciously against the validity or applicability of the name whistleri on the questionable belief that the bird concerned was indigenous to continental Europe and not Scotland, seems both unsound and unnecessary, especially when the specimen is in a perfectly adequate condition to confirm its initial allocation by me to the western race, of which it is now the Ho/otype. As recently as the autumn of 1958 I compared this very Type with the rest of the enormous series of A. pratensis now available for systematic work in Edinburgh, and can confirm that it agrees perfectly in the rich rufous olivaceous mantle colouration and pinkish under-parts with a host of other autumn specimens of the occi- dental race of Meadow Pipit, and not with the rather greener backed and whiter bellied A. p. pratensis, which latter race occurs plentifully in the British Isles, as a breeding form in southern and south-eastern England, and as a general winter visitor and passage migrant. It is satisfactory to see recent work confirm my earlier and officially rejected (sic) findings on subspecific variation in the western Palaearctic populations of A. pratensis. | submit, however, that the correct name for Williamson’s ‘‘Atlantic’’ race of Meadow Pipit is actually A. p. whistleri, as argued above, and not the later A. p. theresae, which name should now be placed in the synonymy of the former. Study of the material preserved in the collections of the museums in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Edinburgh in the autumn of 1958 revealed that the range of A. p. whistleri is much wider than formerly believed, the race concerned ranging from Iceland and the Faroes to Scotland and Isles, the moorlands of northern and western England, Wales, Isle of Man and Ireland. Specimens from Greenland in the collection of the University - Zoological Museum in Copenhagen are referable to the nominate race. On western Palaearctic Anthus pratensis (Linnaeus) by KENNETH WILLIAMSON Received 16th June, 1960 | am grateful to Mr. Phillip Clancey for allowing me to see his note on Meadow Pipits, about which | have the following comments to make :— the two collections of August-September 1938 and June 1942, though om the same district of south-east Sutherland, cannot be considered - r a! Vol. 81 . 12 : 1960 together, for two reasons. Firstly, although the second collection must assuredly represent breeding-birds, Meadow Pipits in June are much too © worn and bleached for critical taxonomic assessment. Secondly, the early onset of Meadow Pipit migration through the British Isles leaves us with no guarantee that the August-September collection of 1938 comprises native birds. It may well do so, but of this we cannot be certain. The facts of the case are that a bird which still has a good deal of juvenile plumage (and is quite inseparable from birds of similar age from Sweden, Iceland, the Outer Hebrides, Argyllshire and Lancashire) was selected as type, and the original description clearly refers to this indeterminate juv. > Ist. winter phase and says nothing about the greater saturation of colour above and below which distinguishes the Atlantic race. Thus, whilst it is abundantly clear that Mr. Clancey was the first to appreciate that two distinct populations of Meadow Pipit are present in the British area in autumn, it is unfortunate that he did not revise his diagnosis before Meinertzhagen described—correctly—A. p. theresae. As matters stand today, the name whist/eri is technically a synonym of pratensis, and we are left with no option but to use theresae for the Atlantic race. A comparative study of the method of skull pneumatisation in certain birds by JEFFERY G. HARRISON Received 10th June, 1960 PART Two Method of Pneumatisation in the Starling. There is very little difference in the method of pneumatisation in the early stages of the Starling compared with the House Sparrow, the difference being in stages 1!—13 of the Starling, where the two ‘‘windows’’ in the frontal bones divide into four, stages which were not found by either Nero or myself in the House Sparrow. The time factor. Ten immature Starlings examined on and October were already fully pneumatised. Assuming that such birds were hatched in early May, this would indicate pneumatisation occurring in approximately five months, but nine others on the same date still possessed ‘*windows”’ four of them being only half pneumatised. Probably therefore, six months would be the average time as for the House Sparrow. Method of Pneumatisation in certain Corvidae. This series of skulls demonstrates that the Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw and Jay pneumatise by the same method and the smaller number of Magpies suggests that they also conform to this method. The method is unlike any of the others studied, notably in stages 9-18, while the last remaining pair of ‘‘windows’’ (17-18) are more centrally placed in the frontal bones than the equivalent “‘‘windows’’ in Starlings and House Sparrows and more irregular than in the pigeons. The diagram showing the method of skull pneumatisation ‘includes several alternative methods, as is indicated by the arrows. The following table gives the number and species examined, corresponding to the stages illustrated. Stage 19 represents the point at which pneumatisation has just — reached completion, the outline of the last remaining ‘‘windows’’ to Pd —_— =o eee a E 466R 13 Vol. 81 yi pneumatise still being visible. Stage 20, the fully pneumatised adult skull is included in view of the findings of Verheyen. : Stage | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Carrion Crow 2 Jay | Jackdaw 2 Jayl Jay 2 Jay | Rook 2. Jay | Jay | Jay | 11 12 13 Carrion Crow | Carrion Crow | Carrionx Hooded Carrion Crow 2. Jackdaw | Rook 5 Jay 3 Crow | Rook 22 Jackdaw | Rook 7 Jackdaw 2 Jay 3 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rook 6 Rook | Jay | Carrion Crow 8 Rook | Carrion Crow 9 Jay | Rook 10 Rook 2 Jackdaw 2 Jackdaw | Magpie | Magpie 6 Jay 3 Jay 3 20 Red-necked Raven 2 Hooded Crow 10 Carrion Crow 40 Rook 25 Jackdaw 20 Magpie 30 Jay 150 Chough 1 The time factor. The Carrion Crow appears to be one of the quickest species of those examined to reach full pneumatisation. Four immatures examined on 4th, 6th, 13th and 18th July respectively were already com- plete and if one assumes that they were hatched in late April, this means that they have taken 24-3 months to do this. A Rook was practically complete on 23rd June, two others were complete on 27th August, giving a 3-4 month time factor. A Jackdaw was complete on 30th July. Four young Magpies were complete on 15th August, 4th, 12th and 13th Sep- tember respectively and a Jay by 28th August, so that these species appear to reach completion in 4-5 months. These findings in Corvidae are at complete variance with those of Verheyen, who gave time factors of just over a year for Corvidae and included the Jay among those species in which the skull never reaches complete pneumatisation. It is difficult to understand how these differences could occur, but Verheyen was working on osteological material only and of the five skulls of Carrion Crows examined, one dated 28th May still showed two small ‘‘windows’’ and I would think that he has taken this to be from a bird already a year old, whereas | have no doubt that the _ skull was that of an immature bird of that spring. It is an error which can ~ occur when the skull is not examined in conjunction with the plumage. - Verheyen studied twenty Jays’ skulls, nineteen of them dated between September and December, one on 9th March. All showed variable *‘windows’’ from which it was assumed that the species does not develope complete pneumatisation. My father, Dr. James Harrison and I have examined between us approximately 150 Jays in adult plumage, all with fully pneumatised skulls, so that we cannot uphold Verheyen’s findings. ¢ Weiseig 1961 — — “PpraTUorg” sasunzads oe ‘si0]S PAYSSIAIOY, = sxequmy ‘MOIBIwWdIS ASNOH SL NI NOLUWSUVWOASNg Tas 30 TOHLAaN Vol. 81 Vol. 81 15 1961 DNITYDVLS JHL NI p Wweisrig “PIAUTWOAD susuars aS = saprro Ww SVIqWwop ‘SIS Barss a5044 = SreaqwaNy NOIIVSILVYWNIANd WNYS 34sO GOHLIW 16-< Vol. 81 i N) ¢ WRIseIg NOILVYSILVWWNBNd TVINYNS led ght So RS aa 5 : = 1961 | 17 Vol. 81 EA and Conclusions. 1. The method of skull pneumatisation in a number of different species is examined. 2. Certain differences are demonstrated between three pigeon of the Genus Columba and two of the Genus Streptopelia, the Starling, the House Sparrow and the Corvidae. 3. Two groups of closely related species have been studied and although the two groups differ, the species within those groups pneumatise by the same method. (Wood Pigeon, Stock and Rock Dove: Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Magpie and Jay.) 4. The method of skull pneumatisation in those species in which it reaches completion, seems likely therefore to provide evidence of sys- tematic relationship. Acknowledgements. 1 am particularly grateful to Mr. H. J. de S. Disney for allowing me to see his series of skulls of the Laughing Dove and to the following for their assistance in obtaining specimens for me:— Mr. W. E. Crow, Mr. R. Gillespie, Dr. E. Gleadow, Dr. D. L. Harrison, Dr. J. M. Harrison, Mrs. P. F. Harrison, Mr. J. A. Norman, Mr. G. H. Pattinson, Mr. West, Mr. Westie and Captain J. V. Wilkinson, D.S.C., G.M., R.N. Dr. J. M. Harrison and Dr. D. L. Harrison have both kindly read through this paper and made helpful suggestions, while my wife has assisted me with the diagrams. References :— Dr. James P. Chapin. ‘‘Pneumatisation of the Skull in Birds’’> The Ibis, Vol. 91, p. 691. 1949. 2 M. Rene Verheyen. ‘* Contribution a I’ étude de la Structure Pneumatique du Crane chez les Oiseaux’’ Bull. Instit. Royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Tome XXIX, No. 27, pp. 1-24. 1953. % Dr. Jeffery G. Harrison & Dr. David L. Harrison. ‘‘The Development of the Skull in the Cream-coloured Courser, Stone Curlew and Houbara Bustard’’ Bull. B.O.C.., Vol. 75, pp. 61-63. 1955. 4 Dr. Jeffery G. Harrison. ‘‘A Review of Skull Pneumatisation in Birds’? Bull. B.O.C., Vol. 77, pp. 70-77. 1957. 5 Dr. Jeffery G. Harrison. ‘* Skull Pneumaticity in Wildfowl in Relation to their Mode of Life’’ The Wildfowl Trust Ninth Annual Report, pp. 193-6 and 232. 1958. 6 Mr. Robert W. Nero. ‘*Pattern and Rate of Cranial ‘Ossification’ in the House _ Sparrow’’ The Wilson Bulletin, Vol. 63, pp. 84-88. 1951. ? Dr. Jeffery G. Harrison. ‘‘The Development of Skull Pneumatisation in the Wood Pigeon’’ Bull. B.O.C., Vol. 77, pp. 18-23. 1957. The South African races of the Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala (Linnaeus) by P. A. CLANCEY Received 18th August, 1960 Sclater (1930), Vincent (1952) and McLachlan and Liversidge (1957) admit two geographical races of L. senegala from within the limits of sub- continental South Africa (L. s. rendalli Hartert, 1898: Upper Shiré R., _ southern Nyasaland, and L. s. pallidicrissa Zedlitz, 1910: Humpata, Huila, southern Angola), while Roberts (1940) lists only one. Study of 180 skins from southern Africa kindly placed at my disposal by the Directors of the East London Museum, the Transvaal Museum (through Vol. 81 18 : 1961 Mr. O. P. M. Prozesky), the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia (through Mr. M. P. Stuart Irwin) and the Chicago Natural History Museum (through Mr. Melvin Traylor), reveals the variation in the South African populations to be relatively slight, though sufficient to permit of the recognition of two races. L. s. pallidicrissa differs only moderately well from L. s. rendalli. The adult male of the former race has the red of the sides of the head, throat and breast rather duller and paler (about Old Rose or Old Rose/Light Jasper Red (vide Ridgway (1912), pl. x11) as against Jasper Red (same pl.) in L. s. rendalli), while the lower breast, upper abdomen and flanks are a little less buffish and more extensively washed with rose than in L. s. rendalli. The upper-parts are also rather paler, less washed with Brownish Olive (pl. xxx), than in L. s. rendalli. The differences shown by the females of the two races are not particularly well-marked, but L. s. pallidicrissa is generally paler above, and lighter below, the throat and breast rather greyer, less buff, and the lower breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts tend to be whiter. There is no size difference between the two taxa. L. s. pallidicrissa is now found to have a much more extensive range than formerly believed, and many of the southern African populations classified under the name L. s. renda/lli by workers must now be transferred to the former race. The nomenclature and ranges of the two races of the Red-billed Firefinch dealt with in this report are as follows: (a) Lagonosticta senegala rendalli Hartert Lagonosticta senegala rendalli Hartert, Novitates Zoologicae, vol. v, 1898: Upper Shiré River, southern Nyasaland. Ranges from southern Tanganyika Territory (specimens from Luwipa R.), northern Portuguese East Africa, southern Nyasaland, and eastern and south-eastern Northern Rhodesia (mainly in Luangwa R. valley), southwards to central and eastern Southern Rhodesia and southern Portuguese East Africa to the north of Sul do Save. Intergrades with L. s. ruberrima Reichenow, 1903: Bukoba, L. Victoria, over a wide area in north-eastern Northern Rhodesia, and doubtless in parts of Tanganyika Territory, and with L. s. pallidicrissa in west-central Northern Rhodesia, western Southern Rhodesia, and along the southern periphery of its range. The status of this form in the southern parts of the Belgian Congo is in doubt (see Chapin (1954)). There is some indication of local movement in firefinch populations, and such specimens of L. s. rendalli as have been obtained in the Congo (which is within the breeding range of L. s. ruber- rima) may have been visitors from further to the south-east. I have before me a single male of L. s. rendalli from 4 miles N.W. of Molepolole, eastern Bechuanaland Protectorate, ex the collection of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, taken on 10th May, 1958 (N.M. No. 36422). Molepolole is in the central portion of the south-eastern sector of the range of L. s. pallidicrissa, and the specimen concerned is clearly a migrant from elsewhere. (b) Lagonosticta senegala pallidicrissa Zedlitz, Lagonosticta senegala pallidicrissa Zedlitz, Ornithologische Monats- berichte, vol. xvi, 1910, p. 173: Humpata, Huila, southern Angola. Ranges from southern and south-western Angola, western Northern Rhodesia: (including Barotseland), and adjacent northern South-West 1961 19 Vol. 81 Africa (Kaokoveld, Ovamboland, northern Damaraland and the Caprivi Strip), southwards through northern and eastern Bechuanaland and western Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia, to the northern and north- western Cape Province (mainly Vaal R. and Orange R. valleys), Orange Free State, Transvaal, parts of the eastern Cape Province, Natal (local) Zululand, Swaziland, and Sul do Save, southern Portuguese Eastern Africa. ORANGE River = j Ses: 2 | | SS ., SY | 6 » 4 32 y 1 32 EAST LONOON | | 34° 42 CARE TOWN Sy PORT ELIZABETH Sketch-map showing the approximate ranges of the two geographical races of the Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala (Linnaeus) occurring in southern Africa. Spotted area—Lagonosticta senegala rendalli Hartert Shaded area—Lagonosticta senegala pallidicrissa Zedlitz Note: Of the topotypical population of L. s. pallidicrissa, 1 have before me a sample of 333, 2 22 collected by Gerd Heinrich in 1954, mainly at Huila. These agree perfectly with specimens from localities as far re- moved as Prieska, on the central Orange R., Glen, near Bloemfontein, in the western Orange Free State, and Newington, eastern Transvaal ‘‘low- veld’’. Literature cited :— Chapin, J. P. Birds of the Belgian Congo, part iv, 1954, p. 530. McLachlan, G. R. & Liversidge, R. Roberts’ Birds of South Africa, 1957, p. 452. Ridgway, R. Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, Washington, 1912. Roberts, A. Birds of South Africa, 1940, pp. 356, 357. Sclater, W. L. Systema Avium Aethiopicarum, part ii, 1930, p. 792. Vincent, J. Check List of the Birds of South Africa, 1952, p.110. C%& | iSH Mit= Vol. 8149 JAN {1961 20 | 1961 Pied Blackbird with symmetrical markings by IAN D. WOODWARD Received 10th May, 1960 It is well known that male Blackbirds Turdus merula merula Linnaeus quite often show partial albinism on the breast, which in some appearances resemble Ring-Ouzels 7. torquatus torquatus Linnaeus; but the effected parts in such specimens are usually asymmetrical. On 17th April, 1960, I had the opportunity to observe an adult male Blackbird in pied plumage (see Illustration) at Hemel Hempstead, Hert- fordshire. It should be noted that a certain amount of speckling was present from the hind neck right around to the breast. General appearance: As stated, the bird was lightly speckled in parts above the upper-half of its body. These speckles were of a whitish/greyish tinge and it was noticed that these took the form of patches, perhaps more notable on the breast and around the side of the neck. Throat and head: The most interesting aspect of this bird was the arrangement of the pied parts. Viewed from the front the most striking marking on the bird was the off-white throat patch, which was positioned exactly in the centre of the throat and extending round to the side of the A FIGURE I Side-view of pied g Turdus merula merula Linnaeus. Both sides are identical. neck. This patch, the main part of which was about half an inch wide, blended gradually into grey/brown below, and this blended into the speckled portion on the breast. The other notable features of this bird were the eye-stripes extending from the eye back towards the nape. The upper-half appeared a greyish shade and below blended quite abruptly into white—the whole eye-stripe being rather rhombus-shaped and not at all streamlined. Both eye-stripes were identical. Other than the details given above, the bird’s field- characters and soft parts were quite normal for this species. Pibeninide ad map ** miotive” Si) to eisdorirne dori Ded gedutoo) . ¢ . 2 atone 0 me? 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Sty : ‘) ‘ata’ Ch e ad “xs ey \é ees ae Sean ae | ) vegas ? “eisdong tty Ol BS wnt 4 | . 1¢ ; yee poe 4 a aabas L re . NG eH fisis kat , S03 sini ii » DOB Oil. at re ma WAS O17 if ; OT] iy* sate i) Cpt) sp ied j ' Oy 7 golly o he { - * ’ . at Wl eciwls Cn ae ' OF) WOT Ii isnt i} Sepsis! 64 " TT Payor Sian é iy eB iy MiOIlTStAD Y909 ta epmliide sand ovitecnsas t DapnsreL, wear pad -r57u¥ Wboiong bar BUSA “RT CIOIONIH AO Hzr is aR OY oe at r GOL .mb1Y oitjhbpomint Notices BACK NUMBERS OF THE ‘‘BULLETIN’”’ Back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ can be obtained at 3/- each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. Members who have back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., as above. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1961 17th January, 21st February, March - B.O.U. 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Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by _ The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent So \ Oo vr BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Ta ‘Ris © ? eI Rat Sex Edited by Dr. JEFFREY HARRISON Volume 8! February No. 2 ae ner ak seis ha iene Teds aoe et eal pr iP. or Teds ry WORT ant, ee 1) RMR Aa ari a) oe Pe aM {ps pe “DS 1 a We ee ot gj en re no * 1 | bh elt Sle BET mab Tea eit nine pes a a ha " it of a rae bas j Hs : oy ' a Esa ae - we bob Mena) i" AO? RA CARATS RO « aS Viet f Pei ‘ 4, | inl | Li a ‘ . a he { I aay a a ely j ee ee t stay f 4 ? 4 AA | ay y * ‘ \ i { a! (Tay 'y'at han, 2a) ‘ y D y Ay Vad May Wp Se 4 / i 4 Me in hu! ( “t i ! i d \ } \ * bn ‘ t Sik ’ 5 \ Wal i ] f | 4 \ My, 9 F wv ie (1961 ee Al Vol. 81 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB . mn ZEB AUS ay) ecw. qo Volume 8l (2 “2s * 7 14 osED Number 2 \z. LEG: RC ers Published: Ist February, 1961 Re > . ; /P a PU Pai ae The five hundred and eighty-seventh meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, S.W.7, on 17th January, 1961. Chairman: CAPTAIN C. R. S. PITMAN Members present, 40; Guests, 26; Total, 66. The Chairman welcomed Vice-Admiral Nigel Henderson, the new President of the Royal Naval Bird Watching Association, among the uests. ; Two films were shown; the edited edition with sound track of Bayar Read’s The Birds of East and Central Africa, loaned from the Fauna Preservation Society and The Loch Ness Monster, a short sequence filmed and enthusiastically explained by Mr. T. N. Dinsdale. Song variation in the Great Tit, Parus major newtoni by R. G. FINNIS Received 24th October, 1960 _ Song variation in the Great Tit is so well known that a list of descriptions including such terms as ‘‘saw-sharpening’’, or just plain ‘‘sawing’’— often rendered ‘“TEACHER’”’, ‘‘bell-ringing’’ and ‘‘the anvil note’’ are used at times. Koch, 1955, stated that he had heard sixty-eight different songs although at that time he had recorded about twenty only, while Nicholson (1936) wrote .. . ‘‘for no other British bird uses such a wide variety of different notes. °” The Handbook, p. 247 gives ‘‘Chief form of “song’’ is so-called ‘‘saw-sharpening’’, a strongly metallic ‘‘teechu- teechu-teechu-teechu .. .”’, ‘‘teechuwee-teechuwee.. .’’, etc. Diversity of vocabulary is most conspicuous in numerous other derivative or distinct song-phrases, of which same bird may use several in succession. Most are repetition of one, usually disyllabic or trisyllabic component of gener- ally more or less loud, sometimes bell-like, notes, but more complex components of several syllables also occur .. .’’ Also p. 247 it is stated “Great Tit, which has most varied repertoire of all, (common tits) is so prolific in variations and combinations, and these seem so little stereo- typed, as to defy concise treatment, and really adequate analysis has yet to be made...”’ Vol. 81 19 Tr) so 79 Te) so 20 9 23% - 4234 TAN, -/2354 FEB. AAA, 22 1961 FIG.1. TOTAL SONG 40 IS 3a 28 H o 5 % 20 a / $ Ly fo 3) T t 6 24 z q FIG. 2. SONG TIMES. De . AS4-/234-;235%-142354 234-/a3%-s/ 2357-1234 23¢- APR. MAY. Jun. JULY, AVG SEPT, ocT. Noy o£C : : ea! 10 u 2 13 1 (5 16 ‘7 16 19 20 at HOURS, 1961 pe Vol. 81 With these facts in mind I have attempted an examination of song types during the years 1954-59 inclusive, in North Kent, mainly around Graves- end, using a diagrammatic form of song recording where possible in order to discover the frequency with which certain song variations occurred and also to examine the relationship, if any, between these. It should be stated that I have not observed marked birds during this survey. Songs were counted as a fresh utterance when either, 7 a bird had changed its position and started to sing again from a new perch some distance away or ii had stopped singing its song for a period of time longer than the natural pauses of a song sequence e.g. when a bird had been singing the **‘sawing’’ song I have not counted the number of separate sawing phrases, but only from the fresh start of a sawing sequence irrespective of the phrases sung. Emphasis was noted by a heavier line, pitch by writing the symbols at different levels, cf. North M.E.W. The term Phrase is used here to denote sawing and Component for the disyllabic and trisyllabic utterances of the second and third variations described cf. The Handbook, p. XVIII. The Song Period. The total of all song types for the period surveyed is shown in Fig. 1. It can be seen that although some song was uttered in all months of the year, the main Song period occurred between the end of January and third week of May which agrees well with the song chart given in The Handbook. Song Times. The times of singing of four hundred and eighty-one songs are shown in Fig. 2. Two song peaks occur, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. There is fairly general singing during the morning and afternoon. Main Song types. During this investigation | have tabulated three main song types, i. The Sawing Song. ii. A trisyllabic component with emphasis placed on the single note. iii. A trisyllabic component with emphasis placed on the double notes. i. ‘‘Saw-sharpening’’ is easily the type of song most frequently heard. During this investigation I have recorded five hundred and eighty-one examples of it, Fig. 3. It consists of two components,—the ‘‘TEE’’ note, emphasised, alternating with ‘‘CHU’’, Fig. 6a. One bird watched at close range ‘‘sawing’’ opened the bill for the **TEE’”’ and closed it for the ‘‘CHU”’’ notes. The tempo of this song is varied, it is also pitched variously and with wide differences in timbre (some songs are very harsh) considerable variation is achieved. Sometimes the sawing phrases are of long duration, at other times much shorter while occasionally a phrase of sawing is interrupted by an extra note interpolated to give a jerky presentation. Another variant consists of detached notes Fig. 6b. On 6th February 1956, I heard a rapid delivery of seemingly detached Sawing notes Fig. 6c. and it was significant that at about fifty yards range the accented notes sounded like three disconnected notes. Vol. 81 24 1961 1S 7o ’ T T ' zea-lhasa-l sae 23¢ (234-5 2347/2354 ase" Jan FEB MAR. APR MAY JUN July AG SEPT OCT YOV. CEC FIG S THE SAWING SONG 1S, OF SONGS. Ne PZIA-(ZIFIAZSS—12ASF-1 ASH- /ZIH-/2AB$A-~ /( ASF-1ZDBH- 1234 - 1284-1 254- JAN, FEB. AAK- APR. MAY, TUN. FULLY. AUG SEPT. ocT. “Ov. oe&c.- FIG.4. PA shod i “3. 10, 4”. GF SON GS. FATA 1 ZIAI2SH- 1234-1 234-1 25H -1284> | 234-1 294- 1234-4 23F-1234- TAN. FEB. MAR, APR. MAY. JUN. July. AVG. SEPT = ac. wow. DEC. FIGS. sa~ 4a 4a ~ 1961 25 Vol. 81 , Another interesting variation consists of a curiously yodelled ‘‘CHU’’ note Fig. 6d, alternatively emphasis is placed on the yodelled note, Fig. 6e. On 16th February 1956 an extension of this variation was heard, Fig. 6f. Also on this date I heard a variation difficult to indicate which I rendered as in Fig. 6g.—the wavering note synonymous with the ‘‘TEE”’’ note. These latter variations are an interesting link with the second song type. Usually this species sings from cover but occasionally it launches into flight across an open space singing as it does so. ii. The second most frequently uttered variation—one hundred and eight recorded utterances Fig. 4—is a rhythmic trisyllabic with emphasis placed on the first note, the ‘“TEE’’ of the sawing song, Fig. 6h. This component is at times pitched differently and with varied tempo. bs of Once I observed one bird of a pair utter- e i. ing this song in a flight of about fifty yards. iii. The third variation—one hundred b eas 4,8 8, and five examples Fig. 5—is similar to ii. but the emphasis is reversed. Again as in ii. x 4wrtu “%w _ there isa variation in which the pitch of the - disyllabic changes, Fig. 61. The song tempo See may also vary considerably, e.g. Fig. 6). d eee Z A bird silhouetted against the sky and observed at close range kept the bill open é atte X's all the time it sang while its throat was working continuously. f ee i A ic” On a March evening at dusk I heard a Berm oe ee me mee om Song Thrush Turdus ericetorum, which was singing strongly, deliberately utter eight g al aeler and then seven equally spaced examples of this song. In view of the tendency of both h Se: AM 1: species to mimic other songs it is possible that this bird was imitating a Great Tit j rea Parus major. On the other hand it could Rais , easily be the reverse. However, considering the frequency with which this component occurs in both species’ songs, I suggest FiG 6. that in this instance mimicking has not wantonly taken place. It is interesting to note that I once heard this component from a distance of about one hundred yards when the ‘‘TEE”’’ note was inaudible re- sulting in a rhythmic repetition of paired notes. CONCLUSION In this investigation I have attempted to tabulate song variations at the time of utterance by a simple diagrammatic form. It is suggested that in the area under review there appeared to be three main song types with greater variation developed from a juxtaposition of the notes, together with change in pitch and tempo. Some variation may result accidentally depending upon the distance from which a singing bird is heard, when weaker carrying notes become inaudible. ’ J ae ae Vol. 81 26 1961 References :— Coward, T. A. 1920. The Birds of the British Isles and their Eggs, Vol. 1. London. Gibb, J. Feeding Ecology of Tits with notes on Treecreeper and Goldcrest. Ibis 96 513-543. Hartshorne, C. The Relation of Bird Song to Music. \bis 100 421-444. Howard, L. 1952. Birds as Individuals. New York. Hulme, D. C. Alternative song of Great Tit. British Birds XLV 409. Huxley, J. S. Song Variants in the Yellowhammer. British Birds XL 162-164. Marler, P. The Voice of the Chaffinch. New Biology 20 70-87. Nicholson, E. M. & Koch, L. 1936. Songs of Wild Birds. London. North, M. E. W. A Plea for Standardization in Transcribing Bird Calls. \bis 95, 552-53. Witherby, H. F., Jourdain, F. C. R., Ticehurst, N. F., Tucker, B. W. 1940. The Hand- book of British Birds I, London. A new subspecies of the Nubian Bustard by CHARLES VAURIE Received 24th October, 1960 The Nubian Bustard (Neotis nuba) inhabits the scrubby regions of the semi desert from the Red Sea Hills of the Sudan southwestward to the region between Abu Hamed on the north and Khartoum in the south, and then westward to Kordofan, Darfur (perhaps), Chad north to the Ennedi, and Niger Territory north to southern Air. It is not well known and relatively few specimens are in collections. The American Museum of Natural History has five specimens, three adult males and one adult female captured in Kordofan which died in the Giza Zoological Garden, and one adult male shot by Captain Angus Buchanan in Niger Territory at Taberghi, south of Agadeés, ‘‘six or seven days north of Tanout’’, on 4th July, 1922. This last specimen suggests strongly that a different subspecies inhabits the western end of the range of the species for which I propose the name: Neotis nuba agaze’ Vaurie, new subspecies Type: Taberghi, as above; A.M.N.H., catalogue no. 547514. Description: Differs from nominate nuba Cretzschmar, 1826, type locality, Kurgos, near Shendi, Sudan, by being paler and less heavily and darkly vermiculated with brown on the back, rump, upper tail coverts, tail, and upper wing coverts, and also by being banded with blue-grey on the upper breast beneath the chestnut band, with a few feathers speckled slightly with pale brown, whereas this grey band is lacking in the specimens from Kordofan, the feathers in the latter beneath the chestnut band being barred or well speckled with darker brown. Agaze differs also very dis- tinctly from nominate nuba by being smaller, by having a proportionately shorter tail, and much weaker feet. Measurements: Agaze, adult male, wing length 418, tail 177, tarsus length 114, anterior-posterior thickness of the tarsus measured half way down its length 7.5, length of middle toe 45, length of the bill from the skull 63, length of the bill from the anterior border of the nostril 28. In the three males from Kordofan, these measurements are, respectively, 425, 440, 455; 252, 260; 278; 119, 120, 122: 11; 125513: Sia 74, 75; and 36, 37, 40. In the female from Kordofan, 408, 219, 119, 12, 57, 65333; The specimen from Taberghi is in the last stages of the moult. Its fourth 1, The native name of this bird in the language of the Tuaregs. | ’ | ; 1961 27 Vol. 81 primary (the fourth and fifth primaries are longest in this species) appears to be nearly full grown and the longest tail feathers appear to be full grown as I cannot find traces of a sheath at their base. I may add that virtually all the feathers of the body are very fresh and unbleached. Discussion: Hartert (1924, Novitates Zool., vol. 31, p. 9) has discussed the specimen from Taberghi and says it may represent a new subspecies but that he could not decide because the difference {in coloration| might be individual and that he was ‘‘convinced’’ it had been wrongly sexed, adding ‘‘should it be a male, it would of course be a very much smaller form! {than nominate nuba}.’’ Apparently, the females of Neotis nuba differ from the males only by being smaller, but Hartert’s belief that -Buchanan’s bird is a female is only an assumption, though perhaps correct. Buchanan was a most conscientious collector. The many hundred of his skins that I have seen are ‘‘all they should be’’, as Hartert states, very well prepared with full data and apparently correctly sexed. At any rate, whether correctly sexed or not, the specimen from Taberghi differs quite distinctly from the female from Kordofan and I believe the differ- ences are too numerous to be merely ‘‘individual’’. Hartert states that *‘Buchanan says it is a young male’’, but I cannot account for this state- ment as Buchanan made no notation that it was immature on his label. It appears to me to be adult as it did to Hartert. The validity of a substitute name by S. DILLON RIPLEY Received 25th May, 1960 In my review of the Thrushes (Postilla, 1952, 1954, No. 13 p. 23 et add. p. 1) I provided a substitute name for an Iranian subspecies of the Blue- throat, Erithacus svecicus or, as may be preferred by some authors, Luscinia svecica. The original names involved were as follows: Cyanecula wolfi magna Zarudny and Loudon, 1904, Ornith. Jahrb. p. 225, Bidesar, Arabistan (—Khuzistan, southwestern Iran vide Vaurie, Bds. Pal. Fauna p. 385.) This name I believe is preoccupied in the genera Erithacus or Luscinia by: Philomela magna Blyth, 1833 (Aug.), Rennie’s Field Nat. vol. 1, p. 355, a substitute name for Sylvia Philomela ‘‘Temminck’’ = Bechstein, 1802; which see also, Blyth, 1833 (May), Rennie’s Field Nat. vol. 1, p. 200, here called Philomela major. In the Birds of the Palaearctic Fauna, 1959, p. 385, Dr. Vaurie rejects my substitute name on the basis of Copenhagen Decisions No. 115, L.C.Z.N. 1953, that a name published as a synonym without independent description should be rejected as from some future date when the new International Regles are published. Dr. Vaurie states that Philomela magna Blyth 1833 is a nomen nudum. I find I must differ. Philomela magna is not a nomen nudum. Blyth’s paragraph (tom. cit. 1833 (May), p. 200) is as follows, referring to the British nightingale : **This renowned songster is of a size, intermediate, between the thrushes and the warblers; at least, he is much larger than any of our British Vol. 81 28 2 1961 warblers; and one of the continental nightingales, the Sylvia Philomela of M. Temminck, (or, as I should prefer terming it, the Philomela major), is a still larger bird... .”’ In No. 8 of the same journal, 1833, Aug. on page 355, Blyth published a note correcting various errata which reads: ‘‘line 22, for ‘major’, read magna...’ This use of the name Philomela major (later carefully corrected by the author to magna) as a substitute name for the bird called Sy/via Philomela by Temminck is not a nomen nudum. Blyth gives evidence in the same publication, page 199, of knowing what work he was talking about, the only argument for calling this citation a nomen nudum. If we examine Temminck’s Manuel d’ Ornithologie, 1820, éd. 2, tome 1, p. 196 and p. 197, we find the Bec-fin Philoméle, Sylvia Philomela (Becht.) 1802, an identifiable species. On page 197 Temminck discusses the Bec-fin Soyeux, Sylvia sericea (Natter, ex MS.), described and therein validated for the first and only time. Turning back to Blyth, on page 199 of the May issue of Rennie’s Field Naturalist Blyth says: ‘‘taken conjointly, and altogether, they seem to intimate, that our nightingale, with the Sy/via Philomela and S. sericea of M. Temminck, (species closely resembling it), possess sufficient pecu- liarities to warrant their being placed as a distinct genus’’. This latter name in conjunction with the former places Blyth’s current reading material exactly. As an example of the validity of a name used in this fashion, I refer to Zimmer and Vaurie, (1954, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. vol. 74, p. 41) in which these authors state that Pnoepyga and Oligura created by Hodgson in 1844 (Zool. Miscellany, p. 82) are not nomina nuda by reason of not being described, but are in fact valid genera as they are associated by citation with valid species. Thus if on the one hand Pnoepyga and Oligura are said to be valid by Dr. Vaurie by citation and association, then obviously Philomela magna Blyth a correction for Philomela major Blyth, a substitute name for Sy/via Philomela ‘‘Temminck’’ = Bechstein, a valid species, is also not a nomen nudum. Thus I believe Cyanecula wolfi magna Zarudny and Loudon is a junior secondary homonym of Philomela magna Blyth and as such deserves a substitute name. This name I proposed in Postilla, (tom. cit.) as Erithacus svecicus luristanicus. I am grateful to Mr. H. G. Deignam for help with Rennie’s publication which is not at Yale. On the Clamorous Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg) in Eritrea by K. D. SMITH Received 10th August, 1960 Heuglin originally obtained this species in Eritrea, where he found it breeding in June. The nest was in the fork of a branch in a thick mangrove swamp on the coast, and contained three fresh eggs. The birds sung there all through the summer months. Kittenberger states that he obtained a 1961 29 Vol. 81 bird at Assab in 1907. None have been reported since then, and some doubt has been cast on the records. Both Sclater and Vaurie include Eritrea as within the range of A. s. stentoreus, but Mackworth-Praed & Grant mention the species in a note only, with the remark that its occur- rence on the Eritrean coast requires confirmation. Mr. Kenneth Williamson has informed me (in. /itt.) that whilst going through the B.M. collection recently he found that a male collected by myself at Zula, Eritrea on 26th January 1952 is stentoreus, having been wrongly identified as Acrocephalus arundinaceus zarudnyi Hart. In plumage and measurements, wing 85, it matches A. s. brunnescens Jerdon, although the locality is far outside the known winter range of that form. Vaurie gives the northern shores of the Persian Gulf and throughout India to Ceylon. The bird obtained had fully enlarged testes and was singing. I saw many birds singing in the swamps in late May but unfortunately assumed them to be a. zarudnyi lingering in winter quarters. It seems therefore that stentoreus breeds along the Eritrean coast, whilst brunnescens is a winter visitor. But Williamson also informs me that a February male from S.W. Arabia, where previously unrecorded, also matches brunnescens, and as the Zula bird was in breeding condition it seems possible that birds from the southern Red Sea are sedentary and may eventually require a new name. I am grateful to Mr. R. E. Moreau for supplying me with Heuglin’s data. References :— Heuglin, T. 1869. Ornithologie Nordost-Afrikas | :287. Kittenberger, K. 1907. Vogelzug im Danakil-Land. Aquila 14:175-178. ee eed, C. W. & Grant, C. H. B. 1955. African Handbook of Birds 1 (2): Sclater, W. L. 1930. Systema Avium Aethiopicarum. Smith, K. D. 1957. An annotated check-list of the birds of Eritrea. Ibis 99 :333. Vaurie, C. 1959. The Birds of the Palaearctic Fauna. The African rough-winged Swallows by C. M. N. WHITE Received 3rd August, 1960 The genus Psalidoprocne has long been treated as comprising a number of distinct species of African swallows. Sclater (1930) listed eleven species, and Peters (1960) listed twelve. One species, nitens, stands apart from the rest in having a square (not forked) tail, and occurs sympatrically with fork tailed birds in various places, and is clearly a distinct species. Re- lationships between the other fork tailed birds have never been analysed, and the main difference between them is to be found in the colour of the metallic gloss, the colour of the under wing coverts (white or grey) and in dimensions. One of them, a/biceps, however differs strikingly from the rest in having in males a white cap and throat. I shall now present evidence to show that a number of the black species can be combined in a single polytypic species. The data is examined in terms of the geographical distribution in relation to variation. 1. South and East Africa, north to Kenya and Uganda. It has been widely assumed that two species, holomelaena (with ashy under wing coverts) and orientalis (with white under wing coverts) occur sympatrically in part of this area. Thus Grant and Praed (1955 give a map Vol.’81 30 1961 which shows the distribution of holomelaena as continuous from Natal to Kenya and Uganda. The facts are quite different. Typical holomelaena occurs from the coast of the Cape Province north to the east Transvaal and Sul do Save, and is then replaced by orientalis. No evidence exists to prove the existence of holome/aena in eastern Southern Rhodesia where all specimens are orientalis. The latter occupies also Portuguese East Africa from about Beira northwards, Nyasaland, the eastern province of Northern Rhodesia, and south east Tanganyika (Lindi, Songea, Tukuyu, Njombe, north to Kilosa). Holomelaena reappears again north of them (Kilosa, Morogoro, Dar-es-Salaam, Uluguru, Usambara, Kilimanjaro). The only evidence for overlap in Tanganyika appears to be (a) the birds collected by Loveridge at Kilosa, identified as an adult and an immature holo- melaena, and a male moulting into adult plumage, and identified as orientalis. Loveridge also records breeding at Kilosa, apparently ho/o- melaena. | shall discuss below the extent to which these swallows indulge in extensive wandering; as Kilosa lies on the point of transition from holomelaena to orientalis in Tanganyika, I do not regard this isolated record as evidence that the two are in fact sympatric. Secondly (b) the type locality of orientalis is north west of Pangani and north of Dar-es- Salaam where holomelaena is recorded. The latter may be a wanderer from inland and orientalis the coastal from, since holomelaena in East Africa appears to be mainly a bird of higher levels, whilst orientalis occurs at sea level in Mozambique and at Lindi. There is thus no evidence whatever to support the map in Grant and Praed, showing orientalis and holomelaena as sympatric over a wide area, but two anomalous specimens exist collected within the range of other forms but close to places from which they could have wandered. In the interior of Kenya birds like holomelaena — occur having a range continuous with the northern Tanganyika popu- — lations. Grant and Praed have treated these northern populations of — holomelaena as identical with the southern nominate form and there is very little difference between them, but the northern massaica has a slightly longer wing, 110-119 against 105-113 mm., although the tail length and fork is about the same in both populations. 2. Western forms of holomelaena and orientalis. Each of these forms has a more western representative, ruwenzori for q the first mentioned, and reichenowi for the second. The first of these — differs from massaica in its shorter and less deeply forked tail, whilst wing — length agrees with nominate holomelaena. The second differs from — orientalis in a precisely similar manner, and also has the under wing — coverts rather greyish tinged; in the latter respect the sharp division — between white and grey under wing coverts breaks down as a good — specific character. Measurements of the races so far discussed are set out in the following table. Form Wing Longest t.f. | Fork holomelaena 105-113 82-90 38-49 massaica 110-119 85—99 39-50 ruwenzori 107-114 73-85 28—34.5 orientalis 105-112 76-90 37-48 reichenowi 103-109 I2218 21—27 z “¢ ; 1961 31 Vol. 81 3. Northern Congo forms From Ubangi to the Uelle and Ituri and the Lendu plateau in the - Belgian Congo, and at the Yei area of the Sudan, just across the border ¥ from the Belgian Congo localities, another pair of forms is found, much like orientalis but with a stronger oily green wash. The western of these, chalybea, has grey under wing coverts and occurs from Ubangi and Bamin- gui to Stanleyville and the Ituri; further north east it is replaced by mangbettorum with white under wing coverts. Chapin (1953) has shown that they replace each other between Buta and Titule. The samples of mangbettorum show some slight size variations in different localities. Measurements are given below. Form Wing Longest t.f. Fork chalybea 93-100 85-94 38-54 mangbettorum (Uelle) 97-100 85-92.5 41-47 2 (Lendu) 101-104 79-84 34-37 is (Yei) 97-100 78-81 33-38 Whilst it does not seem desirable to subdivide mangbettorum on these slight variations, it would seem reasonable to treat both these forms not only as conspecific, but also as races of holomelaena in view of the data already discussed. Another problem of a type locality arises with chalybea since it was described from Victoria, Cameroons. But all other specimens have come from Ubangi eastwards. Serle never found chalybea when collecting in the Cameroons, nor is it represented in the Cameroon material in the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, nor in Bates’ Cameroons collections. It seems likely that here again the type locality derives from a bird which had wandered outside its range. The type of chalybea was examined by Chapin who considered it to agree with the birds to which the name is applied by him. 4. P. petiti This form differs in colour from all the foregoing in its less black, more brownish general colour and the under wing coverts are white tinged with grey. The wing, 98-105, agrees with the mangbettorum populations; the tail, 70-82, averages slightly shorter, whilst the tail fork is shallower, 25-35 mm. The range is from the Obudu plateau of east Nigeria to the Cameroons and through Gaboon south to Brazzaville. The question arises as to whether it should also be considered as conspecific with the birds already considered. Morphologically it would seem to be yet another allopatric form, and the objections to this course depend upon two con- siderations. Firstly the type locality of chalybea which is west of the range of petiti in the Cameroons. In view of what has been said above I do not regard this as very important. Secondly the type locality of petiti is Landana and of reichenowi Chinchoxo; these localities are very close together in the Portuguese enclave of Cabinda. The line of the lower Congo seems to mark the change from petiti to reichenowi, and in view of the nomadic habits of these swallows, it would seem better to treat them as conspecific until actual breeding colonies of both forms have been found together in this area. 5. The Ethiopian forms All the foregoing birds have the outer tail feather attenuated, whilst the Vol. 81 32 | | 1961 Ethiopian forms have it broader and blunter. This might be thought to be a specific character, but oleaginea of south west Ethiopia in fact is other- wise just like mangbettorum, and was confused with it by Grant and Praed and by Cave and Macdonald. Oleaginea has a shorter tail, 67-74 and with a shallower fork, 24-29 mm. This would suggest that oleaginea can be treated as another race of holomelaena, and in that event, so must all the Ethiopian races. They differ only in their different glosses viz :— oleaginea (rich oily green); blanfordi (steel blue); pristoptera (purple-blue); antinorii (purplish bronze). The under wing coverts are white. 6. Other forms From Portuguese Guinea and Sierra Leone to eastern Nigeria a single form, obscura occurs, its most eastern locality being Kumba, lying at about 1,000 feet in the lower Guinea forest. Here it approaches closely the range of petiti, but has not been collected with it. It differs rather strikingly from all the foregoing in having the tail as long or longer than the wing, but in other respects agrees closely with them, being greenish glossed and with dusky under wing coverts. I regard it as a member of the same superspecies, perhaps best left at present as a separate species. Bannerman also lists a specimen from Victoria, suggestive of another wanderer. Cameroon mountain and Fernando Po are inhabited by an endemic form, fuliginosa, dull brown and lacking any gloss. The tail is rather sho and has the shallowest fork of any of the forked tail edspecies of Psali doprocne. It seems best to retain it as a species. Finally there is albiceps which is largely allopatric to the other forms from the southern Sudan and Uganda through west Tanganyika to North ern Rhodesia west of the Luangwa Rift as far as Mpika and Fort Rosebery The female of a/biceps is rather like the other black species but with a whitish throat, suggesting that the white head of the male a/biceps is not a very important character. Nevertheless the difference is such that it seems better to retain a/biceps as a species. P. albiceps is important in considering the occurance of these swallows in places which appear to lie outside their normal ranges. In Northerr Rhodesia albiceps is regarded by Benson and White (1957) as migratory, — although it is known to breed both in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, ~ and in the north of its range in Uganda. Moreover there are a number of records of albiceps far outside its normal range, which must represent wanderers. E.g. near Fort Jamesor and Lusaka in Northern Rhodesia, and at Kasaji in the western Katanga. ~ One or other of the black forms have also been recorded in Northern Rhodesia in localities far from the normal range, including Sesheke in- southern Barotseland. The occurances therefore of birds in places which appear to be outside the normal range and within the normal area o another form, which are in any case remarkably few, cannot be regarded as conclusive evidence of sympatry. What is extraordinary is that severe of the forms of Psalidiprocne appear to have been described from suc wanderers, and several type localities are therefore not within the normé ranges of the forms concerned. On the above evidence I conclude that there are only two biogeographic species of Psalidoprocne, nitens an he 1961 33 Vol. 81 pristoptera. Three forms, fuliginosa, obscura and albiceps are best given specific rank within the pristoptera superspecies, and all the remainder treated as races of pristoptera (the oldest name). In preparing this note I am greatly indebted to Mrs. B. P. Hall for data upon material in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) and for the trouble she took in measuring them; to Dr. Amadon, Dr. Rand and Dr. Parkes for data about the collections in their charge; and to the National Museum, Bulawayo for the loan of material. A new form of Spike-heeled Lark from Bechuanaland by C. M. N. WHITE Received 18th August, 1960 Mr. R. H. Smithers, Director of the National Museums of Southern Rhodesia has asked me to describe a form of Chersomanes albofascists which he recently sent to me for examination, and which appears to be new. I therefore propose :— Chersomanes albofasciata barlowi subsp. nov. Description: much paler than either of the other Bechuanaland forms (kalahariae and bathoeni), and with the upperside much greyer, and lacking any sandy yellow or brown shade; nearest to erikssoni of Ovambo- land, but still greyer above and with the upperside plainer, due to the reduction in dark streaking; below much paler than erikssoni, the middle of the abdomen whiter, and the breast with fine and diffused brown streaking. The rufous on the upper tail coverts is very light and only slightly indicated and the white tip to the tail very narrow. ’ Type: male collected on 18th January, 1959, at Lake Dow, south of Makaikari, Bechuanaland, by the Barlow-National Museum Expedition. In the National Museum, Bulawayo. No. 39,872. Distribution: only known from the Lake Dow ares of Bechuanaland. The most north eastern form of the species. Notes: 14 specimens examined. Named after Mr. C. S. Barlow who has sponsored the National Museum’s work in Bechuanaland. A substitute name for a Philippine Tailor-bird by KENNETH C. PARKES Received 22nd September, 1960 In describing a new subspecies of the tailor-bird Orthotomus atrogularis from the Philippine island of Negros, I inexplicably overlooked the prior use in this genus of the subspecific name I had chosen. I hasten, therefore, to provide a substitute, as follows: Orthotomus atrogularis rabori, nom. nov. Replaces Orthotomus atrogularis heterolaemus Parkes, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, 80, 1960, p. 77, not Phyllergates heterolaemus Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 18, 1905, p. 86, now Orthotomus cucullatus heterolaemus (Mearns). This name is proposed in acknowledgment of the great debt all modern workers on Philippine birds owe to Dr. D. S. Rabor of Silliman Uni- versity, Dumaguete City, Negros, for his untiring efforts in collecting and for his many important discoveries of new Philippine forms. Vol. 81 34 1961 Variation in Macrony Croceus Vieillot by C. M. N. Wurte Received 15th October, 1960 Clancey (Ostrich, 1958) has proposed to recognise three forms of this widespread species, one of them, tertius, described there at p. 77, as a new form with type locality Hartley, Southern Rhodesia. Examination of the large amount of material in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) fails to reveal any regular geographical variation throughout Africa which merits the recognition of subspecies. There is some irregular variation with some populations warmer and redder above, others colder and greyer, and similar variation in the intensity of the yellow underside is apparent. Wear also affects the colour of the upperside, and quite moderate wear induces a greyer appearance. On average the coldest populations occur in the Sudan and in south east Africa. It has been claimed that the south easternmost population should be recognised as vu/turnus Fried- mann on account of its rather large size, particularly shown in tarsus and bill. But West African birds have tarsus 35-38, those of the White Nile 35-38 and those of South Africa 36—39 in birds measured by me. Bills are similarly variable—West Africa 20-22, White Nile 21-23, Kenya 20-21, Southern Rhodesia 20—22, Natal 22—24.5 mm. These measurements do show that the south eastern birds have on an average the longest bills, but although some selected smallest populations do not overlap with these south eastern birds, others overlap appreciably. Only about 30% of the birds known as vulturnus can be distinguished by their long bills. Nothing is gained by the formal designation by name of such ill defined variation. I am indebted to Mrs. Hall for examining the British Museum material with me, and to Mr. M. P. Stuart Irwin for informing me that he also has been unable to see any good grounds for recognising any geographical variation by name. A new race of the Violet-eared Waxbill Granatina granatina (Linnaeus) from southern Portuguese East Africa by P. A. CLANCEY Received 11th November, 1960 In my recent study of geographical variation in the Violet-eared Waxbill Granatina granatina (Linnaeus) (vide Durban Mus. Novit., vol. v, 18, 1959, pp. 253-257) I recognise two races, namely, G. g. granatina (Lin- naeus), 1766: Huila, southern Angola, and G. g. siccata Clancey, 1959: near Okahandja, Damaraland, South-West Africa, based on differences in colouration in both sexes. During the course of a recent collecting trip to southern Portuguese East Africa (August-September, 1960) members of the Durban Museum staff collected a sample of pale, small-sized specimens of Violet-eared Waxbills in a new area for the species, which appear to represent an undescribed form confined to the littoral of south- eastern Africa. Granatina granatina retusa, subsp. nov. Type: 3, adult. Near Panda, Inhambane district, Sul do Save, southern 1961 ; So Vol. 81 Portuguese East Africa (24° 02’ S., 34° 45’ E.). 17th September, 1960. Durban Museum Expedition. In the collection of the Durban Museum. Diagnosis: Adult male paler throughout than either G. g. granatina or G. g. siccata. Head-top and nape about Mikado Brown (vide Ridgway, Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, 1912, pl. xxix) as against a dusty Russet or Russet/Hazel (pls. xiv, xv) in G. g. siccata, and mantle much - lighter, being Sayal Brown (pl. xxix) with greyish olive overlay. On under- parts, rather less black over the chin and upper throat, and with most of the rest of the ventral surface distinctly lighter (about Tawny (pl. xv) as against Chestnut/Russet (pls. ii, xv) in G. g. siccata. Adult female rather paler than G. g. siccata, the head-top slightly more yellowish (Buckthorn Brown (pl. xv) as against Ochraceous-Tawny (same pl.). A markedly smaller, shorter tailed race than either G. g. granatina or G. g. siccata, thus: wings of 3 $9 53.5, 54.5, 54.5, 2 99 53, 55, as against 55.5—60 (57.5) and 56-58 (56.7) in 20 gd9° of G. g. granatina, and 57-61 (58.8) and 55.5—59 (57.4) in 20 Gg9E of G. g. siccata; tails in 33 62, 62, 66.5, as against 71-77 (74.7) in G. g. granatina and 75-82 (78.6) mm. in G. g. siccata. Paratypical material: 3 33, 2 29. All adults. Range: At present known only from the district of Inhambane, Sul do Save, southern Portuguese East Africa. Measurements of the Type: Wing 54.5, culmen (exposed) 9.5, tarsus 16.5, tail 66.5 mm. Remarks: The Violet-eared Waxbill appears to be extremely localized in Sul do Save, and during the course of two ornithological expeditions organised by the Durban Museum the species was only once located, when the paratypical series of G. g. retusa was obtained. Even in the Panda district the species was only found near one watering point. Some of the specimens of G. granatina available in collections from near Lourenco Marques are referable to the nominate race, and appear to be escaped captives brought from the interior or aviary birds. The name chosen for the new race is from the Latin retusus, blunted, blunt, dull, in allusion to shorter, less acuminate tail, when it is compared with the other two races of the species. 1 am grateful to the Director of the Museu Dr. Alvaro de Castro, Lourencgo Marques, for the loan of relevant material. On racial variation in Zosterops pallida Swainson, sens. strict. by P. A. CLANCEY AND J. M. WINTERBOTTOM Received 25th October, 1960 In a recent contribution by one of us (P.A.C., 1960) the characters and ranges of two racial groups of populations of the White-eye Zosterops pallida Swainson, 1838, sens. strict. (vide Moreau, 1957), were defined in the light of information derived from a study of new material available Vol. 81 ou. y >. 196! in South African museums. In the note in question the populations of the moist east were called Z. p. pallida, with a range in the ‘‘valleys of the Vaal and upper Orange Rivers (not in Basutoland) and their major affluents (Harts, Modder, etc.),’’ while those of the dry west were placed as Z. p. deserticola Reichenow, 1905: lower Orange River, the range of which was given by Clancey, Joc. cit., as ‘‘South-West Africa south to northern Little Namaqualand, Bushmanland and Kenhardt (Hartbees River), in the north-western Cape, and south-east to about Prieska and the Asbestos Mountains of the northern Cape.’’ In the east of its range, as given, Z. p. deserticola intergrades with Z. p. pallida. The arrangement of the populations of Z. pallida by Clancey hinged on the accuracy of Vincent’s (1952) fixation of the type-locality as Rustenburg, western Transvaal, and, unfortunately, did not take into consideration the recent change of the type-locality proposed by Grant and Mackworth-Praed (1957). Swainson, the original describer of Z. pallida, states that the form ‘‘Inhabits South Africa, Dr. Burchell’s Coll. No. 43’’, and Grant and Mackworth-Praed record that the single specimen of this species in the Burchell Collection in Oxford was taken in a grove of acacias about ten miles east of Prieska, northern Cape Province, on 18th September, 1811. On the basis of this information, the two workers concerned advocate the shift of the type-locality from Rustenburg to ten miles east of Prieska. We are in agreement with this proposal to change the type-locality of Z. p. pallida, in the light of which Z. p. deserticola must be sunk into the synonymy of the nominotypical race, while the eastern populations, i.e., those of the valleys of the Vaal and upper Orange Rivers and of their major tributaries, will now require to be known as Z. p. sundevalli Hart- laub, 1865: Caffraria superiore prope Vaal rivier (Hartlaub, 1865). Z. vaalensis Gunning and Roberts, 1911: Venterskroon, Potchefstroom, Transvaal, a form often kept specifically discrete from Z. pallida and Z. capensis Sundevall, must be placed in the synonymy of Z. p. sundeyvalli. Moreau, /oc. cit., expressed the view that Z. vaalensis is not a distinct species but simply a name given to xanthochroic variants of Z. pallida cropping up irregularly in the eastern populations. With this view we concur, as recent collecting in the western Orange Free State (Glen, Modder River) has revealed that Z. vaalensis and Z. pallida occur together in the same flocks, and that birds intermediate between the two forms are also to be found in such assemblages. Literature cited: Clancey, P. A. Durban Museum Novitates, vol. vi., 2, 1960, pp. 44-45. Grant, C. H. B. and Mackworth-Praed, C. W. Ostrich, vol. xxvili, 3, 1957, p. 174. Hartlaub, G. Journal fiir Ornithologie, 1865, p. 8. Moreau, R. E. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology, vol. 4, No. 7, t pp. 311-433. Vincent, J. Check List of the Birds of South Africa, 1952, p. 99. HM aniat USS afi SR * 3 Lon es > * Ue per > Sole, mt s ae, 4 “ih a. ¥ ; Wes aa 7 el ‘ ae a? att 40 234i: YUH tT ADAG cee x) nao “btive od: Yo eedenun ee - . a cudte OO). HA Ft 08 sbhaort od blootle enti pr ss | li 132 80 rw Mtr | Ov. ,2Zi1st See it Mavoltnd” ats to ersdsuish Adad gveH onw eb : mo. A i a) maar? a7 "he vi Tk a ® | Tw) rhe }09'] ah 1h ae Svori 4 4 re a ‘ ond ADE ISTRY rmArids “ert Hua 34 f eon rat tev 4 on > n ; ; 90 IVOVL 3 = UV PLN °° WO TIOoI Se {} f f F 4 » A? : Lyi ; Bnog “nijalind®* srl? lo esinoo sort « h fon iiw fe 92 di me Vad | rion! . evi ix : iq) 4 , 5 ? be er rac i \HT 40 wWiGita ou as 4 grt Ms 3a nouudeinGie oer Ya . Ievtt “pots > hy x] ** Yoil i ; 7 ; aide “hash vet 1eiieno short) 3911 4 ,¢ j 'y = . 26 to iy Jer Say: ay Ce i. 4 a : Be : Ya ft “M9 bd ? ‘ ‘. ) OOS tan os JIN Tn) oe bitiay 3 yi ye sod Us Suis Rie » eer Hiti Gn hy we th ae - - aes - i b ee yyy» - eT es? : > 4 2) : oan : - } ~ 4 A « 7) ¢ j , 4 ay t} ‘ = i 4 ‘ ii ¥y¥ Wis Botan Gi yee Cl 4) J at it) : +} ct? fe 1 - d J : 2» | ‘i> [#67 ogucsis ton iw dul ods 2hiawrsle sep nwo eis Ssdineid 6). (bolornges: 10; ih am A} A ary BO VAIBIMQIIBG enouyor tre: hy Aut) . 7 of OF O18) Ow iy mort! UIISI4ADD BO line ae Mt)“ boowanwM’* .oazinstis 0 1 : ; ‘3 » “4 AOU KAT t ctpdyeles : Seworl siduct) + ) ; rio be "7. © i ied ss bd wag Pa oe ing é egeaitinl2, Bee | FAG) lite mitt Bet inomovel pudeae pel astlew vw Hbtvoxty Bt LDA alias We , we au.s> "eTZiOOd0) MINIM MZIVIAG edd edgar et Awok jweerTolphysciioh 9 ae fats i wer a , halt cde ‘ Notices BACK NUMBERS OF THE ‘‘BULLETIN’’ Back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ can be obtained at 3/- each. 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Secretary, Miss E. Forster, The Double House, Wiveton, Holt, Norfolk. SUBSCRIPTION Thirty Shillings Annually. Three Shillings per copy, payable to th Hon. Treasurer, C. N. Walter, Esq., Finsbury Pavement House, 12 Moorgate, London, E.C.2. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent 2. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON Volume 8l | March No. 3 1961 a Vol. 81 BULLETIN ts OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 8] Number 3 Published: Ist March, 196! _ The five hundred and eighty-eighth meeting of the Club was held at _ the Rembrandt Hotel, S.W.7, on 21st February, 1961. Chairman: CAPTAIN C. R. S. PITMAN _ Members present, 38; Guests, 15; Total, 52. _ The Chairman opened by thanking Mr. R. A. H. Coombes for all that _ he had done for the Club in managing the sales of bulk numbers of the - Bulletin, which had made such a difference to the Club’s finances. Mr. ‘Coombes was having to give up on moving to Scotland and Mr. N. J. P. _ Wadley was taking over from him. &- e ° ° ° > Passerine migration across the Mediterranean and * the Sahara _ Mr. R. E. Moreau gave a most interesting talk on this subject, of which _ the following is a summary as a full account will appear in the Ibis. By far the greater part of all the insectivorous birds of Europe cross to tropical Africa for the winter. The difficulties of the journey are great, _ especially in spring. The desert is nearly 1,000 miles wide from north to south and only a small fraction of its surface offers, in oases or mountains, the chance of a bird’s resting in the shade by day or of recuperating its Strength. The winds are predominantly northerly, so that the migrants have on the whole following winds in autumn, but head-winds in spring, when an ability to fly for some fifty hours practically non-stop seems essential. Far more birds are seen on the southern coast of the Mediterranean (and in the northern cases of Algeria) in spring than in autumn, when at least twice as many birds must be travelling. This is interpreted to mean ‘that in spring birds break their journey far more than in autumn. There 8 indeed reason to suppose that a great many birds travel from Europe ‘to tropical Africa non-stop in autumn; but there are baffling differences between species. 4 The systematic position of the Marbled Teal <¥ by Paut A. JOHNSGARD LS Received 9th December, 1960 - : Vol. 81 38 1961 aspects of its behaviour and the structure of the male’s trachea indicate that it also has affinities with the pochards, and especially with the genus Netta. It is therefore suggested that the Marbled Teal be placed in a monotypic genus (Marmaronetta Reichenbach) and be considered an evolutionary link between the surface-feeding ducks (Anatini) and the pochards (Aythyini), but tentatively retained in the former tribe. The Marbled Teal (Anas angustirostris Ménétriés, Cat. Rais. Obj. Zool. Caucase, 1832, p. 58) is a species which, perhaps because of its dull- coloured plumage, has not attracted much attention from students of waterfowl. However, it is a species which is unusual in nearly every respect, including its geographic range which, unlike that of any other duck, is centered around the Mediterranean region. Adults of both sexes are well described by the term ‘‘marbled’’, and the entire plumage is a creamy grey, or isabelline, colour. In contrast to other Anas species such as the outwardly similar Cape Teal (Anas capensis) (which Delacour, 1956, con- siders a close relative of the Marbled Teal), the contour feathers have dark grey edges and lighter centres instead of light edges and darker centres. There is a greater similarity between the adult plumages of the Marbled Teal and the South American Crested Duck, which has been traditionally — included in Anas but which Delacour (1954) considers an aberrent shelduck (Lophonetta specularioides). Both sexes of the Marbled Teal have slight nape crests and dark postocular stripes, but these are more conspicuous in adult males. Otherwise, the sexes differ only in bill colour and pattern. The adult male has a uniformly dark bill except for a narrow lighter subterminal bar, similar to that found in various pochard species, whereas the female lacks this bar and has a light yellowish triangular area on each ~ side of the maxilla. Foremost of the Marbled Teal’s plumage pecularities is its lack of a metallic coloured speculum; the colouration of the secondaries is not in any way differentiated from that of the primaries or the upper wing coverts. No other species of Anas has such a uniformly coloured upper wing sur- face, which is reminiscent of certain pochard species such as Red-crested Pochards (Netta rufina) and Common Pochards (Aythya ferina). In this respect the Marbled Teal differs markedly from the Crested Duck, which has a conspicuous bronze-coloured speculum with a white posterior border. It is now widely recognised that downy plumage patterns are of great importance in judging evolutionary relationships, and thus the downy plumage of the Marbled Teal is of interest. This plumage, which has been illustrated by Peter Scott (in Delacour, 1956), is a weakly-patterned pale buff and brown, quite distinct from the downy plumages of the Crested Duck or the Cape Teal. Indeed, the back-spotting and eye-stripe are so reduced that the overall appearance is almost more like that of a downy Red-crested Pochard than of a typical member of the genus Anas. The juvenal plumage is scarcely separable from the adult plumage, and is thus of no value in judging relationships. Two aspects of the Marbled Teal’s general behaviour are of importance. The first is that the pre-flight, or ‘‘flight intention’’, movements of thi species set it apart from all other species of Anas. Unlike these species, 1961 39 Vol. 81 _ which use repeated ‘‘neck-jerking’’ movements (McKinney, 1953) before taking flight, Marbled Teal perform rapid ‘‘chin-lifting’’ movements (McKinney, 1953), exactly as are performed by most and probably all species of pochards in the same situation. Secondly, the Marbled Teal dives occasionally when feeding, but normally feeds by up-ending. When diving, it usually opens its wings to assist in submerging in the manner of most (but not all) dabbling ducks. The hallux is no more strongly lobed than in the other species of Anas. Female Marbled Teal lack the strong ‘‘quacking’’ voice typical of Anas females, and instead have only a weak note similar to the male’s. Thus females lack the ‘‘Decrescendo call’’ (Lorenz, 1951-1953) which is characteristic of every other species of Anas which has thus far been closely studied. The female’s primary courtship display, in common with all species of Anas and pochards (Netta and Aythya) thus far observed, is the display that Lorenz (1951-1953) has termed ‘‘Inciting’’. The actual movements involved during Inciting vary greatly in different species, but in all they consist of alternated threatening and escape components. In the Marbled Teal the threat aspect consists of an overt threatening approach _ towards a strange or unfavoured drake, followed by a rapid retreat to- _ wards her mate or potential mate. This form of Inciting is more like that of some pochard species (e.g., Red-crested Pochard) than any Anas species known to me. Females also perform somewhat simplified versions _ of the male’s major courtship displays. The male’s pair-forming behaviour will not be described in detail here, but a few points should be mentioned. The first is that the male’s voice is normally heard only during display, and has been described (Jones, 1951) as a nasal squeak. This is usually uttered as the head is suddenly jerked backwards and downwards onto the back, whereas in the Cape Teal and the other ‘‘spotted teal’’ (Delacour, 1956) the courtship whistle is uttered as the neck is stretched upwards. No species of Anas known to me has a male display exactly like this, although the much slower ‘‘Bridling’’ » display (Lorenz, 1951-1953) of such species as the Chilean Teal (Anas flavirostris) is outwardly similar. Likewise no pochard species has an exactly equivalent male display, but the pochard ‘‘Head-throw’’ (Hoch- baum, 1944) functions in the same manner through producing sound by suddenly stretching the trachea to its greatest extent as air is exhaled. A second major display of the male Marbled Teal consists of silently stretch- ing the head and neck out over the water with the bill pointing towards the courted female or towards another male. This display is not typical of any species of Anas known to me, but the ‘*‘Sneak’’ posture (Hochbaum, 1944) of male pochards is similar in every respect. In common with both the surface-feeding ducks and the pochards, male Marbled Teal ‘‘Turn- the-back-of-the-head’’ (Lorenz, 1951-1953) towards Inciting females at every opportunity. The most significant of all aspects of waterfowl behaviour, biologically as well as taxonomically, are the behaviour patterns associated with copulation. No other form of behaviour is so rigidly uniform in each taxonomic group, and thus so useful in classification, as pre-copulatory and post-copulatory behaviour. In the species of Anas, excluding the Marbled Teal, for which I have personal observations (31 out of 35 species), in every case mutual ‘‘pumping’’ (Lorenz, 1951-1953) of the ) head is the primary pre-copulatory behaviour. In no case has drinking or preening dorsally been observed, although Cape Teal (Anas capensis) sometimes preen behind. the wing in the early stages of pre-copulatory display. Among the pochard group I have observed pre-copulatory behaviour in 13 out of the 15 species, and in every case the male (and sometimes also the female) has performed drinking and preening dorsally. A rudimentary form of mutual head-pumping also occurs in one species (Netta rufina), and slight head-pumping by one sex only occurs in four other species. In the Marbled Teal pre-copulatory behaviour consists entirely of alternately drinking and preening dorsally, performed syn- chronously by both sexes, without the slightest indication of head- pumping. Post-copulatory behaviour is of almost as great taxonomic significance as pre-copulatory behaviour. In the genus Anas this is somewhat variable, but in all species thus far observed (19) the male calls once, either with the neck extended vertically or in the ‘‘Bridling’’ posture, then swims away from the female or turns and faces her as she bathes. Post-copulatory behaviour in the pochards is known for 13 out of the 15 species. In every case the male calls once immediately after releasing his grasp of the female’s nape feathers, then swims away from her in a special ‘‘Bill-down’’ - posture, with the bill held rigidly downward towards the breast, while the female begins to bathe. Post-copulatory display in the Marbled Teal is exactly like that of the pochard group. In connection with this most unusual copulatory behaviour of the Marbled Teal, it is of great interest that the only hybrid known involving the Marbled Teal is not with another species of Anas, but with the Com- mon White-eye (Aythya nyroca), the hybrid being bred in captivity (Gray, 1958). It seems, because of its pre-copulatory behaviour, that successful copulation between Marbled Teal and one of the pochards is more prob- able than between Marbled Teal and a typical Anas species. One of the most important anatomical differences which separate the Anas group from the pochards concerns the structure of the tracheal bu//la in males. Males of all Anas species (34) thus far observed by me or described in the literature have bullae which are asymmetrically enlarged towards the left, rounded in shape, and entirely ossified. In all but three of these species the tracheal tube is relatively uniform in diameter and is not markedly larger than that of the female. In one of the three exceptional cases (Anas querquedula) the trachea gradually increases in width towards the bulla, while in the other two (Anas versicolor and A. punctata) there is an abrupt enlargement near the middle of the tracheal tube. However, the structure of the male’s trachea in at least 13 out of the 15 species of pochards is altogether different. In these species the tracheal bulla is of a highly distinctive shape, being enlarged towards the left, with an angular anterior crest, and with several membranaceous fenestreae present, the largest located on the flattened left surface. In nearly all species the tracheal — tube of the male is larger than the female’s and has one or more swellings near the middle, which may be gradual or fairly abrupt. The trachea of — the male Marbled Teal has been mentioned by Phillips (1924), but an insufficient detail to be of much value. Therefore the following description, based on a trachea from a male bred at the Wildfowl! Trust (specimen — PM 60/421), will be presented here. . aa Vol. 81 | 4 40 1961. | “Un he ~ St I te . 2 wes i 1961 Al Vol. 81 The tracheal specimen studied is from an immature bird, whose measure- ments (culmen 43.9 mm., wing 201 mm.) indicate that it was essentially full grown. However, an adult male might exhibit slightly greater tracheal measurements from those presented below. The dried specimen, including the entire tracheal tube, bu//a, and bronchi, measures 173 mm. The tube _ length anterior to the bulla is 155 mm. The tube is of gradually varying diameter, the widest part, with a diameter of 9.3 mm., is 105 mm. from the anterior tip. There is a diameter of 8.0 mm. or more for a length of 65 mm. near the middle of the tube. The minimum diameter of 3.1 mm. occurs just behind the anterior tip, while the diameter of the tube a few mm. anterior to the bu//a is 4.1 mm. Thus the tracheal tube agrees with the pochard type in its gradual enlargement towards the middle. The bulla is extremely interesting and is unique, differing from those of all other waterfowl known to me (Fig. !). Although in its rounded, left- sided shape it is very similar to that of a typical Anas, it is extraordinary in that it contains numerous membranaceous fenestrae, of varying sizes, over most of its surface. One if the largest of these is a roughly triangular fenestra on the lower left side of the bulla. This fenestra in undoubtedly homologous with the largest fenestra of the bulla of male Aythyini, which covers most of the flattened left surface of the bu//a in these species. In pochards there is also an angular crest of bone above this fenestra, on the _ other side of which numerous smaller fenestrae occur. Although this crest is lacking in the bulla of the Marbled Teal, the spacial relationships between the two types of bulla are fairly obvious. _ The second major way in which the Marbled Teal’s bulla (and those of typical Anas species as well) differs from those of pochards consists of the fact that the right chamber is somewhat inflated in pochards. This is only slightly indicated in the Marbled Teal, but a distinct inflation of the right chamber and a corresponding development of an angular crest of bone . flanked on both sides by fenestrae is clearly apparent in the bulla of the Fig. 1. Ventral, lateral, and dorsal views of the tracheal bulla of the Marbled Teal. The ruled line indicates one centimeter. Pink-headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea), as shown in the illus- trations of Garrod (1875) and Beddard (1898). Thus the very different tracheal bulla types of Anas and the Netta-Aythya group are neatly bridged by the intermediate types present in the Marbled Teal and the Pink- headed Duck, and a close relationship between the tribes Anatini and Aythyini is thereby indicated. Vol. 81 42 1961 A summary of the Marbled Teal’s behavioural and antomical charac- teristics will be listed below, as an aid in a final evaluation of the probable affinities of the species. Character Description Suggested Affinities Body plumage Isabelline, similar to Crested Duck Anatine Wing pattern Speculum absent, secondaries grey Aythyine Downy plumage Weakly patterned, with faint Intermediate eye-stripe Pre-flight movements Repeated chin-lifting Aythyine Lobing of hallux Slightly lobed Anatine Manner of feeding Up-ending, sometimes diving Anatine Voice and sexual displays Unique, but with a few pochard features Pre-copulatory behaviour Mutual drinking and preening Aythyine dorsally Post-copulatory behaviour Male swims in Bill-down posture, Aythyine female bathes Hybridization One record with Aythya, none Aythyine with Anas Tracheal tube of male Varying gradually in diameter, Aythyine widest near middle Shape of tracheal bulla of male __Left-sided and rounded Anatine Structure of bulla With numerous fenestrae of Aythyine varying sizes From this list it seems clear that the Marbled Teal is not a member of the genus Anas, and in the majority of its characteristics approaches more closely the pochard group. However, because of its weakly lobed hallux, surface-feeding tendencies, and rather Anas-like adult plumage, I believe that it should tentatively be retained in the tribe of surface-feeding ducks (Anatini of Delacour, 1956). I also believe that it should be placed in a monotypic genus and considered a direct link between the surface-feeding ducks and the pochards. The generic name Marmaronetta (Reichenbach, Ay. Syst. Nat., 1852, p. 9), has priority and has frequently been used by taxonomists until recently. The information presented in this paper was obtained while the writer was supported by fellowships awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Public Health Service. My appreciation of these organizations is gratefully acknowledged. The tracheal specimen described here has been deposited in the reference collection at the Wildfowl Trust, and I should like to express my appreciation to the staff of the Wildfowl Trust for their assistance in my studies, and to Peter Scott for kindly reading and criticising this manuscript. Literature Cited Beddard, F. E. (1898). The Structure and Classification of Birds. Longmans, Green & Co., London. 548 pp. Delacour, J. (1954, 1956). The Waterfowl of the World. Vols. 1 & 2. Country Life, London. Garrod, A. H. (1875). On the form of the lower larynx in certain species of ducks. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 151-156. Gray, A. P. (1958). Bird Hybrids. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau of England. 390 pp. Hochbaum, H. A. (1944). The Canvasback on a Prairie Marsh. Amer. Wildl. Inst., Washington. 201 pp. Jones, T. (1951). Marbled Teal. Avic. Mag., 57: 183-184. Lorenz, K. Z. (1951-1953). Comparative studies on the behaviour of Anatinae. Avic. Mag., 57: 157-182; 58: 8-17, 61-72, 86-94, 172-184; 59: 24-34, 80-91. tg ea 43 Vol. 81 ~- McKinney, D. F. (1953). Studies on the behaviour of the Anatidae. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Bristol, 227 pp. Phillips, J. C. (1924). The Natural History of the Ducks. Vol. 2. Houghton Mifflin Co., New York. Two new birds from Angola by MELVIN A. TRAYLOR Received 26th September, 1960 In 1954 Gerd Heinrich collected two males and a female of Oenanthe monticola from Mt. Moco and Mt. Soque, Huambo, in the highlands of central Angola, and in 1958 (Jour. f. Orn., 99 :357) listed them without subspecific designation. These were the first recorded specimens from inland Angola although the race a/bipileata is found on the arid coast of Benguela. Two other specimens from inland Angola exist, however: a male from Mombolo, Cuanza Sul in the American Museum of Natural History and an immature male from Mt. Moco in the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh. These five specimens differ strikingly from all other races of monticola (or from any other Oenanthe) in having wholly black tails. They may be described as: Oenanthe monticola nigricauda subsp. nov. Type: adult ¢ from Mt. Moco, Huambo, Angola; collected 11th October 1954 by Gerd Heinrich. Collector’s No. 15982; Chicago Natural History Museum No. 225374. _ Diagnosis: differs from all other races of monticola in having a wholly black tail with no trace of white. Males differ also in that some specimens (including the type) have black instead of white lesser and middle wing coverts. Compared to albipileata the female is a dark slaty gray rather than brownish; compared to nominate monticola the female is paler and has the lower belly white. In size nigricauda is smaller than monticola, about the size of albipileata. Size of type: wing 101; tail 70; culmen 20; tarsus 30. Distribution: central Angola, confined to the rocky tops of the highest peaks in Huambo and southern Cuanza Sul. Remarks: Considering only the color pattern of the type, black tail and black wing coverts, a good case could be made for elevating nigricauda to the rank of species. However, the four known males exhibit the same type of polymorphism shown by monticola in southern Africa. The two adult males from Mt. Moco have black wing coverts, but the immature male from the same locality and the adult from Mombolo have white ones. Similarly, while three of the males have black crowns, the fourth has a gray one. The extent of white on the under parts also varies, being restricted to the lower belly in the two adults from Mt. Moco, but covering the whole belly in the immature and the Mombolo adult. Longer series might ay the other south African variants: white crown, black belly and gray phase. Mayr and Stresemann (1950, Evolution 4: 291-300) have described polymorphism in the genus Oenanthe. As they note, one of the chief characters of the genus has been the white or rusty rump and base of tail. - Vol. 81 : 44 9g ee eas Nigricauda unfortunately forces us to expand the concept of the genus to include exceptional forms with black tails. It is also an exception in being polymorphic with respect to the color of the lesser wing coverts. The most common characters which show polymorphism in Oenanthe are the color of the crown, throat and abdomen, and monticola of course varies in respect to the whole body plumage. No species is recorded, however, in ~ which the wing coverts vary. The black tail and variable wing coverts would seem to set nigricauda off as a very distinct form, but as noted above it shows such close relations with monticola that it must be con- sidered at the very least a representative of that form. Comparative measurements of the different races are: wing culmen monticola (S.W.A.) 43S © 113-117 (114.5) 21.5-22 (21.7) 392 101, 107, 107 21 22 albipileata 433 100-106 (102.5) 19, 19.5, 20 399 98, 105, 105 20,224 nigricauda 33d 101, 101, 101 20, 20, 21 12 99 -—- Over two years ago Mrs. B. P. Hall wrote to ask me if we had any Alethe castanea from Angola, since she had a juvenal from Gabela which she believed to be of this species. I replied with an unequivocal ‘‘no’’, neglecting to mention that we did have poliocephala from the same locality. Shortly thereafter she wrote that since Heinrich had recorded poliocephala from Gabela she felt sure that her juvenal belonged to that species, but she wondered why her specimen had a few olive feathers on the crown. Now that I have belatedly examined our poliocephala the answer to her query is obvious—the Gabela population is a well marked subspecies, characterized by a reddish-olive crown, which I take pleasure in naming as consolation for her unrewarded prodding: Alethe poliocephala hallae subsp. nov. Type: adult 3 from 15 kim. south of Gabela, Cuanza Sul, Angola; col- lected 12th August 1954, by Gerd Heinrich. Collector’s No. 15401; Chicago Natural History Museum, No. 224892. Diagnosis: differs from all other races of poliocephala by having a reddish-olive instead of gray or olive-gray crown; differs from all other races but castanonota of Upper Guinea in having light, chestnut brown ear coverts. In color of the back, hallae is like akeleyae of Kenya, less rufous than poliocephala of Cameroon and Gabon but more so than carruthersi of Uganda. In size hallae is like poliocephala. Size of type: wing 97; tail 64; bill 19; tarsus 29. Distribution: known only from the region of Gabela, on the escarpment zone in Cuanza Sul, Angola. Remarks: Chapin (1953, Bul. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 75A: 500) reports that Rudolph Braun has assured him that he collected Alethe poliocephala at Quicolungo in northern Cuanza Norte. Without specimens it is im-_ possible to anticipate to which race birds from Quicolungo belong; however, the forests of northern Cuanza Norte are the southern outpost of a number of Lower Guinea forest birds, and the chances are that this population would belong to the nominate race. - tae) ee ee ee eT, tw a el ot i : d ab meee 45 Vol. 81 Mrs. Hall’s juvenal was taken 12 miles southwest of Gabela, 17th September 1957. It is fully grown and a few adult feathers are beginning - to appear on the crown and back. It is a tribute to Mrs. Hall’s discern- ment that she was able to recognize the subspecific differences on the three crown feathers available. Comparative wing measurements are: hallae 233 95, 97 poliocephala 43¢3 92-97 (94.5). carruthersi 83d 84-95 (87.5) akeleyae 53d 96-102 (98.0) kungwensis ld 96 1 would like to thank the British Museum for the loan of the juvenal from Gabela and the specimen of kungwensis. Is Muscicapa gabela an Akalat? | by B. P. HALL Received Ist October, 1960 A recent exchange with the Chicago Natural History Museum has given the British Museum an example of Muscicapa gabela Rand (1957, Fieldiana 39: 41), a species discovered by Heinrich in secondary forest 15km south of Gabela, western Angola. The rich bright brown of the upperparts and the long legs distinguish gabela from all African members of Muscicapa, as _ Rand pointed out, and in subsequent correspondence he has said that he is not wholly satisfied that it was correctly ascribed to this genus. I believe that gabe/a is not a Flycatcher but an Akalat, and the rep- resentative in western Angola of Sheppardia, a genus found sporadically — ~ in both lowland and montane forest throughout tropical Africa, apparently _ frequenting the same sort of tangled undergrowth as that in which gabela was found. Rand tells me that his chief reasons for not discussing gabela in relation to Sheppardia were its ‘*weak, slender feet and ‘flycatcher’ bill’’. The British Museum is fortunate in having the rather rare genus Sheppardia well represented, including good series of S. c. cyornithopsis from the Cameroons, and S. sharpei usambarae, and these series show there is considerable variation in both these characters within the genus, and even within populations. While I agree that the legs of gabe/a are thinner (and also darker) than those of cyornithopsis, they can be matched in strength and size with individuals of usambarae, while the darker colour may be due only to freshness. Similarly in individuals of cyornithopsis the bill is as wide at the base, or even a trifle wider, than that of the one gabela ex- amined, while all forms of Sheppardia have, like gabela, strong, forward- growing bristles. In neither of these characters therefore is gabela generically distinct from the Akalats, nor can I find any other structural difference. In size it is smaller than most Sheppardia, with relatively shorter wings, but the -measurements overlap those of usambarae, as the Table shows. _ Similarly there are no differences in colour or pattern that seem of more than specific importance, for though on the underparts gabela lacks the bright orange-buff on the throat and breast, characteristic of other forms of Sheppardia, traces of an orange wash can be found in the under wing- -coverts, on the chin, and in some of the olive feathers of the breast-band and flanks, showing that orange pigmentation is present but greatly Vol. 31 46 1961 reduced. Indeed usambarae shows a close approach to gabela below, having also an olive breast-band and flanks, but having a dull orange wash on the throat and breast which overlies the olive, making the contrast between the throat and breast less marked than in gabela. In colour the upper parts of gabela are close to cyornithopsis: the head and mantle are slightly more rufous, less olive, but have the same minute dark edges to the feathers which give a faintly scalloped appearance: the tail is less rufous, closer to that of usambarae. Thus while gabela shows significant differences in both structure and colour from Muscicapa, it shows none from Sheppardia, and | recommend that it should be transferred to that genus. It should be considered as a species, Sheppardia gabela (Rand), with affinities to both S. sharpei and S. cyornithopsis. The specimens have been examined with me by Derek Goodwin, R. E. Moreau and R. W. Sims, who agree with these conclusions. TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS wing bill tail tarsus 3 2 3 7 3 $ 7 cyornithopsis 72-77 67-71 15-16 14.5-16 51-56 45-48 23-26 22-24 103 92 Seo 67-74 65 14-15 14-15 52-55 4648 22-23 2021 — 5 ieee 66-67 61-62 14-15 14 50-54 4648 21 20-21 | 33 (from Rand) Note on the relations of the species of Wagtails by J. M. WINTERBOTTOM Received Ist November, 1960 This note is prompted mainly by Irwin’s interesting paper (1960). The genus Motacilla dates back to the Oligocene and present-day species fall into several groups. In the first, the tail is about the same length as the wing and the plumage is predominantly black and white. The number of species in this group is open to dispute, but Vaurie (1959) puts the Palae- arctic forms into three species, alba, grandis and madaraspatensis, and considers the Ethiopian aguimp as conspecific with the first of these. Voous (1959) is more doubtful about this last and I would personally keep them separate. Be that as it may, it is relevant to notice that the Palaearctic forms of a/ba number eleven, whereas the Ethiopian forms number only two and madaraspatensis, which is really a tropical species, only just entering the Palaearctic, has no subspecies. The second group is characterised, in most forms, by having the tail decidedly longer than the wing and by its preference for clear, running, rocky streams. There are two species, the Palaearctic cinerea and Ethiopian — clara, sometimes united. The Palaearctic form is further distinguished by its yellow underparts; and it may be noted that in one Palaearctic sub- species, M. c. robusta, the tail is shorter than the wing. There are five subspecies of the Palaearctic cinerea and only three of clara. | The third group is characterised by having the tail decidedly shorter than the wing and a strong development of yellow. It consists of two 1961 47 Vol. 81 Palaearctic species, citreola and flava. The first of these comprises three subspecies and the second is so notoriously variable that no two system- atists agree on the number of subspecies admissible and there is con- siderable disagreement on whether these constitute one species or more than one, and, if so, how many. The remaining species is the Ethiopian capensis. Irwin (1960) has given reasons for regarding it as closely related to flava, being, in his opinion, an isolated representative of a form of wide Palaearctic distribution and derived from that form. There are certainly resemblances between the two species but these are not, in my opinion, proof of so close a relation- ship as Irwin infers. M. capensis agrees with the alba group in having a tail of medium length; it has some slight infusion of yellow in its plumage; and it is divisible into three valid subspecies. From the foregoing, | would suggest that the genus as a whole has evolved largely in the Palaearctic; that aguimp and clara are indeed isolated representatives derived from the Palaearctic alba and cinerea stock respectively; but that capensis must be very close to the original form from which the Palaearctic wagtails have diverged, the a/ba group by suppression of yellow and intensification of black; the flava group by shortening the tail and increasing the amount of yellow pigment; and the cinerea group by lengthening the tail, and increasing the yellow pigment in some cases; and that the variation shown in this last group in respect of both these characters (M. cinerea robusta in tail-length and M. clara in pigmentation) suggest that these changes have all been fairly recent. References :— Irwin, M.P.S. (1960), “Aspects of Relationship between Palaearctic and Ethiopian Wagtails’, Bull. B.O.C., 80: 61-4. _Vaurie, C. (1959), ‘The Birds of the Palaearctic Fauna’, i. London. Voous, K. H. (1959), ‘The Relationships of the European and Ethiopian Avifaunas’, Proc. P.A.O.C., The Ostrich, Suppl. 3: 34-9. A variant plumage of the Grey-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava thunbergi Billberg by C. J. O. HARRISON Received 26th October, 1960 On the 4th August 1960 while studying birds along the Torne River in Northern Sweden, near Haparanda, I observed a variant individual among the local Grey-headed Wagtails Motacilla flava thunbergi Billberg. These wagtails were present in scattered family parties along the meadows beside the river. The typical juveniles appeared dark brown on head, mantle, back, and wing-covert, with pale buff on the underside and yellow on the under tail-coverts. The eye-stripe and throat appeared almost _ white, and the dark stripe on either side of the throat, joining across the _ breast, almost black. The variant individual had plumage in which the brown colour was re- placed by aclear grey, darker than that of the juvenile White Wagtails Motacillaalba alba L. which werealso present in that locality. The underside, ‘throat and eye-stripe appeared white, but the under tail-coverts retained. their yellow colour. eet '. atte, eee & ra” yt Stet ’) , Voli et.) | Pa is; ) 196 From its behaviour and call-notes | had no doubt that it was one of a family of Grey-headed Wagtails that were with it. : Had it not been for the locality in which it was seen it would have been impossible to separate it from similar variants which have been described for the Yellow Wagtail Motacilla fiava flavissima (Blyth). Smith (1950) has a coloured illustration of a pair of such birds seen in Norfolk in 1941. The cock has some degree of yellow colour on the underside and head, but the hen shows none. I saw a similar hen at Mitcham in Surrey on 24th May 1947, and Milne (1959) records one at Beddington in Surrey in 1957. There has been a tendency to associate such birds with those which show abnormal head colouration. But the latte: varies within the genus, resulting in visible specific differences: Milne (op. cit.) suggests that the abnormal head colouration is the result of intraspecific breeding. The variant plumage already described appears to be independent of head colouration, and seems to be the result of the absence of a brown pigment in the plumage as a whole. In many psittacine birds the mainly green colour of the feathers is the result of the combination of a yellow pigment and a blue structural colour in each feather. These are inherited through different genes and it is pos- sible to breed birds which possess one and not the other, being either yellow or blue. It seems possible that something similar may occur in these wagtails, the olive-brown of the back being a combination of brown and blue-grey, each controlled by a different gene. The yellow colour appears to be either linked with the blue-grey, or independent of either. References :— Smith, Stuart. Tie Yellow Wagtail. London 1950. ‘ ‘ 7 4 Milne, B. S. Variation in a population of Yellow Wagtails. Brit. Birds 52 (1959): 281-295. — The Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyanus tropicalis Peters a host of the Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius Stephens — im Southern Rhodesia by CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received 4th November, 1960 There appears to be no previous published record of the Red-chested | Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius victimizing the Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyanus. In a communication received from Mr. H. M. Miles, who is the Organising Secretary in Southern Rhodesia of the South African 3 1 4 Ornithological Society Nest Record Scheme, he tells me that Mr. C. K. — Cooke has recently twice found this Cuckoo victimizing the Kurrichane Thrush at Khami, near Bulawayo, where he has examined dozens of this thrush’s nests. On 14th December, 1958 one of these cuckoos was found alone in a Turdus libonyanus nest near his house, which is surrounded by forest. Next year, on 20th December 1959, he found another Kurrichane Thrush’s nest in a Jacaranda tree in his garden. Of the two eggs in the pale green with a few spots. These spots were all alike rusty brown, some — very pale and very small; the eggs were not measured. J ; F nest one was a normal egg for this thrush, but the other one was a very 49 Vol. 81 ~ On the 22nd December one young had hatched. On the 23rd there were two young in the nest, the cuckoo dark skinned and the thrush pink, but on the 24th a cuckoo nestling was the only occupant. On 3lst December it became feathered and the orange mouth was noticed, as were the striped breast and spots on the wings and tail. On 20th January it was fully -plumaged, with tail growing larger and some signs of red on upper breast. ‘It was later identified as the Red-chested Cuckoo, On the Ist January it was removed from the nest and was hand fed ona diet of worms and moths. The cuckoo fluttered to the ground on the 15th day from hatching, but was never heard to make the ‘Piet-my-Vrou’ call, only feeding noises, It started to feed itself on the 20th day, when it could fly strongly, but it flew a little from the 17th day. it was ringed (with a Pretoria Zoo number C.662). According to Liversidge, Ostrich XXVI (1), Feb. 1955, the nestling period of C. solitarius is 20 days + 6 hours. In the Revised Roberts’ Birds of South Africa, 1959, the nestling period is given as 174 to 20 days, which this record also confirms. Cooke’s son taught the cuckoo to fly by making it exercise its wings whilst it was on his hand. | ! . Greater Black-backed Gull with a massive infestation of a parasitic worm by BRYAN L. SAGE AND T. R. LAWSON Received 2nd November, 1960 q On i9th March 1960, a first-winter Greater Black-backed Gull, Larus rinus Linnaeus, was found freshly dead at the King George V Reservoir, - with extensive deposits of fat. The peritoneal cavity contained a small quantity of blood-stained fluid. An abcess, about 4 centimetres in dia- “meter walled off by loops of inflamed intestine, was present on the right _ side under the liver, and contained blood-stained pus with large numbers of a strigeid (trematode) worm subsequently identified as Cotylurus _ platycephalus (Creplin 1825). In several places the abcess cavity was in direct communication with the lumen of the surrounding gut. The oeso- phagus was normal, and the stomach, which contained a small quantity of bile-stained fluid, was also normal. The intestinal loops in the vicinity of the abcess were inflamed and Cotylurus platycephalus was adherent in _ large numbers to the mucosal wall from the duodenum to the recto- ‘intestinal junction, with a maximal concentration in the terminal 15 ‘centimetres of the intestine. The intestine, when opened, presented a _ somewhat similar appearance to that shown in the plate illustrating the ‘paper by Soulsby and Harrison, to which we refer below. The rectum itself was free from infestation. be .3 x 0.4 centimetres. The cause of death was ascribed to peritonitis from an intra-abdominal abcess and enteritis secondary to massive infestation _ with Cortylurus platycephalus. Vol. 81 50 a ) 1961 DISCUSSION According to Szidat (1929) Strigeids feed at the expense of their hosts, © partly on blood and partly on the altered tissue of the mucous membrane, to which they attach themselves by means of the powerful sucking and — clinging apparatus situated on the anterior portion of the body. The breakdown of the cellular structure of the mucosa is apparently caused by a secretion from certain glands in the clinging organs of the worm. This trematode was originally found by Creplin in the bursa of Fabricius of the Red-throated Diver Gavia stellatus (Pontoppidan). Its life history is still imperfectly known, but it seems highly probable that the sequence of hosts is mollusc—fish (probably freshwater species only)—fish-eating bird. — As may be expected Cotylurus platycephalus has been found in a wide variety of fish-eating birds, and it has been recorded previously from the Greater Black-backed Gull by Mihling (1898). A recent case in a Herring Gull, Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, found on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, in June 1957 has been described by Soulsby and Harrison (1958). This bird had a large fusiform distension in the upper part of the large in- testine, and death was due to acute obstruction. In the present case there was no sign of intestinal obstruction at post mortem. The most remarkable occurrence of this parasite so far reported in the British Isles appears to be” that described by Baylis and Lowe (1934) from Littleton Reservoir, Staines, Middlesex, where the death of a large number of Razorbills, Alca torda Linnaeus, was found to be due to this cause. In addition to the species already mentioned other recorded hosts include Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus); Cormorant, Phala- crocorax carbo (Linnaeus); White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla (Linnaeus); Arctic Skua, Stercorarius parasiticus (Linnaeus); Pomatorhine Skua, Stercorarius pomarinus (Temminck); Long-tailed Skua, Stercorarius longicaudus Vieillot; Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus Linnaeus; Common Gull, Larus canus Linnaeus; Black-headed Gull, Larus ridi- bundus Linnaeus; Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus); Common Tern, Sterna hirundo Linnaeus; Crested Tern, Sterna bengalensis Lesson; and Black Guillemot, Uria grylle (Linnaeus). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are indebted to Mr. Stephen Prudhoe of the Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History) for identifying Cotylurus platycephatim and for drawing our attention to references in the literature. References :— Baylis, H. A. (1934) Fatal Parasitic Enteritis Among Razorbills. Veterinary Record XIV: 1472-1473. @ Lowe, Percy R. (1934) On a Flock of Razorbills in Middlesex Found to be Infested with Intestinal Flukes. Brit. Birds. XXVIII: 188-190. Mihling, P. (1898) Die Helminthen Fauna der Wirbeltiere Ostpreussens. Arch. Natur= gesch Berlin 64 Jahrg. 1: 1-118. Soulsby, Dr. E. J. L. and Harrison, Dr. Jeffery G. (1958) Intestinal Obstruction in a Herring Gull caused by Parasites. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 78: 28-29. Szidat, L. (1929) Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Gattung Strigea (Albidg). Zeitschr. Parasitenk., Berlin 1: 612-764. 1961 51 Vol. 81 A New Race of the Little Owl from Transylvania by Dr. ANDREW KEVE AND STEPHEN KOHL Received 14th November, 1960 The Little Owl of Transylvania has always been regarded as belonging ‘to the nominate form Athene noctua noctua Scopoli. However Madarasz (1900)! commented concerning this population as follows: ‘‘In Sieben- burgen kommen etwas lichtere mit mehr rétlichem Anflug vor, welche indessem von der mediterraner Form A. g/aux sehr entfernt stehen.’’ Later Dombrowski (1912)? expressed his opinion in the following terms: *‘Die siebenbiirgischen und west rumidnischen Stiicke sind von den Dobrogeavigeln etwas verschieden, indem selbe zwar auch teilweise etwas licht gefarbt sind, deren Farbung etwas ins ROtliche zieht.’’ -_ Unaware of these opinions Keve reached the same conclusion as Madarasz after investigating 10 examples from Transylvania with Hun- garian specimens, and, quite independantly Kohl noted precisely the same differences, the freshly collected material consisted of 13 adult $3, 12 adult 99, 6 adult unsexed individuals, 5 juvenile 93, 3 juvenile 29 and 1 unsexed juvenile. The above material substantially supports the earlier descriptions of Madardsz and Dombrowski and the opinion that the Little Owl of Transylvania is new to science; for this population we propose the name :— Athene noctua daciae subsp. nov. Diagnosis: A. n. daciae resembles A. n. noctua except that it is somewhat lighter and has a rufous wash on the mantle, though this is not so marked as it is in A. n. indigena the rectrices are similar to those of the latter in that they are never barred but only spotted: sometimes even these are lacking. The underparts are slightly paler, in this respect different from A. n. noctua. _ Type: 2 Reghin, East Transylvania, 10th July 1957. Coll. St. Kohl, in the collections of the Hungarian Institute of Ornithology. Registered No. D 650. Allotype: $ Dodrad, near Reghin, East-Transylvania, 19th November 1958, Coll. St. Kohl, in the collections of the Hungarian Institute of Ornithology. Registered No. D 651. The Little Owl of Transylvania is intermediate between A. n. noctua and A. n. indigena. The upperparts are pale soil-brown lightly washed with rufous. The crown has long whitish striations, the rest of the back is spotted with white. The spotting of the primaries is less contrasting than in A. n. noctua. The rectrices are of the same colour as the upperparts or slightly paler. The transverse bars are yellowish and never complete being often reduced to roundish spots or even lacking. A terminal bar is seldom noted. The only difference between the sexes is one of size, the females being the larger. The birds are darkest when in freshly moulted autumn plumage, October to December, and then show a slight violet reflection; this latter character is lost by January. The white underparts also have a slight yellowish wash, but this too disappears by January. The birds are palest in July when also the striations of head become accentu- ated. The spotting of the underparts is darkest in fresh plumage and fades in July. The greatest variability is found in the rectrices. ‘Vol. 81 : sf | 1961 Wing Measurements : dh 153, 157, 157, 158, 160, 160, 160, 160, 161, 162, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166 mm. ‘Average — 160. 37 mm. 92 160, 160, 160, 160, 160, 160, 162, 162, 162, 164, 164, 165, 166, 168 mm. Average—162. 78 mm. Distribution: Transylvania as far as the inner slopes of the Carpathians, both in the lowlands and in the hills. In the west as far as the western Transylvanian Alps: in the north as far as the Alps of Radna. The valley of the river Strigy (Streiul) would appear to be the zone between A. n. daciae and A. n. indigena. : Our thanks are due to Dr. James M. Harrison for reading our paper before publication. References :— 1. Madarasz, J., 1900. Die Vogel Ungaras. p. 546. 2, Dombrowski, R., 1912. Ornis Romaniae. p. 406. African Serpent Eagle in Sierra Leone by J. H. HARROP a Received 29th November, 1960 Mattru, the headquarters both of the Jong Chiefdom and of the Bonthe District, is situated in the South Western Province of Sierra Leone, © rather more than thirty miles up the Jong river from Bonthe. Most of the surrounding countryside is ‘‘farm bush’’, though there are some big trees. left along the riverside. : On 31st March 1960, while I was stationed at Mattru, Ronald Albrecht and Ronald Baker, both sons of local missionaries, brought me a bird ~ which they had shot three or four miles north of there, not far from the ~ rapids at Willai. I examined the bird and found it to be a Gold Coast © Serpent Eagle, Dryotriorchis spectabilis spectabilis (Schlegel). When I saw that this bird was not listed from Sierra Leone in the first volume of Bannerman’s Birds of Tropical West Africa, | decided to measure and photograph it. Inside the bird’s bill I found the end of the tail of what proved to be a Night Adder (Causus rhombeatus—Lichtenstein). 1 was therefore able to take a colour photograph of the Serpent Eagle, with the snake which had been its last prey protruding from its bill. During the summer, this transparency was sent to Dr. D. A. Bannerman, who fully confirms my identification of the bird as belonging to the Upper Guinea race. Geographical variation in the South African populations of the Magpie-Shrike Lanius meianoleucus Jardine by P. A. CLANCEY Received 31st October 1960 The Magpie-Shrike Lanius melanoleucus is a large-sized, pied, gregarious laniid of southern and eastern Africa, of which two geographical races. are currently admitted by workers, these being nominate L. melanoleucus Jardine, 1831: Orange River, and L. m. aequatorialis (Reichenow), 1887: Gasa Mts., 12-14 miles south-west of Kondoa, Kondoa-Irangi district, 1961 53 Vol. 81 j 2 ‘north-central Tanganyika Territory. At the present time only the nominate ‘race is believed to occur within South African sub-continental limits, though years ago Neumann (1900) arranged the austral populations in two races, when he proposed the name Urolestes melanoleucus damarensis ‘Neumann, 1900: Rehoboth, Damaraland, for the populations of South- West Africa and the Kalahari Desert, Bechuanaland Protectorate. -Reichenow (1902-1903) rejected Neumann’s U. m. damarensis, which he placed in the synonymy of L. m. melanoleucus, and all subsequent workers have followed Reichenow’s example in recognising only the nominate ‘race from Africa south of the Zambesi River. Study of a large panel of skins in the collections of South African museums (East London Museum, Durban Museum, Natal Museum, Transvaal Museum, and the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia) suggests that Neumann’s findings are not without some factual basis, and confirms that two races of L. melanoleucos ‘can be admitted from within South African limits, one of which will ‘require to be given a name. _ The populations of the Magpie-Shrike occurring in Africa south of the Zambesi River can be arranged in two races mainly on the basis of differences in wing-length, and the nomenclature, characters and ranges of these are as follows: (a) Lanius melanoleucus melanoleucus Jardine _ Lanius melanoleucus Jardine, Edinburgh Journ. Nat. Geogr. Science, ol. iii, 1831, p. 209: Orange River, Cape Province. Synonyms: Urolestes oth 1 damarensis Neumann, Journ. f. Ornith., 1900, 3, p. 262: ehoboth, Damaraland, South-West Africa. ? Urolestes melanoleucus angolensis Meise, Abhandl. Verhandl. Naturwiss. Ver. Hamburg, N.F. Bd. - 1957 (1958), p. 77: Chibia, Huila, southern Angola. Head, neck and back glossy black, the feathers with a slightly oily ‘texture; scapulars and rump white, the latter with an overlay of pale grey. Under-parts sooty black, the lanceolate feathers of the lower throat and breast with a greyish bloom in freshly moulted plumage. Wings black, the primaries with a prominent white speculum over their basal surfaces, and all primaries and secondaries (including the tertials) broadly tipped with white. The sexes are alike, but the female differs in having large patches of white plumes on the flanks. Wings of 20 34 137-145 (140.3), 15 22 137-145 (140.0), tails of 10 $2 298-351 (320.6) mm. Material examined: 59. _ Range: Central and northern South-West Africa, including the Caprivi Strip, the Bechuanaland Protectorate, Bechuanaland (northern Cape Province), western Orange Free State, western and north-western Trans- vaal, western and north-western Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia, and extralimitally in southern and south-western Angola and Northern Rhodesia. Irregularly south of the Orange River, having been recorded from Colesberg and near Aliwa!l North. Intergrades to the east of its established range in the central and northern Transvaal and parts of Matabeleland with the next race. Remarks: Meise (1957) has recently separated the population of southern Angola as a new race under the name U. m. angolensis Meise, 1957: Chibia, Huila, southern Angola. I have not been able to examine any material of this proposed new taxon, so can offer no worthwhile ~ Vol. 81 54 ' 1961 opinion as to its discreteness, but Mrs. B. P. Hall, in /itt., kindly informs me that she does not believe that it is valid, a view which is apparently shared by Dr. Austin L. Rand in his treatment of this species in his revision of the shrikes for the continuation of Peters Check-List. In the event of these views being followed, U. m. angolensis will require to be treated as a synonym of the nominate race. However, Meise, in his original description of U. m. angolensis, shows that the name was given to a popu- lation of large-sized birds, similar in wing-length to those of South-West Africa, the Bechuanaland Protectorate and contiguous areas to the east and north- east, though shorter-tailed [247-280 (Meise, /oc. cit.) as against 298-351 mm. (Clancey)! and with the plumage colouration much as in L. m. aequatorialis. It seems to me that the status of U. m. angolensis is still unresolved and warrants further study. (b) Lanius melanoleucus expressus, subsp. nov. Type: 3, adult. Game Farm ‘‘Malamala’’, near Newington, eastern Transvaal lowveld, South Africa. 20th July, 1952. Collected by P. A. Clancey. In the collection of the Durban Museum. Diagnosis: Similar to the nominate race as defined above, but of markedly smaller size, most noticeable in the shorter, rounder wing ($$ 127-137.5, 99 125-137, as against 137-145 and 137-145 mm.). Also with a pronounced tendency to have the white apical spots to the primaries and secondaries (including the tertials) smaller, and with the white of the rump more sullied with grey. Rectrices tending to be narrower. Wings of 20 3g 127-137.5 (133.1), 15 29 125-137 (132.2), tails of 10 g9 273-353 (305. 2y mm, Material examined: 58. Measurements of the Type: Wing 132, culmen from base 25.5, tarsus 38, tail 328 mm. Range: Natal and Zululand from about the basin of the Tugela River, Sipe in the eastern lowlands through Swaziland, Sul do Save, southern Portuguese East Africa, and the eastern and north-eastern Transvaal to south-eastern and eastern Southern Rhodesia, the lowell Zambesi River valley, and southern Nyasaland. Remarks: The name of the new race is from the Latin expressus, clear, evident, prominent, etc. Literature cited:— Meise, W. Abhandlungen und Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg, N.F. Bd. IL, 1957 (1958), pp. 77-79. Neumann, O. Journ. f. Ornith., 1900, 3, p. 262. Reichenow, A. Die Vogel Afrikas, vol. ii, P1902 1903, pp. 627-628. On the question of the occurrence of Peters’ Twinspot Hypargos niveoguttatus (Peters) in Sul do Save, Southern Mozambique by W. J. LAWSON Received 8th October, 1960 Pinto & Lamm (Ostrich 30, (2), 91, 1959.) in fixing the type-locality of H. niveoguttatus at Tete, Mozambique, state, “‘We are satisfied that i 4 . : Bere 1961 | 55 Vol. 81 Mozambique niveoguttatus does not occur south of the Save River.”’ During a recent expedition into southern Mozambique, organised by the Durban Museum, it was learnt from Mr. C. H. ‘‘Jack’’ Scheepers, of Bela Vista, of the occurrence of H. niveoguttatus in the Sul do Save at Chimonzo, in the Macia district, about 100 miles north of Lourenco Marques. This area was well worked by the Durban Museum party, and a number of specimens of H. niveoguttatus were collected. This species was found to be abundant in the evergreen forest at Chimonzo and especially in scrub tangles around native cultivations. On examination of the speci- mens of H. niveoguttatus in the Museu Dr. Alvaro de Castro, Lourenco Marques, a single male specimen (No. 5873) from Macia was found. It had been collected by Dr. A. A. da Rosa Pinto on 22nd August, 1956, in an area obviously close to that in which we operated. In making the above quoted statement, Pinto appears to have overlooked the fact that he had collected H. niveoguttatus south of the Save River, in an area in which we found the bird abundant. Mr. C. H. Scheepers, who knows the area well, informs me that the Chimonzo and Macia popu- lation is an isolated pocket of the species, restricted to the Macia district, and that to the best of his knowledge does not-occur elsewhere in this region. Hypargos margaritatus (Strickland) is not known from the area in which H. niveoguttatus occurs. It is of interest to note that many years ago H. F. Francis collected a specimen of Peters’ Twinspot at the type-locality. Through the courtesy of Dr. J. M. Winterbottom, Honorary Ornithologist of the South African Museum, Cape Town, I have been privileged to examine this specimen. It is an adult male collected on the Ist October 1899 at an unspecified locality ‘‘North of Port of Inhambane’’, at which locality Francis stated that it was ‘“Not uncommon’’. (see also J/bis 1899, p. 285). In addition to this D. T. Cole (Ostrich 28, p. 192) records observing a single male speci- men in dense bush at Chicumbane, a locality approximately 125 miles north of Lourenco Marques, slightly further north than Chimonzo, where I found the species to be common in 1960, indicating that the populations of Peters’ Twinspot in the littoral of Sul do Save to the north of Delagoa Bay is reasonably extensive. The occurrence of this isolated population of H. niveoguttatus within the established range of H. margaritatus makes it doubtful if these two species can be correctly regarded as conspecific, as has been suggested. All specimens of H. niveoguttatus from Chimonzo and Macia are typical of the species. The finding of Peters’ Twinspot far south of the Limpopo River is a noteworthy extension of range, and raises the question of the wisdom of adjusting the original type-locality as given by Peters (J.f.0., 1868: 133) from Inhambane to Tete as given by Pinto & Lamm, /oc. cit. Indeed, there 1s NOW every reason to believe that Peters did obtain the original specimens where he stated (Inhambane) and that no error occurred. Very large numbers of H. niveoguttatus have been captured at Chimonzo for avi- cultural purposes, so the population in this area is large and no doubt of considerable antiquity. Peters may have travelled south of Inhambane to collect his birds, or he may have purchased them from natives peddling Vol. 81 TS Uh ag re a them from the south. This may explain the absence of notes on this bird in his field diary. On the other hand the forest, now found at Chimonzo, may once have been far more extensive prior to its being cut out by natives for agricultural purposes, and may have once extended further north, to Inhambane. On the South African subspecies of the Variegated Honeyguide Indicator variegatus Lesson by P. A. CLANCEY Received 11th November, 1960 In the topotypical populations of Jndicator variegatus variegatus Lesson, 1830: Knysna, southern Cape Province, South Africa (vide Vincent, Check List of the Birds of South Africa, 1952, p. 50), the wings of dod measure 108-114, 22 104-109 mm. Study of a limited amount of material of this rather elusive species kindly placed at my disposal by the Directors of the following museums: South African Museum, Cape Town (through Dr. J. M. Winterbottom), East London Museum, Trans- vaal Museum, Pretoria (through Mr. O. P. M. Prozesky), and the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, Bulawayo (through Mr. M. P. Stuart Irwin), shows that birds agreeing with the topotypical populations occur north in the eastern tropical littoral of south-eastern Africa to about Inhambane, Sul do Save, southern Portuguese East Africa, and as far north as the south-eastern Sudan and south-central Abyssinia in the interior of the African continent. In Portuguese East Africa to the north of the established range of J. v. variegatus occur populations of rather smaller-sized birds which appear referable to the subspecies J. v. virescens Reichenow, 1889: Lewa, Usambara Mountains, eastern Tanganyika Territory (see Reichenow, Journ. f. Ornith., vol. xvii, 1889, p. 247), as recognised by Friedmann, Bul/. U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 208, 1955, pp. 89-115. A male from Mt. Gorongoza and another from Macequece, in the Vumba Highlands, have wings 104.5, 105, an unsexed adult from Coguno has a wing of 101, while an adult female from Beira has a wing of 103 mm. Friedmann (p. 115) gives the wing of the male of /. v. virescens as 100-105, and the female 98 mm. (apparently only one measured). This author also writes (p. 91), °* It is possible that the birds of eastern Mozambique may yet prove to belong to this race (J. v. virescens) rather than the nominate one,’’ and this observation is here confirmed by the finding of populations with the mensural characters of the race concerned as far south as northern Sul do Save in the eastern lowlands of south-eastern Africa. J. v. variegatus and J. y. virescens should both be admitted to the South African list on the basis of the above findings. In a series of 2 9d, 4 99 from Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland occur -some extremely greyish backed examples, completely devoid of the olive lake colour to the fringes of the feathers of the mantle, rump and wings, so typical of the majority of /. v. variegatus. The specimens concerned are. not worn, so that the significance of this development is at present obscure, but it is interesting to note that Zedlitz (vide Journ. f. Ornith., vol. \xiil, 1915, p. 8) has already recorded such variants from elsewhere in Africa. — Pees he a Pa ahi ANd ranean | 5 r te AO: AAA a 4 AAS ee ae) ie q “ ; O'od oh" par i til) i #isnmo B2oce a“ «& P ai “ 5 a” a | k me i, verna4 pee 3 o e QW Rw a i ae *h ae mac bivode enotigdiiqg A ‘ ta : . eal 41752 bd | iw Yigg iat: tev 4 F725 SH. oA ; AlN? Liv Tae ie ae Fe > (ay. ~ ¢ vA Page ya" biel eked iaps £3 - agédavgd ji ‘ sci 7s" 3. a 7 ot} 3 yf Mog fl vib ol. be ai au p at Sig a 71 ia isu oie. i ae ; ' act eae is co = } ow © 1k < op > Vi me 4 i AT ig as me phys: hom * ia + ® . nig RE OF re, ALT: HAM CAA 2H wh dnd £931 pea y a¥ Won - toa ae f we 43 odie oO a de) 6 Pye elo) Aji J rorlipoiaad. + ; s x ib i. 4 . 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SM. enGilxoicvmrimo.) be puvits.a é enuntudininos ‘bas .dulD “Aermeclomimod vise cclvs ay i tea Dejenizios Hi liw Masiiue bytely mmowoe “node ta novibet | Swe y eRe nA BA cieonsie2 bldg nici, rei al uaiselos Errol 1eoinu weritee’> OD oad ssteroh Hf eeiM Urieisrose inal ath Momaimensz 5 ak Sid iv iteastia ra nstlis i? vii deni pe BN 4D SeienonT coll i Ps Meo.9 tobe! te al v4 " hc BO BIH Soy ee inatinder | Muberaitos M4 fowad «7 . cm yay ets an Notices BACK NUMBERS OF THE ‘‘BULLETIN’”’ Back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’? can be obtained at 4/- each Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoologica Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available Members who have back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ which they ne longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes Esq., as above. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1961 March - B.O.U. York Conference, 18th April, 16th, May 19 September, 17th October, 21st, November, 19th December. 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Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent » Sw Koow BULLETIN = 4 APR 196} PURCHASED BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB OF THE Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON she 4 | Volume 81 : April No. 4 1961 1961 gh | Vol. 81 BULLETIN : OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 8l ~S = 4 / APR 1961 Number 4 f PURCHASED Published: 29th March, 1961 In view of the B.O.U. York Conference, no joint meeting with the Club was held in March. More aquatic predators of birds by CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received 2nd January, 1961 _ Sufficient additional data, received mainly in the course of correspon- dence, have now come to hand to justify publication. In particular, there is much information from Southern Africa about predation by otters. These notes follow the previous pattern, ibid 77 (°, 7 and §). PART I MARINE (1) MAMMALS ANTARCTIC. Several correspondents have drawn attention to the fact that penguins are frequently taken by Leopard Seals. AUSTRALIA: TASMANIA. John Warham (': p. 607) suggests that seals are a major enemy of the Little Penguin, Eudyptula minor (Forster) at many breeding stations off Tasmania. But on a visit to Cat Island—a Bird Sanctuary in the Furneaux Group, in the Bass Strait, he only saw one Fur Seal, Arctocephalus tasmanicus Scott & Lord (=Gypsophoca fasmanica) and came across only one dead penguin bearing wounds consistent with the bite of a seal. Besides A. tasmanicus, the Australian Sea-lion, Neophoca cinerea (Péron) is the only other seal in Australian and New Zealand waters which is known to prey on penguins. (Il) SHARKS EUROPE: BRITAIN. Brigadier J. A. L. Caunter, President of the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain, writes that he has ‘‘never heard of | a bird being found in the stomachs of blue sharks’’. The sharks caught | at Looe (Cornwall) are nearly all Blue Shark, Carcharhinus glaucus L. and during the 4 years 1957-1960 their landed total was 21,480. The majority are small, 25-60 Ibs. but many are over 75 lbs., and a small | proportion (about 2.4 per cent.) over 100 Ibs. Quite a number are cut up for crab-pot bait. It is possible that the Blue Shark may be an occasional VELBD Oo sy" i 1961 predator of sea-fowl, for Brig. Caunter also writes ‘‘I have seen blue sharks apparently stalking herring gulls on the water on warm, sunny days, but have never seen one caught or even in dire peril. Possibly, blue _ sharks would pick up dead gulls and other dead birds’’. SOUTH AFRICA. Professor J. B. L. Smith (*: p. 44) refers to a 14ft. Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvier Lesueur landed at Durban which contained amongst a medley of vertebrate and other objects, 3 sea gulls. Ranger M. A. Steele (”: pp. 41-42) at St. Lucia estuary, Natal, in May 1956, saw a Pelecanus onocrotalus L., one of a flock of over 200 fishing and swimming at the edge of the open sea, attacked by a shark (species not identified) as it submerged its head. The bird died immediately the jugular vein having been severed and the corpse was washed ashore. Senior Ranger I. C. Player (*: pp. 41-42), also in May 1956 at St. Lucia estuary, saw a Pelecanus onocrotalus, one of a large group fishing in the open sea, taken by a ‘‘Lazy Grey”? Shark, presumably the Grey Shark Eulamia limbata Muller & Hinde (formerly Carcharhinus limbatus), which attains a length of 9ft. The others were unperturbed and continued — fishing. It is possible that the preceding observation also refers to the Grey Shark which is well-known as a frequenter of estuaries along the South African coast. ARCTIC. Dr. Kai Curry-Lindahl, Director of the Nordiska Museum, Stockholm, in a letter, states the Greenland Shark ‘‘Somniosus micro- — cephalus (Schneider) is known to prey on diving birds’’. But he could give ~ no details, as in the literature* available to him in which the predation of birds by this shark is mentioned there are no references to any published — records about avian prey. Bigelow & Schroeder (*: p. 520) referring to — the food of the Greenland Shark ‘‘sometimes sea birds are captured’’, but they too do not quote specific cases, nor do they say whether this shark eats birds extensively. CENTRAL PACIFIC: CHRISTMAS ISLAND. Gallagher (**: p. 495) _ saw an almost fully fledged Crested Tern, Tha/asseus bergii (Licht ) ‘attacked by a large sand shark (possibly Eulamia) and was pulled under after two attempts... Another youngster was found on the beach with | half one wing missing, possibly through a similar accident’’ (111) OTHER FISH No further records (IV) CRUSTACEANS OCYPODE CRABS. AFRICA: CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. Dr. D. A. Bannerman (*: p. 83) quotes from Dr. Murphy’s Marine Ornithology of the Cape Verde Islands that the Sand Crab Ocypoda ippeus Olivier, now Ocypoda cursor (L.), on Rhombos Islet, seasonally subsists on the flesh of petrels, in particular the White-faced or Frigate Petrel Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca (Webb, *Pfaff, J. R. 1950. Hajer. In Vort Lands Dyreliv, II. Kobenhavn. 4 Nybelin, O. 1954. Hakdring, Laemargus borealis (Scoresby)—In Andersson: Fiskar och fiske i Norden, I. 2nd edition, Stockholm. Curry-Lindahl, K, 1957. Fiskarna i fare. 3rd edition. Stockholm, ae 1961 59 Vol. 81 Berthelot and Moquin-Tanden), which it hunts in their holes at night during the breeding season. Many of these birds were found torn to pieces in the nest chambers. The crabs, which have a shell width of two inches and a total span of about one foot including the long legs, were watched _ picking birds’ bones, or dragging out fresh victims that had been captured. It was ‘‘noticed that the crabs regularly introduced themselves into the burrows at evening, leaving at once and moving to another nest if their search was not rewarded. Sometimes they would spend a whole night hunting in this way, often getting a rich harvest’’. AFRICA: SEYCHELLES. J/bid 77 (°), p. 91, the depredations caused by Ocypode crabs at a breeding ground of terns in the Laccadive Archi- pelago are described. So it is interesting that Ridley and Lord Richard Percy (°: p. 43), at a seafowl breeding ground on Desnoeufs Island, Amirantes group, where Ocypoda cordimana Desmarest occurs ‘‘well inland, burrowing in the guano or living under rocks, they appear to be quite harmless to the birds and their eggs’’. This Ocypode and another land crab, Geograpsus grayi H. M. Edwards, similar in habits and habitat, they considered to be harmless scavengers. ROBBER CRAB. AFRICA: SEYCHELLES. According to Ridley and Percy (°: p. 43), the Coconut Crab or Robber Crab, Birgus latro L. on Cosmoledo Island of the Aldabra Group, is said by Mr. H. Savy to eat the eggs of the Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata L. The pugnacious and carnivorous Land Hermit Crabs, of which Birgus is by far the largest, one would expect more likely to attack live prey, rather than injured or dead creatures which are the usual prey of the smaller Ocypode Crabs. GENERAL. CHRISTMAS ISLAND. Gallagher (*: pp. 492-493) records that the hermit crabs are sometimes found within the breeding colonies of ground-nesting seafowl, on which they are reputed to prey (Murphy ef a/ 1954). Further, he doubts if the larger and more numerous land crab causes much damage as he has not only seen a Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata L. chase one away, but saw a chick hide without injury in a hole next to a crab. Presumably the hermit crab is a species of Coenobita and the land crab is probably Geisiccoidea humei (Wood Mason). GENERAL. SEAFOWL WITH DAMAGED LEGS. MADEIRA. Bannerman (‘: p. 161) records that in 1925, on the Desertas, in the Madeiran Islands group, Meinertzhagen examined 27 examples of Bulwer’s Petrel, Bu/weria bulwerii (Jardine and Selby) eleven of which had a leg severed at the junction of the tarsus and femur or slightly above it. The local boatmen, who had noticed this before, could offer no ex- planation. Meinertzhagen suggested that the leg had been lost when the bird, while ‘taxi-ing’ along the surface of the ocean was snapped at by some large fish—a logical conclusion in the case of a small pelagic species. BRITAIN. DEFORMITIES IN BIRDS. Dr. H. L. Rogerson (of Norwich) (°: p. 561) ‘‘The loss of a leg is very common in sea birds. One- legged birds are maimed by the fish from the sea.’’ At gull breeding sites in N.W. Scotland, in 1958, he observed that there was one one-legged bird to each 15 normal Herring Gulls, Larus argentatus Pontoppidan and ~ Vol. 81 60 1961 to each 15 Common Gulls, Larus canus L. There appeared to be less damage among the Black-headed Gulls, Larus ridibundus L. and Black- backed Gulls, Larus fuscus and Larus marinus. Despite many expressed views to the contrary, he claims that the gulls are not principally maimed by gin-traps. A few years previously in the same area he had seen a young one-legged Black-backed Gull fly out to sea in fairly rough weather. As it was about to settle some 40 yards out a large fish leapt out of the water and got hold of its remaining leg. But the Gull managed to fly away though it was not possible to see whether it was then legless. A puzzling feature of this observation is the identity, in British waters, of a fish which would attack so large a bird as a gull; but ibid 75 (°) Glegg has recorded a Cod, Gadus callarias . that had taken a Black Guillemot, Uria grylle grylle L. It is a different matter in the case of Bulweria bulwerii, which frolics and feeds in a locality much frequented by voracious packs of large predatory fishes. FRESHWATER (1) MAMMALS OTTERS. EUROPE: SWEDEN. Dr. Kai Curry-Lindah! ‘‘From Sweden there are records of Lutra lutra L. preying upon Sea birds but this must be very rate.’ +: In a further communication ‘‘The predation of otters on birds is rare. We have some data from Sweden. They are not yet published. Mr. Sam Erlinge, Zoologiska institutionen, Lund, is working with an investigation on the otter. He has found by examining the droppings that this carnivore may prey on juveniles of Anas platyrhynchos and Fulica atra in summer and on adults of the same species in winter. Also, Sturnus vulgaris and Delichon or Hirundo have been found in the material.”’ I have not included references to the predation of waterfowl by otters in Britain as this is well known. AFRICA: SUDAN. Mr. R. C. H. Sweeney (now in the Dept. of Agriculture, Nyasaland) describes predations by the Spotted-necked Otter, Lutra maculicollis Lichtenstein. In Nov. 1953, on the bank of the © Bahr-el-Arab an otter was found with a Fulvous Tree-Duck (or Whistling Teal), Dendrocygna bicolor (Viellot), the neck partially eaten. In the same — area a month later and again in Jan. 1955 respectively, another D. bicolor was found in a similar state and one with part of its breast eaten as well. Though not seen otters were believed to be responsible for both these casualties. Again, in this locality, in Dec. 1955, an otter, probably L maculicollis, was seen to take a duck, Dendrocygna sp., one of a large — number. The otter reared out of the water to catch it as the duck tried to fly, and then submerged with its prey in its jaws and was not seen again. — NORTHERN RHODESIA. W. F. H. Ansell (7: p. 35) referring to the — Clawless Otter, Aonyx capensis Schinz ‘‘Has been known to kill poultry’’. — SOUTHERN RHODESIA. Valuable records have been received from Mr. P. St. J. Turnbull-Kemp, the Warden i/c Fisheries, Rhodes-Inyanga — ‘flapper’ Black Duck, Anas sparsa Eyton taken in the Inyanga river Estate and National Park concerning depredations by A. capensis. Ae 61 Vol. 81 5,900 ft., 1956. Four fowls and (probably), two Mute Swans, Cygnus olor (Gmelin) and 6 domestic ducks and geese, at Inyanga, during 1956-57. One little Grebe, Podiceps ruficollis capensis (Salvad.) seen to be taken in ‘the Mare dam, 6,350 ft., 1957. / Vide (*: p. 135) ‘‘a stock-killing otter can be exceedingly destructive, destroying birds up to the size of swans or geese. Some become ‘‘Per- b] ‘sistent poultry raiders’’. _ SOUTH AFRICA. A. Haagner (°: p. 40) referring to otters, species not ‘mentioned, ‘‘ravished poultry runs, devouring the eggs and killing fowls and ducks’’. _ G. C. Shortridge (°: p. 192) with reference to A. capensis ‘*Otters ‘destroy a considerable number of wild duck and other water fowl, even ‘swans sometimes, these being either pounced upon among the reeds or seized by the feet in open water and held under. When opportunity offers they will sometimes raid poultry yards”’. Both in South Africa and Southern Rhodesia the Mute Swan is an introduced species. C. T. Astley Maberly (?°: p. 159) referring to the Cape or Clawless ‘Otter, Aonyx capensis hindei (Thomas) ‘‘it also catches waterfowl’’. The Reports of the Department of Nature Conservation, in the Administration of the Cape of Good Hope, indicate the extent of avian depredations by Otters, mainly the Clawless Otter, Aonyx capensis, which is the only ‘Species in the region south of Knysna, where it meets the Spotted-necked, Lutra maculicollis. The 1952 Report (7": p. 26) refers to the high losses of birds on a two- acre dam, from otters, as well as the raiding of water fowl nests by the ‘Partially aquatic Grey Mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon L. and Marsh Mongoose, Atilax paludinosus G. Cuvier. _ In the Jonkershoek Reserve (**: p. 27), where special predator control measures are taken, not a single nest of waterfowl survived, and in some cases even the parent birds too were destroyed. In the 1957 Report (*: p. 16), referring to the Worcester region, ‘‘the worst enemy of both wild duck and fish is the otter which, due to its shy nature, is extremely difficult to eradicate’’. At Plettenburg Bay (?*: p. 18) otters caused a lot of damage killing in one night the cob of a pair of swans and a fiock of ducks; and a turkey the next night. In the 1958 Report (**: p. 65) it is emphasized that the Clawless Otter is undoubtedly the worst predator of waterfowl in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve and it ‘‘appears to indulge in an orgy of killing whenever it gains access to the Reserve. On two occasions 30 and 45 birds respectively were lost’”. But on p. 72 it is recorded that not everywhere is this species so destructive to waterfowl. Mr. A. C. Harrison, who until recently was Fisheries Officer in the Department of Nature Conservation, in /itt. finds it a mystery ‘‘how the Black River Duck, Anas sparsa manages to survive in the otter infested reaches of our rivers’’. He describes how in a wired-in enclosure near such a river otters one night destroyed a flock of domestic ducks turning the place into a shambles. Vol. 81 62 1961 MONGOOSE. AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA. Reference has been made already to depredations by the Grey Mongoose and the Marsh Mongoose. The Cape Grey Mongoose (**: p. 72) at the Provincial Wild Life Farm, at DeHoop, is responsible for destroying many waterfowl nests. SUDAN. Sweeney, at Lake Keilek, in March 1953, found the feathers and bones of a small wader, which was not identified, in the stomach of a Marsh Mongoose. (To be continued ) Geographical variation in the Black Woodpecker by K. H. Voous Received 2nd December, 1960 The Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius, has a characteristically palaearctic distribution, ranging continuously from the shores of the Pacific Ocean almost to those of the Atlantic. Geographical variation in © this huge area is very small. Apart from an isolated group of populations in western China, where the birds have a distinctly more glossy plumage and on this account are referred to as to a separate geographical race khamensis, the geographical variation consists of differences in body size, expressed in the length of the wing. Dementiev (1939) was the first to summarize details of measurements from which he concluded that a small form inhabiting the southwestern parts of the range should be separated from the main group of continuous northern populations. The populations - mainly inhabiting the boreal climatic zone remain rather uniform in their measurements and are known under the name martius Linnaeus (1758), — type-locality Sweden. According to Dementiev (1939) birds from southern, | western and central Europe eastwards to western Poland, also Asia Minor, © Caucasia, and northern Iran, represent a group of smaller size for which | the subspecific name pinetorum from Brehm (1831) is available, with type- locality Black Forest, western Germany. Peters (1948) in the VIth volume of his Check List of Birds of the World followed Dementiev in the recognition of the race pinetorum and of the range assigned to it. The present author became interested in the geographical variation of the Black Woodpecker by two different reasons: firstly, in view of the” preparative work for a check list of the birds of the Netherlands under-_ taken by a special committee of the Netherlands Ornithological Union; - variation of the species a hypothesis of the post-glacial history of dis-_ tribution in Europe, comparable to similar histories previously studied for the Spotted Woodpeckers, the Bullfinch, and the Nuthatches. From 195€ onwards he has been collecting measurements of specimens (reaching a number of 147) in at least 16 museums and private collections, including the museums in Amsterdam, Basel, Bergen (Norway), Bonn, Goteborg, Leiden, London, Oslo and Stavanger. | Vol. 81 _ The results have been summarized in the table of wing measurements and in the accompanying maps | and 2, using the distribution map in the _ Atlas of European Birds Voous (1960) as a basis. Other measurements, notably those of the bill and the tail, have proved to be of no use in dis- covering additional trends of geographical variation. Rea S , 63 ms ' Table of Measurements of Dryocopus martius UB, Those marked with an * are from Dementiev 1939. Note: measurements taken by Dementiev and by the present author are noteworthily alike; see also map 2. . MALES ; region variation number of mean specimens : *Northern Russia 236-257 9 245.2 *Central Russia 240-255 13 246.3 a *Western Russia 235-248 7 241.1 ‘ *Poland 232-243 5 238.4 4 Sweden 236-250 23 242.6 7. Norway 238-245 6 242.6 A Germany 233-243 5 237.0 z Switzerland 234-242 5 237.7 r) Vosges Mountains 232-240 4 237.1 i" Netherlands 231-236 4 234.0 PA % f FEMALES 5 region variation number of mean ‘ specimens ; *Northern Russia 238, 250 2 244 *Central Russia 233-252 17 240.8 *Western Russia 233-243 10 239.4 *Poland 228-240 3 233.6 Sweden 234-247 16 240.8 Norway 237-247 9 240.3 'y Germany 225-241 10 234.7 4 Switzerland 233-237 7 235.1 an Vosges Mountains 231-242 6 235.4 i Netherlands 230-237 14 Pa ii a The conclusions appear as follows: |. The characters of the isolated Chinese populations are confirmed, th as regards the larger size and the deep black gloss of the plumage. These populations therefore must have been isolated for a relatively long time. Vol. 81 64 - 1961 2. There is a trend of decreasing size from east to west in the continuous boreal populations over at least 10,000 km., but individual overlap is considerable. 3. The birds from central Europe are on an average of a smaller size, but again, individual overlap is considerable. In this case, however, the geographical differences, which run from Sweden to central Germany, cover a distance of no more than about 500 km. 4. Measurements of the birds from Asia Minor appear intermediate between those from the boreal region and central Europe. As regards nomenclature, there is apparently no justification for the use of different trinominals for central and northern European populations, as the overlap of the theoretical frequency distribution with central European populations covers 43% of the number of Scandinavian males and 40% of Scandinavian females’. In the receding tide of trinominal nomenclatorial splitting this situation reflects what systematists are heading for: populations covered by one and the same subspecific name may show certain amounts of geographical variation, mostly of a gradual or a clinal type and often showing a distinct geographical trend. Thus, as many of us hope, the disciplines of the study of geographical variation and of taxonomy (sensu stricto) will be driven back to their own fields of competency and will no longer be allowed to cause confusion and mis- understanding in fields which are not their own. As regards history of post-glacial distribution: the present isolated populations in the Iberian and Italian peninsulas and the wide dis- tribution of Black Woodpeckers in southeastern Europe clearly indicate that populations of that species must have survived in southern Europe ~ during the last glacial period. The small-sized central European popu- lations therefore seem to have re-colonized the central European range from the south. The present distribution of this group has unfortunately ~ suffered greatly from the enormous deforestation throughout western ; Europe and hence has become more or less disintegrated (Voous 1960). . The large-sized boreal group on the other hand has come somewhere from — the east, probably as a post-glacial Asiatic immigrant. Thus, the small- — sized group is wholly comparable to the populations of the European ~ type of Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major, subspecies — candidus, italiae, arduennus, anglicus, and pinetorum, in Voous 1947), the — small forms of Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula, subspecies coccinea, in Voous © 1949) and the brown-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta europaea, subspecies — dalmatina, harrisoni, cisalpina, hassica, caesia, affinis, in YVoous & Van — Marle 1953). Similarly the large-sized group of Black Woodpeckers belongs to the same immigrant fauna of eastern origin of which the Siberian forms of Dendrocopos major (major), Pyrrhula pyrrhula (pyrrhula), and Sitta europaea (europaea) at present living throughout Russia and Scan- — dinavia also form integrant parts. Although, according to this theory the small-sized and large-sized — 1 According to statistical calculations kindly undertaken by Prof. Dr. J. P. Van Rooyen — (Free University, Amsterdam), for which the author is most thankful. ¥ 1961 65 Vol. 81 population groups of Black Woodpecker are of different post-glacial origins, still they have to be treated on purely taxonomic grounds under one and the same subspecific name. eo «#4 = 6 » ~~” “ ee Figure 1. Distribution of Dryocopus martius and the average wing lengths of males. Figures with an * are taken from Dementiev 1939. r BT Siege tial SETI '
. 4 E : i” ® ee Meg a A Py hy \hin me: 5 Rg od | le § A “Coe ry 4 Es ' wi yr as t o oe be! Be \ : mM ! ¥ { a ~. s ; ’ < ee dep ce oe ~ ad D> * Bs H : “- F : Ye 7 } pe 7 os tae se ae | ' ame | Bs ‘ ‘ | i & » b; fe Pt Te BRS i Soa / . + : y 7 ont SE i igs cee eae ene Ne icy th an one - 4 . g hatnd 3 t, wh : a ve te "aa xe = Tal { : e2 = ; 4: : “ Pn hd Dt ill : eet fi ; che )- = oe ZN Bes + Es a cae tor : ” - > ee : i oe dokey = hte ST ik: ts i 43 SF a Figure 2. Distribution of Dryocopus martius in Europe and the average wing lengths of males. Figures with an *® are taken from Dementiev 1939. References : Démentieff, G., 1939, Remarques sur la variabilité geographique du Pic noir Dryocopus martius L. dans la région paléarctique orientale. Alauda 11, pp. 7-15. Vol. 81 66 1961 Peters, J. L., 1948, Check List of Birds of the World. VI. Cambridge. Voous, K. H., 1947, On the history of the distribution of the genus Dendrocopos. Limosa 20, pp. 1-142. Voous, K. H., 1949, Distributional history of Eurasian Bullfinches, genus Pyrrhula. Condor 51, pp. 52-81. Voous, K. H. & J. G. van Marle, 1953, The distributional history of the Nuthatch, Sitta europea L. Ardea 41, extra nr., pp. 1-68 . The Evolutionary Significance of Reversionary Aberrations in the Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula Linnaeus by L. HoRAVTH Received 3rd June, 1960 Even at a cursory glance one may observe abnormalities in the plumage of the bullfinch which deserve a thorough investigation. These aberrations are of colour, pattern and the relative size of the rectrices and remiges. I must emphasise that these aberrations may be arranged in groups. This may be expressed more exactly by saying that certain colour and pattern deviations are associated with differences in the relative length of the wing and tail feathers. Considerations like these lead me to the conclusion that these aberrations or variants have an atavistic or reversionary sig- nificance and provide data of the phylogeny of the species. The starting point in the sequence of ideas for the verification of this assumption is the indisputable fact that if aberrations occur in a species, of a type which are found as normal characters in another species of the same genus, then the aberration denotes a relationship between the two species, either by indicating that they descended from a common ancestor, or that the progenitor of the species displaying this aberration is the one which possesses it as a normal character. After this outline of the principle, I will give the data of the aberrant specimens. I examined a total of 66 birds; 36 males and 30 females. Aberrant specimens occurred only in the males. Of these 33 were of the nominate form, one of the race P. p. europea Vieillot, one of the race P. p. rossikowi Derjugin and Bianchi and one of the race P. p. cineracea Cabot. Of the 33 birds of the nominate race, 32 originated from Hungary, collected between 1957-60 and one was from the vicinity of Voronesh, U.S.S.R. The aberrant specimens were all nominate birds from Hungary as follows :— | 1/59.1595.1 Csomad, near Budapest, 22.X1.1958. 2/59.1593.1 Alségéd, near Budapest, 15.11.1959. 3/60.93.1 Adony, Transdanubia, 2.XII.1959. 4/60.151.1 Gydngyés, Matra Mts. 6.XI1.1959. 5/60.152.1 Budapest, 26.XII.1959. 6/60.87.1 Szentendre, in Pilis Mts. 27.XII.1959. 7/60.153.1 | Didsjend, Borzsény Mts. 19.1.1960. 8/59.1599.1 Szigetmonostor, near Bp. 8.I1.1959. 9/60.91.1 Adony, Transdanubia, 12.XI.1959. 10/60.154.1 | Szigetmonostor, near Bp. 10.1.1960. 11/59.1594.1 Budapest. 1.11.1959. 12/60.97.1 Budapest. 9.1.1960. 13/60.155.1 | Didsjend, Borzsony Mts. 20.1.1960. 14/60.156.1 © Didsjené, Borzsény Mts. 21.1.1960. 1961 67 Vol. 81 A detailed examination of these aberrant specimens demonstrates that the variations occurring in colour, pattern and the relative lengths of the remiges and rectrices can be divided into six groups. In the first group, the tail is slightly forked, the middle rectrices are 2-3 mm. shorter than the outer ones and there are several reddish feathers in the blue-black plumage of the crown. Three specimens (1, 2 and 5) belong to this group. The second group is represented by a specimen with a strongly forked tail, the middle rectrices are more than 5 mm. shorter than the outer ones and there are in the blue-black feathers of the crown, white feathers representing the discontinuous tracks of the white streak separating the black forehead from the blue-black crown, with also numerous pale grey and several reddish feathers intermingled with the blue-black ones of the crown (3). This one is illustrated in the accompanying plate. 60.235.1 Magyar Nemzeti Buzeum . Species Pyrrbula rR. pyrehula Lig Nee a: Locations Adonyi aalustavals Datum 4959. 2:. Catieotor Murely Roperl Aberrant specimen No. 3 showing pale feathers in the crown and the strongly forked tail. Of the two specimens placed in the third group of aberrations, one has a square tail as in normal birds, but there are about five orange-red feathers in the blue-black crown, while the other has a slightly forked tail, but a normally coloured crown; moreover there is a striking orange-red discolouration on the greater wing-coverts and in the grey colour on both sides and on the lower part of the back of both specimens (4, 13). There are two further birds which show the aberrations of the first group, but in addition have some black feathers appearing in the dividing line of the white rump and the grey back (6, 7). These represent the fourth group. In the fifth group there are four birds with black feathers above the white rump; thus this character is common with that of the specimens constituting the former group (8, 9, 10, 14). Vol. 81 68 1961 In the sixth group of aberrant individuals the variation may be minimal from the normal characters of the bullfinch, the only deviation being that of a slightly forked tail (11.12). As can be seen from this description of the fourteen aberrant specimens No. 3 shows the greatest departure from normal. In addition to the enumerated characteristics, there is yet another striking feature exhibited in the plumage of the specimen, namely, while in all bullfinches including normal as well as aberrant specimens, the second primary is equal in length to the sixth, the longest feathers of the wing are the third, fourth and fifth primaries, all of about equal length, in this bird the second and fifth are equal and the tip of the wing is formed by the third and fourth primaries, which are equal in length. The results of these findings lead to the following conclusions :— First, the aberrations occur in about 43% of male bullfinches, which indicates a high degree of plasticity of characters. This plasticity is attested as variation of a reversionary character and cannot be classed as colour aberrations due to albinism, melanism, erythrism, chlorochroism, etc. or as colour deviations due to hybridisation. The following arguments will prove this assumption. Specimen No. 3 displays the most suggestive and the most numerous aberrant peculiarities. Namely, the white feathers behind the black forehead which represent a throwback to the whitish streak in this place in P. erythaca Blyth, and the pale grey feathers mingling with the blue-black ones of the crown also correspond to the plumage of the crown in this same species. The strongly forked tail and the shape of the wings also suggest a reversion towards P. erythaca. On the other hand the single reddish feathers appearing in the crown are referable to P. erythrocephala Vigors. The group of aberrations represented by specimens Nos. 1, 2, 5, revert entirely towards P. erythrocephala. The reversionary features here consist of the red feathers among the blue-black ones of the crown and the slightly forked tail. Specimens No. 4 and 13 show decided inclinations towards P. aurantiaca Gould, partly by the reddish-orange feathers occurring on the blue-black crown (4) and partly by the orange suffusion on the greater wing-coverts and the back. One may also consider as reversionary the colouration of the underparts which are more vivid than in normal specimens and of an orange hue. Specimen No. 4 does not appear to show reversionary trends either on colour or in the shape of its tail which is square to erythaca or erythrocephala, while specimen 13 on account of its slightly forked tail has some affinity with these forms. _ The reversionary peculiarities of specimens 6 and 7 representing the fourth group, relate partly to the species erythaca, wherein the white rump is separated by a black streak from the grey colour of the back; also, the black feathers at the upper edge of the white rump confirm this. On the other hand characteristics of erythrocephala are revealed in the reddish feathers among the blue-black ones of the crown and also the tail is some- what forked. Aberrant specimens Nos. 8, 9, 10, 14 show undoubted affinities to erythaca. The last two and also the least aberrant birds. a and 12) show in slight degree the forked tail of Asiatic po ii} i # 4 P ' j , 1961 69 Vol. 81 32 specimens of the nominate form P. pyrrhula show reversionary charac- ters relating to the species P. erythaca, erythrocephala and aurantiaca. The presence of these reversionary features in this relatively high number of specimens in this explicit form provide evidence of decided and close relationship. However, in the exposure and evaluation of the origin of these charac- ters, we cannot rest content with the conclusion that the ancestors of P. pyrrhula are the three species P. erythaca, erythrocephala and aurantiaca, but we must go further and conclude that the last three species are also descended from each other or that, together with the species P. pyrrhula, they are derived from an earlier common ancestor or ancestors. This statement is supported by the fact that more than one specimen showed features common to two distinct species of the present time. Six distinct species of bullfinch are generally accepted to-day; the present study investigating reversionary aberrations disclosed the close relationship of four of them. There remains the question of the degree of distinctness in the two remaining species. This will only be answered by further investigation, but this much is certain however, that the present studies provide some clues suggesting that these two species are also closely related to the four already mentioned. In P. nipaleniss Hodgson the upper half of the rump is black and the lower half white, which suggests the species erythaca. Although the crown is greyish-brown, the base of the feathers is blackish; the tail is forked, the innermost secondary reddish. These features are shared partly by erythaca and partly by pyrrhula. The colouration and pattern of P. /eucogenys is also similar to that of the other species. We must now add a few words on the red colour, the striking character of males of the bullfinch, P. pyrrhula. The red colour of the undersides of the male is absent in only the two southernmost species, namely P. nipalensis of the Malay Peninsula, and P. leucogenys of the Phillipine Islands. In two races of P. pyrrhula, namely P. p. murina Godmanson of the Azores and P. p. cineracea Cabot, south of lake Baikal, the red colour of the underparts is always absent, while it is only sometimes present in P. p. griseiventris Lafreynes ranging over the northern islands of Japan. There is much data attesting to the fact that the orange colour of the underparts of the male in P. aurantiaca is at times red. All this indicates that this character is still labile and consequently the red colour is un- reliable as a specific character. However some authors regard cineracea as a species, but the variability of the red colour makes others hesitant in accepting this character as of specific value.and therefore prefer to regard it as of racial value only. The degree of variations is also rather wide not only as regards colour and pattern, but also in measurements and shape of the bill, which again indicates that these characters have not as yet become stabilized suf- ficiently to allow the drawing of sharp demarcating lines between the allopatric species of the bullfinch. In the present state of our knowledge and with reference to the results of the present reversionary studies, it seems best to designate the bullfinch at the present time as a superspecies. By this | mean that the species are rarely allopatric and are descended from a single species. In view of the fact that P. pyrrhula is a species which Vol. 81 : 70 | 1961 ranges over an enormous area and which displays extremely variable characters of colour and measurement, it is readily understandable that this has lead to a large number of races being described, compared with the other five species with a much smaller range. Between 1758 and 1951, — 31 races of P. pyrrhula were described as against only 6 races of the other five species, described between 1832 and 1921. Partly on this account and partly on the basis of the reversions, we must look for the common ancestor among the other five species or in a still earlier form, closely related to one of them. Only a thorough study of the Asiatic species, including further investigation of their reversionary — trends, will bring us nearer to the discovery of the common ancestor of the species. In further support of this I might add that several biological features for instance the voice, are very similar among all the species in question. The soundness of these ideas is also supported by the fact that the number of aberrant specimens is high; furthermore they were collected over the © course of three years (1958-60) and from widely separated localities. Moreover, the dates of collecting extend over four months from November to February. It is also clear from this that none of the aberrant specimens can be considered as a moulting abnormality, since this occurs only from ~ August to October and in spring there is only an abrasion of the plumage, added to which all are adult and not first year specimens. As a result of this investigation we can formulate the following rules. The higher the number, extent and intensity of reversionary aberrations in a given species, so much later did it separate from the one or more species to whose features it reverts. It follows that the incidence of re- ~ versionary aberrations is indicative of the age of the species. . It also follows that a decrease in reversionary aberrations indicates — a stabilisation of the specific characters. If several characters of all species | constituting a genus can be observed among the reversionary aberrations of one or other species, they denote that on the one hand the genus is of a © homogenous origin and on the other hand, the species exhibiting the mixed reversionary aberrations is in a flourishing state of specialisation. — An excellent example of such a species is Pyrrhula pyrrhula Linnaeus. I am most grateful to Dr. James Harrison for his assistance in the — preparation of this paper. References :— Bannerman, D. A. 1953—‘‘The Birds of the British Isles.’’ Delacour, J. and Mayr, E- 1946. ‘‘Birds of the Philippines. ’’ Dementiev, G. P., Gladkov, N. A. and Spangenberg, E. P. 1951-54. a ¢ Sovietskogo Sojuza’?’ (in Russian). Glenister, A. G., 195i. ‘‘The Birds of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Penang.”’ Hartert, E. 1910, 1921-22. ‘‘Die Vogel der Paldarktischen Fauna.”” Hartert, E. and Steinbacher, F. 1932-38. ‘‘Die Vogel der Palaarktischen Fauna.’’ Harrison, J. M. 1958. ‘‘On the Populations of the Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula Brisson in Western Europe, and the possible Significance of certain Aberrant Characters in that Species.’’ Bull. B.O.C., 78, 9-14 and 23-28. me) Horvath, L. et al., 1958. ‘‘ Aves’’ (in Fauna Hungariae) pp. VII, 456. Vaurie, C. 1956. "«* Systematic Notes on Palearctic Birds No. 21. Fringillidae: t Genera Pyrrhula, Euphona, Coccothraustes, and Mycerobas.’’ American oe: a Novitates. 1788, 124. < Vaurie, C. 1959. ‘‘ The Birds of the Palaearctic Fauna.’’ Witherby, H. F., Jourdain, F. C. R., Ticehurst, N. F. and Tucker, B. W. 1952. — ‘*The Handbook of British Birds.’”’ 3 1961 71 Vol. 81 The distribution of the races of Bradornis pallidus (V. Muller) in Southern Africa with the description of a new race by W. J. LAWSON 7" Received 23rd December, 1960 As a result of a recent study of geographical variation in the South African subcontinental populations of the Pale Flycatcher Bradornis pallidus (von Muller) based on the series of this species in the collections _ of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, Bulawayo, and the Durban Museum, it has been ascertained that the present subspecific arrangement _ of the populations in the standard literature is unsatisfactory and in need _ of revision. For the loan of material from the interior of southern Africa I am indebted to Mr. M. P. Stuart Irwin, Zoological Assistant of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, and to Dr. Austin L. Rand, _ Chief Curator of Zoology, Chicago Natural History Museum, I am grateful for comparing and identifying specimens submitted to him. Three races are currently accepted as occurring in southern Africa, _ these being B. p. subalaris Sharpe, 1873: Mombasa, Kenya Colony, which is asserted to range from Natal, Zululand, eastern Transvaal and Portu- -guese East Africa northwards ‘in the eastern lowlands; B. p. murinus _ Finsch & Hartlaub, 1870: Caconda, Angola, with its stated range as Bincols. Bechuanaland, Ovamboland and Southern Rhodesia northwards, while B. p. aquaemontis Stresemann, 1937: Waterberg Plateau, South- - West Africa, is reputedly confined to the Waterberg Range of north- eastern South-West Africa. _ B. p. subalaris is found to be a very small race confined to the eastern tropical littoral and probably does not come within the limits of sub- ~ continental southern Africa. The wing-measurements of specimens of this ‘race from coastal Kenya Colony in the collection of the Durban Museum are gd 82.0-84.5 (83.1) and 99 79.5-81.0 (80.0), which are considerably _ smaller than any of the many south-eastern African birds measured by me. - The populations of Natal, Zululand, southern Swaziland, the eastern _ Transvaal and extreme southern Sul do Save usually incorrectly placed as B. p. subalaris, are now found to be inseparable from the brown-backed _ B. p. murinus of Angola, the identification being kindly confirmed by Dr. Austin L. Rand, who compared material from the area concerned with - samples of the Angola populations. In the course of this study the south- eastern birds were compared in the Durban Museum with others from eastern Southern Rhodesia and a single specimen from Angola, with which they were found to agree in all subspecific characters. The range of _ B. p. murinus has now been determined as from central and northern _ Angola, the southern Congo, the North-Western, Western, Northern and ~ Southern districts of Northern Rhodesia,? Nyasaland, Southern Rhodesia, except for Matabeleland, south to the eastern Transvaal, southern Swaziland, the extreme southern part of Mozambique, Zululand and Natal (rare). The wing and tail measurements of specimens of B. p. _ murinus as measured by me are 10 33 wing 89.0-98.0 (94.6), tail 69.0-80.5 (74.4), 10 99 wing 83.0-91.0 (87. 2, “tail 62.0-69.0 (66.8) mm. The speci- mens from ‘Natal, Zululand, southern Swaziland and the eastern Transvaal average smaller in size, but are not subspecifically distinct. Vol. 81 72 1961 B. p. aquaemontis, based on specimens from the Waterberg, South- West Africa, is a large pale race, differing from B. p. murinus in size and in the grey upper-parts, which are about 00S—8-2° (vide Villalobos, Colour Atlas, 1947) as opposed to a reading of 0OOS—6-3° in B. p. murinus, which is distinctly darker and browner in comparison. Chapin (Birds of the Belgian Congo, part ili, p. 613, 1953) suggested that B. p. aquaemontis may WALVIS BAY sa SSS ORANGE RIVER z de (C= Ke } WP. o CY AS AE ere PRs Figure 1. Sketch Map to show the distributions of the races of Bradornis pallidus in Southern Africa, 92° CAPE TOWN PORT ELIZABETH Be Pe murinus Finsch & Hartlaub ses Be Pe aguaemontis Stresemann Bon B. pe divisus mihi extend to Balovale on the upper Zambesi River, and this supposition is probably correct. Specimens examined from the northern Bechuanaland Protectorate and Matabeleland are now found to be referrable to this large grey race, thus extending its distribution far to the east of its pre- viously restricted range in the Waterberg. The populations of Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia, placed as B. p. murinus by Benson & White (Check List of the Birds of Northern Rhodesia, 1957) probably belong to this race as well. The wing and tail measurements of B. p. aquaemontis are 11 33 wing 96.0-102.5 (98.6), tail 72.5-81.5 (75.5); 5 9° wing 88.0-90.5 (89.2), ¥ * FF May 4 ~ q 11961 73 Vol. 81 _ tail 66.5-70.0 (68.2). The established range of this form is from northern South-West Africa and adjacent southern Angola, eastwards through the northern Bechuanaland Protectorate, to Matabeleland, Southern Rho- desia, and probably parts of the western Transvaal and Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia. During the course of a recent collecting trip organised by the Durban Museum to southern Portuguese East Africa (August, September, 1960) _it was ascertained that in the lower reaches of the Limpopo River occurs a grey form of Bradornis pallidus, inseparable from B. p. aguaemontis in colouration, but of considerably smaller proportions. This small grey form appears to be restricted to the lower reaches of the Limpopo River Valley, specimens having been examined from Beit Bridge, Southern Rhodesia, and from Panda near Inhambane, Chimonzo in the Macia district, and Manhica, southern Mozambique. It appears as if this small-sized, grey coloured innominate race of the middle and lower Limpopo River Valley is interposed and completely divides the populations of B. p. murinus into two blocks, north and south of the watercourse concerned. This eastern grey form, while similar to B. p. aguaemontis in colouration, is con- siderably smaller in size, and though localised in its distribution is sufficiently distinct to deserve nomenclatural recognition, and for it | propose the name Bradornis pallidus divisus, subsp. nov. Type: 3 ad. Panda, near Inhambane, Sul do Save, southern Mozambique. Collected 10th September, 1960 by the Durban Museum Expedition. In the collection of the Durban Museum. Diagnosis: Similar to B. p. aquaemontis in colouration of head-top, nape and mantle, but distinctly smaller in size, thus, wings of $¢ 91.5-95.0 (92.7), 92 84.5-85.5 (85.0) mm. as against 33 96.0-102.5 (98.6), 9° 88.0- 90.5 (89.2) mm. in B. p. aquaemontis, and tails 33 67.5—76.0 (69.7), 99 ~65.0-65.5 (65.2) as against gg 72.5~81.5 (75.5), 29 66.5-70.0 (68.2) mm. in B. p. aquaemontis. Differs from B. p. murinus in having the upper-parts grey and not brown, and lacking the buffish suffusion to the ventral surface. Material examined: B. p. divisus: Southern Rhodesia 3, southern Mozambique 10, B. p. aquaemontis: Bechuanaland Protectorate 1, Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia 22, B. p. murinus: Angola 1, Southern Rhosedia 17, eastern Transvaal 5, southern Swaziland 7, southern Mozambique 11, northern Zululand 2. Measurements of Type: wing 94.0, tail 76.0, culmen 18.0 mm. Range: Lower reaches of the Limpopo River from about Beit Bridge to Sul do Save, southern Mozambique. In the littoral from about Panda, near Inhambane, north of the Limpopo River, to Chimonzo near Macia, and Manhica, south of the Limpopo River. A single specimen from Bela Vista, in the Maputo district, seems to belong to this small-sized grey race, but other specimens from the same place are referrable to the larger, brown B. p. murinus. Remarks: This subspecies divides the populations of B. p. murinus into | two blocks, one north and one south of the Limpopo River Valley, and from this fact derives its name, 1959 £ EXPENDITURE ‘*Bulletin’’ Vol. 80 Cost of publication, distribution including Editor’s Expenses 3 Hs if, Less: Sales Notices etc. for Meetings Postages, Projectionist and Miscellaneous Ex- penditure ie at nf ts Audit Fee .. Contribution ‘* Zoological Record?” Balance, Excess of Income over as ch a a carried down a Ls ; Ay Excess of Expenditure over Income, eee down... Surplus for the year carried to General Fund . BALANCE SHEET GENERAL FUND: As at 3lst December 1959 BULLETIN FUND: As at 3lst December 1959 Received during year Less: Transfer to Income and jab pica sae Account ‘ “e i SUBSCRIPTIONS 1961 ss cebe in advance CREDITORS ay TRUST FUND: (The Capital of this Fund may not be used. The income from it is General Revenue.) F. J. F. Barrington Legacy C. R. S. PrITMan, Chairman C. N. WALTER, Hon. 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Vol. 81 TG. 8. 1961 British Ornithologists’ Club REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Club held seven meetings during the year at which the total atten- dance was 246. In addition there were two meetings, in March and October, held jointly with the British Ornithologists’ Union. The amend- ments to the Rules which were approved at a Special General Meeting held on 20th September 1960 have effected a greater measure of co- operation between the Club and the British Ornithologists’ Union. MEMBERSHIP The Committee very much regret to record the death during 1960 of | W. W. Naumberg and N. Williams. There were twelve resignations and seventeen new members were elected, bringing the total membership to 250, an increase on the vear of three. One subscriber resigned but there were six new subscribers to the ‘*Bulletin’’. FINANCE The Accounts of the Club for the year 1960, presented herewith show an Excess of Expenditure over Income of £75 18s. 11d.; this is partly set- off by the sale of old ‘‘Bulletins’’ which amounted to £59 14s. 1d., leaving a deficit on the year of £16 4s. 10d. This has been made good by a transfer from the ‘“Bulletin Fund’’. There were two major fluctuations during the year. The cost of the **Bulletin’’ has increased by £65, due to an increase in printing charges and to the inclusion of a Scientific Index; on the other hand the amount received from Deeds of Covenant is less by £51, as the previous year included three years’ repayments. The Club will need more income for the future now that entrance fees have been abolished, and the ‘‘Bulletin’’ is costing more. Members can help in this respect by introducing new members and also by giving Deeds of Covenant to the Club. C. R. S. PITMAN, Chairman. 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Lt coziior Insmove tent PAer ae Wick ees eee) meavoe, 10H Siino? bor@sibbe od bivorle SoNSebNnOoNesTIOD HK ‘tT 3 LL AS ‘ ae oro Jiok notmviw save sidbaG etl aimed 4 , . “ wel HOY BOMITSIM GMA 2entniG muteia NOUOsIO RI. lo pipticieigqer sel suntv pol ,tags, m4) bs Pomel Wel ph ae a a a a ve sil liapensipatpa ioe Bry 6 97 "2 1A ION TAO Heryriad acl) vd bated . Se Se al oe | clmeo¥, art A yt meni ~ ioiTrK wid Fe - bey pee a : “#5 A” ape ae ee Fo : —— as eee ee ee ae a “~ Nite . - A F is Pie ee ee en a ans DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1961 18th April, 16th May, 19th September, 17th October, 21st November, 19th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by - The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent. & \oow BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Volume 81 No. 5 BULLETIN OF THE Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON CLUB 1961 1961 ges 71 ) Vol.,8} ts? . .. BULLETIN ©. - OF THE. BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB grt ne a Al [F> Volume 81 Aa Number 5 i : Published: .Jst May, 1961: . Annual General Meeting | The Sixty-ninth Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ - Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, S.W.7, at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 18th April, 1961. Captain C. R. S. Pitman took the Chair and there were nine Members present. (1) The Minutes of the last Annual General. Meeting held on 19th April, 1961 were passed and signed. | (2) The adoption of the Report for the year ending 31st Decsnbbe: 1960 _ was ‘carried unanimously. Proposer, Mrs. Upton, seconded by Mrs: Boyd Watt. | _ (3) The adoption of the Accounts for the year ending 31st December, 1960 was carried unanimously. Proposer, Miss E.’ Leach, seconded by Mr. C. W. Mackworth-Praed. _ (4) The re-election of Mr. C. N. Walter as Honorary Treasurer and . Miss E. Forster as Honorary Secretary was carried unanimously. Pro- poser, Mr. C. W. Mackworth-Praed, seconded by Mrs. Boyd Watt. (5) The election of Mr. J. J. Yealland of Editor as from the Ist January, 1962, vice Dr. J. G. Harrison whose period of office expires at the end of 1961, was carried unanimously, and was coupled with a vote of thanks to ‘Dr. Harrison. Proposer, Mrs. Upton, seconded by Mr. C. J. O. Harrison. _ (6) A vote of thanks to the Auditors, Messrs. W. B. Keen & Co. was Carried unanimously. Proposer, Mr. C. N. Walter, seconded by Mr. C. W. Mackworth-Praed. _ The meeting was then adjourned. [ The five hundred and eighty-ninth meeting of the Club was then held. * Chairman: Captain C, R. ‘S. Pitman OY Members. present, 22; Guests 6. Guest of the Club, Maxwell Knight. x: ¢ * Hand-rearing of Birds ‘ After the dinner Maxwell Knight gave a short talk on some of the prob- lems of hand-rearing birds, paying special attention to feeding, nest Sanitation and the time and thought that needs to be given to ‘‘de- ening” hand-reared birds prior to releasing them. _ The talk was illustrated with films and slides of hand-rearing a Great- tted Woodpecker, a cygnet, and a cuckoo, which included some ightful and unique shots of the woodpecker drying itself on a towel after bathing. Vol. 81 78 1961 More aquatic predators of birds by CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received 2nd January, 1961 PART II (iI) FISH (A) INDIGENOUS . (a) Large SILURIDS ‘ (i) Clarias ‘ AFRICA: UGANDA. Dr. Kai Curry-Lindahl, in Lake Edward | (April, 1952), saw a dead Marsh Sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis (Bechstein), which had been thrown into the water to attract a lung-fish (Protopterus), taken by a Clarias sp., probably C. lazera Cuv. and Val. , LAKE VICTORIA. Dr. Philip S. Corbet, when in the East African — Fisheries Research Organisation at Jinja, took from the stomach of a Clarias mossambicus Peters, 89 cm. in length, a cormorant chick just 4 hatching from the egg—from its size probably that of the White-necked Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo lugubris (L.), vide (**: pp. 58-59). Corbet also claims that ““Large C. mossambicus are known to congregate beneath | ambatch trees in which cormorants are nesting, and to feed on disgorged © Haplochromis dropped by the adult birds when feeding their young’’; but see, ibid 77 (*), p. 93, the views of African fishermen, and also the next note. NORTHERN RHODESIA. Mr. V. J. Wilson, a Tsetse Control — Officer, when visiting by boat a nesting colony of ‘the African Darter, — Anhinga rufa rufa (Lacépede et Daudin), saw several nestlings fall into the water, where large Clarias mossambicus could be seen swimming just © below the surface. The fish swallowed the chicks immediately they struck — the water. The fish were not in the least afraid and were evidently waiting — to receive casualties, for if he agitated the water with his hand a fish came © along at once to investigate. SOUTH AFRICA. Miss M. Courtenay-Latimer, Director of East London Museum, tells of a shot bird which fell into the Orange river and was at once seized and swallowed by a Clarias sp. (ii) Silurus glanis (L.), sometimes called the Sheetfish or Wels. EUROPE. According to Dr. Kai Curry-Lindahl this silurid ‘‘is cer- tainly able to take birds from the surface when pai in the night, and there are published records of swallowed ducks’”’ (b) LUNGFISH (Proptoterus). AFRICA: UGANDA. Mr. D. H. Rhodes, Senior Fisheries Officers . describes how a shot snipe which fell in a dam could not be recovered for 20 minutes, during which time nearly all its feathers and most of the flesh — had been stripped off. This was believed to have been the work of a Protopterus. But Dr. Curry-Lindahl found no remains of birds in any of the Pro- topterus stomachs he examined on Lake Edward, and he is of the opinion that ‘‘Objects floating or swimming on the surface do not in general release attacks from lung fishes”’ (c) TIGER FISH (Hydrocyon). AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA. Lieut. Col. J. Stevenson-Hamilton Cee 129) referring to Tiger Fish “‘I have seen large ones rising at swallovaal as the latter skimmed the surface of a deep pool’’. ¥ 4 i 3 ; 7 ES se> rt 7 | a 1961 79 Vol. 81. E Ranger T. B. Oatley (: pp. 37-38), in January 1957 at the Ndumu Game Reserve, Natal, records how drinking Swallows, Hirundo rustica L. were frequently taken—up to 5 or 6 times in the same afternoon—by an unidentified predator which could only have been a Tiger Fish, Hydrocyon, but which was never seen. As a Swallow, one of many, dipped there would be a sudden loud splash, a curtain of spray and one bird less. _ (d) NORTHERN PIKE, Esox Lucius L. ~ NORTH AMERICA: CANADA. There is a paper by A. D. Bajkov and A. M. Shortt on ‘‘Northern Pike as Predator on Waterfowl and Musk _rat’’ which was sponsored by Ducks Unlimited (Canada). This, together with other records of Pike predation in Canada, is being dealt with in a separate note. This species is also the Pike of Britain and Europe where it is a well-known bird predator. : (B) INTRODUCED — (a) RAINBOW TROUT, Salmo gairdneri Richardson. ~ AFRICA: SOUTHERN RHODESIA. Turnbull-Kemp found a fledgling weaverbird, Xanthophilus xanthops (Hartlaub) in a rod-caught trout in the Inyangombe river, at 6,000 ft., in 1955. Fledglings had pre- viously been found in trout stomachs by other members of the staff of the -Rhodes-Inyanga Estate, who believe this is not uncommon when young birds leave too early or fall from the nest. _ He also has ‘‘a record of an unidentified and injured swallow being en) by a Rainbow Trout”’ — (b) TROUT. _ AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA. J. B. Shephard ("*) describes how a -gosling (Alopochen) disappeared in the middle of a dam. It appeared to dive, but never came up and it was believed that a large trout had taken it. : (11) CROCODILES ~ (a) Crocodylus palustris Lesson, Marsh Crocodile or ‘Mugger’. ASIA: INDIA. In the Central Provinces, A. A. Dunbar Brander (?7) **Once found eight teal duck inside a crocodile, which had evidently been all swallowed at the same time’’. The duck in question was presumably the Whistling Teal or Fulvous Tree-Duck, Dendrocygna bicolor, for a ‘crocodile would have little opportunity of capturing so many of the much “more alert little Cotton Teal, Nettapus coromandelianus (Gmelin). (b) Crocodylus porosus Schneider, Estuarine Crocodile. _ BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS. Mrs. Diana Bradley refers to an irruption of the Australian Pelican, Pelecanus conspicillatus Temminck in 1952 during a severe gale in the Solomon Islands. When she visited these islands in 1953 few had survived and it was claimed locally that many had fallen victims to crocodiles. ~ (ce) Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, Nile Crocodile. AFRICA: UGANDA. Corbet, during May/June 1956, when examining ba stomachs of crocodiles killed in Napoleon Gulf, Lake Victoria, und four containing bird remains:— 118 cm. long—feet and culmen of black bird, probably African Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus (L.); (ii) 120 cm.—black feathers and filo- -plumes; (iii) 162 cm.—black feathers; (iv) 280 cm.—one large White-necked Cormorant, Phalacroc orax carbo. KENYA, Richard Tjader (*: p. 273) found ‘‘two pink-coloured Vol. 81 80 1961 flamingos’’ in the stomach of a crocodile which was shot at Lake Han- nington. Mrs. Susan McKay writes ‘‘Several times we have found flamin- | go feathers in the stomachs of crocodiles’’ shot in Ferguson Gulf, Lake Rudolf. On Central Island in this lake a crocodile about 6 ft. long was seen to stalk a spoonbill, P/atalea sp. standing on a rock a few feet above © the water. The crocodile came behind it and with a sudden snap caught it; then it plunged back into the water with the white feathers clearly visible either side of its jaws like a huge set of whiskers. It swam with its head up — for some time and then suddenly submerged complete with bird and was not seen again. Colonel R. Meinertzhagen ('°: p. 475) records an interesting case of a crocodile preying on the Black-faced Sandgrouse, Prerocles decoratus (Cabanis). TANGANYIKA. The late Capt. C. H. B. Grant told me of an astonish- ing experience in 1930 on Lake Tanganyika when he noticed that a Knob- nosed Goose, Sarkidiornis melanotos (Pennant) flying close to the surface was directly approaching a basking crocodile. The crocodile opened its mouth and into it went the bird, the crocodile immediately dived and was ~ not seen again. Capt. Grant remarked that the blow on the crocodile’s throat must have been tremendous. NYASALAND. In Sept. 1957, in the Ruo river, Sweeney shot a four- — foot crocodile which contained the remains of what was believed to be a — Red-billed Duck, Anas erythrorhyncha Gmelin. NORTHERN RHODESIA. According to Mr. C. W. Benson, the ‘‘waterhen’’ ibid 77 (°), p. 122 was identified by him as Allen’s Gallinule, — Porphyrio alleni (Thomson). Benson has also provided details of avian — remains in eleven other crocodiles out of the large number examined by — Dr. Hugh Cott:— (i) goose remains; (11) fragments of Streptopelia or — Turtur feathers, from the Luangwa area; (iii) also from the Luangwa, feathers of possibly an Estrildine finch; (iv) from the same area, Strep- topelia feathers, probably the Cape Turtle Dove, S. capicola (Sundevall); — (v) feathers of the Darter, Anhinga rufa in two specimens from the Luangwa — Valley; (vi) remains of a Purple Gallinule, Porphyrio alba (White) from — Kafue Flats, near Mazabuka; (vii) feathers of Anhinga rufa, from two — Barotseland specimens; (viii) mangled remains of probably Phalacrocorax ~ sp. from Kafue Flats, near Mazabuka; and (ix) feathers of the Long- tailed Cormorant, Phalacrocorax africanus (Gmelin), from Kafue Flats. q Mr. J. M. C. Uys, on 2nd November 1960 in the Busanga Flats region © (approx. 14° 10’ S.: 25° 46’ E.), saw a small crocodile of 0.73 metres with — an Actophilornis africanus (Gmelin) in its mouth. As he approached it dropped the bird and submerged. But it quickly resurfaced, grabbed its — prey and disappeared. ye SOUTHERN RHODESIA. Observations made by Mr. Gerald Davison and his father in the Wankie National Park :— (i) 7ft. crocodile shot in Sept. 1957 in the Chowe river contained 26 Red-billed Quelea, Quelea quelea (L.); (ii) 44 ft. crocodile was seen to catch a Blacksmith Plover, Hoplopterus armatus (Burchell) at Nyamandhlovu Pan; and (iii) — on Dom Pan, 84 ft. crocodile was seen to take a pelican, Pe/ecanus sp. 4 SOUTH AFRICA: ZULULAND. About 1904-05, Capt. C. H. B.- Grant was after flighting ducks by the Umfolosi river. He shot thirteen, & | eS a Vol. 81 : all falling into a small pond, and as each bird struck the water and turned | _ over head down it was seized by a crocodile and disappeared. (lV) MONITOR LIZARD (Varanus niloticus) AFRICA: SUDAN. In July 1953, in the Nuba Mountains, Kordofan, Sweeney saw a Nile monitor devouring a small wader. UGANDA. In March 1956, Corbet found bird remains in the stomach _ of a specimen killed in a garden at Jinja (Lake Victoria) ('*: p. 59). KENYA. Corbet, in April 1956, also found bird remains in a specimen which was floating dead in Lake Victoria at the mouth of the Nzoia river et: p, 59). TANGANYIKA. In 1950, on the Mkulumuzi river near Tanga, Sweeney saw a monitor eating a “‘largish’’ bird, which was not identified. SOUTHERN RHODESIA. In 1953, at the Robert Mcllwaine National Park (4,495 ft.), Turnbull-Kemp found two domestic fowl eggs in the stomach of a V. niloticus; and he also has a record of one of these monitors seizing and carrying off a Dabchick, Podiceps ruficollis (Pallas). _ Gerald Davison saw one of these monitors dash out of a hole in a breeding colony of the White-fronted Bee-eater, Melittophagus bullockoides (Smith) in a river bank and plunge into the water. It was immediately mobbed furiously by the bee-eaters, who evidently regarded it as an enemy, though it was not possible to confirm that it had been raiding the nests. /bid 77 (*), pp. 123-24, see reaction of Pied Kingfishers. (to be concluded) A melanistic Chiffchaff ( Phylloscopus collybita) in Dorset by J. S. ASH Received 19th December, 1960 On 17th April, 1960, several observers staying at the Bird Observatory at Portland Bill, Dorset, watched a small very dark warbler which they - were unable to identify. | found the bird in the afternoon and watched it at close range in the field, where it could be compared with several typical _ Chifichafts (Phylloscopus collybita). The following field description was later confirmed in the hand after the bird had been caught in a mist net :— similar in size to Chiffchaff, the general colour being smoky (greyish) brown, the underparts paler; top of crown dark greyish brown (darker than mantle); cheeks and ear coverts much mottled with darker coloura- tion, and much the same colour as the greyish brown mantle; rump, olive green, showing up distinctly in flight; a shiny grey area on each closed wing was formed by the pale edges of remiges; a yellow patch at Carpal joint; whole of underparts dark greyish white except for tinge of ‘yellow on under tail coverts and a much paler throat (in the hand, the breast, flanks and belly were flecked with a few indistinct streaks of yellow); the faintest trace of a paler supercilium reaching from half-way between the base of the mandible and eye to just above the eye, and no prominent dark line through the eye; a dark brown bill with a pale streak along the junction of the mandibles; legs very dark, but not shiny; and a forked tail which was seen in the hand to be due to very abraded central rectrices. Vol. 81 ay 1961 The following measurements were taken:— wing: 59 mm.; weight: 9.00 gms. (1800 G.M.T.). Primaries: 4th longest; 3rd and Sth equal and > 0.5 mm. shorter; 6th and 7th, 1.5 mm. shorter; thus the 2nd fell between — 6th and 7th. | The following dark-coloured species of Phylloscopi were ruled out for the reasons given :— fuligiventer (1st primary too short and 2nd too long, © and moreover has more yellow on supercilium and underparts); fuscatus (2nd primary too long, etc.); neglectus (the wing formula is wrong and the bird too large). It was decided at the time, and again after more careful study of the notes later, that in spite of some minor inconsistencies of wing formula, the bird must be an aberrant Chiffchaff with marked deposition of melanin in its plumage pigmentation. Mr. Kenneth William- son, to whom I sent the original notes, agrees with this identification, and has suggested it was a female, remotely co//ybita, much more probably abietinus. The African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus (Gmelin) by C. DAVID SIMPSON Received 23rd December, 1960 The following notes supplement those by Pitman (Bul/. Brit. Orn. Cl. 80(6), 1960: 103-105). In a small bay on the Kariba Lake, 27th September 1960, two adult African Jacanas (Actophilornis africanus) were feeding on the exotic weed Salvinia auriculata which already covers so much of the ~ lake. Hoping to get some photographs, I waded into the weed and hid behind a bush to wait for the birds to come within range of my camera. One of the pair soon flew off, but the second remained, when I saw that it had four tiny chicks. I took some photographs and was sitting quite still when I heard a clicking whistle behind me. I turned round and found that the bird which had flown off was within ten feet of me. It was ap- parently quite unafraid but extremely curious. It made a half circle around me in a series of movements, standing perfectly still while — watching me, then stalking a few yards before stopping to look again. I did not disturb it and it slowly fed along towards its mate. I managed to circle around the bay unseen by the birds and stalked up to them once again behind a small bush. The chicks, along with what was presumably the mother, were on a small peninsula of salvinia, and as the family would have to pass within ten feet of me to get out onto’ the main mass of salvinia, I settled down to wait for some more photo-— graphs. : At this stage I must have moved, as the mother saw me and flew off in— alarm. The chicks immediately crouched down, snuggling into the hollows in the salvinia, then crept extremely slowly towards a small tuft of grass” emergent from the salvinia. The mother had in the meantime flown about thirty-five yards, landed on the salvinia and begun an interesting dis- traction-behaviour. She jumped up and fluttered through the air for a fi = feet, then ‘collapsed’ on the surface of the salvinia, uttering a quavering shrill piping note. She then lay for about a minute on her breast, the win stretched horizontally, fluttering and vibrating them from time to time. As I kept quite still, she got up, ran towards me, taking a short flapping run and then collapsed again, repeating the previous behaviour-patte Vol. 81 83 1961 Jacana mother with chicks (note erected feathers on her nape) A. Jacana chick hiding in salvinia B. Vol. 81 84 1961 This manoeuvre was repeated twice more, the bird coming closer on each occasion. On the last occasion, however, she staggered along, weaving on her feet with one wing trailing (similar movement to a rooster displaying to a hen). She then collapsed again and lay weakly flapping her horizontally stretched wings. She next rolled over, half on her side, held the other wing up in the air at an angle and at the same time pushed her- self along at an angle. The entire display lasted about five minutes on each occasion, then the bird would stand up perfectly normally, peck at a few bits of weed and launch into the behaviour-pattern once again, the shrill piping being uttered at short intervals. The bird calmed down after about thirty minutes, got up from the end point of the display and began making her way towards the grass tuft where the chicks were sheltering. She did not go there directly, but ap- proached in a series of zig-zag movements. The call had changed to a series of short chatters, completely different to the piping during dis- traction-activity. At this new call the chicks got up and looked around, but did not leave the cover of the grass clump. At this juncture I must have moved, as the mother suddenly flew off and the chicks crouched down becoming motionless. She did not indulge in any more distraction-activity but worked her way cautiously back to the chicks. As she got to the clump, they came out and I managed a family group photograph (see A). She then led them off slowly over the salvinia. I might point out here that what was presumably the male took no part in either the distraction-behaviour or in leading the young, but merely walked about feeding in the vicinity of the female. I waited until the birds were out of sight behind some bushes before I went back to the shore. I then stalked the female and young. The chicks immediately hid under a small bush, and the female began the distraction- behaviour again. As the water was only two or three inches deep, I followed her and found that she would let me get extremely close before she moved away, wing trailing with a marked stagger. All the distraction pattern mentioned before was repeated, also including short, jerky flights of two or three yards. I next went over to the bush under which the chicks were hiding and watched them for a short period. They lay perfectly still, crouched flat on the salvinia, but with their large legs held up at an angle of 45° from the horizontal. The growth was too thick for them to dive or hide under the weed, as mentioned in Pitman’s note. I moved the surrounding leaves and twigs away, letting the sunlight play through directly onto them. They did not move, even when prodded with a twig. I next caught a chick and examined it. Its body-size was that of a small domestic fowl’s egg, the legs about 23 inches long from junction with body to base of tarsus and the feet with claws about | inch in length. The legs were a dark grey grading into browny-pink towards the feet. The background colour of the down was an off white with chestnut stripes down the back, the head chestnut with white sides. The beak was pale pinky grey. During the examination the chick made no move or sound, but on being picked up initially and on release, it struggled and gave a few 1961 85 Vol. 81 cheeps. I then left the bush and watched the mother. She came back crouching down with her wings spread. The chicks went underneath her. She got up and stalked off in a crouched position and I distinctly saw a leg of one of the chicks sticking out from under one wing. She went about seventy yards but soon deposited the chicks by simply opening her wings. The whole family then began to feed again on the salvinia. An observation communicated to me by C.C. Tait seems ‘to indicate the advantage of the dorsal stripes in chicks. In Natal, Tait observed three chicks all behaving in the same way, grasping longitudinally a broad- bladed sedge-leaf, with only the nostrils and bill above the water-level, and the body pressed into the V of the blade. The dorsal stripes were thus in line with the ribbing of the blade. The tarsi and feet were bent forwards clasping the blade, the feet reaching to the sides of the head. I am indebted to my colleague C. W. Benson for his assistance in the preparation of this note, and to L. A. Titchener, of the Northern Rhodesia Information Department, for assistance in the preparation of the photo- graphs. Also R. I. G. Attwell, of my department, to whom a copy of this note in draft has been shown, informs me that he has made generally similar observations at Lundazi, Northern Rhodesia, in March 1955. Jacanas and other birds perching on hippo by C. W. BENSON (Received 23rd December, 1960) Simpson’s note immediately above has prompted me to bring together various records previously unpublished, by members of my department, of birds perching on the Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), especially as North (Jbis, 1944: 171-176) makes no definite mention of it being used for perching by any species of bird. On 29th August 1960, on the Lufupa River, Kafue National Park, W. F. H. Ansell saw two African Jacanas (Actophilornis africanus) standing on the heads and backs of partially submerged hippo for several minutes. On 27th September 1960, on the Lochinvar Ranch stretch of the Kafue River, J. J. Soulsby saw one perched for nearly one minute on the head of a hippo showing just above the surface of the water. J. M. C. Uys has a record of a Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) perched for about one minute on the back of a hippo standing in shallow water in the Kafue River, in the Kafue National Park on 23rd September 1960. He has a similar observation for an African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp), 16th August 1960. In July 1954 R. I. G. Attwell, in the Nsefu Game Reserve, Luangwa Valley, observed three cattle-egrets (Ardeola ibis) perched on the back of a single hippo, remaining thereon as it waded concealed through a channel in a pan for at least fifty yards. B. L. Mitchell, in August 1957, on a rocky stretch of the Kafue River near Meshiteshi, watched two White-collared Pratincoles (G/areola nuchalis) which remained on the head of a hippo for several minutes, the animal being otherwise completely submerged. Also, one day in May 1957, between 4.30 and 5.15 p.m., on the Zambesi some forty miles above the Victoria Falls, he watched two Reed-Cormorants (Phalacrocorax africanus) | accompanying a school of six hippo, fishing in their vicinity. When not Vol. 81 86 1961 fishing, the cormorants would climb onto a hippo’s neck from behind and rest on its head. Fishing followed by resting was observed six times. In the Luangwa Valley, several observors have recorded both species of oxpecker (Buphagus) on hippo. No further details will be given here, as the associations of these two species as a whole are under current study by Attwell. But in the case of the other birds mentioned it would appear that hippo are used for perching in the same way as are rocks or other stationery objects in water. J. M. Feely, who has recently joined my department, informs me that at Lake St. Lucia, Zululand he has frequently seen the Common Sandpiper _ (Tringa hypoleucos) perched on hippos, and on one occasion he even saw one taking and eating leeches (Hirudo sp.) off a hippo. P.S. A couple of further records may also be mentioned. On 23rd March 1958, at mid-day, on the Luangwa at about 12°40’S., Attwell saw one Common Sandpiper and one Cattle Egret perched on the backs of a school of hippo lying in shallow water off a sandbank in the middle of the river. On 2nd July 1959, by the Luangwa at about 13°S., Senior Game Scout H. William saw three Black Crakes (Limnocorax flavirostra) running about on the back of a hippo which was out of the river, warming itself in the sun at 8.15 a.m. See Article opposite page The three races of the Emerald-spotted Wood Dove in Southern Africa. From left to right: 7. c. volkmanni, T. c. zambesiensis and T. c. chalcospilos. oA re ‘ea ae q Ei y 1961 | 87 | Vol. 81 The South African races of the _ Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos (Wagler) by W. J. LAWSON Received 23rd December, 1960 Recent authoritative works on South African ornithology, viz., Peters (1937), Vincent (1952), McLachlan and Liversidge (1957), recognise two races of Turtur chalcospilos (Wagler), these being Turtur chalcospilos chalcospilos (Wagler) 1827: Eastern Cape Province, whichisstated to range from the eastern Cape Province, norththrough Natal, Zululand, Swaziland and the eastern Transvaal to Abyssinia, and Turtur chalcospilos volkmanni (Reichenow) 1902: Damaraland, which has its range usually restricted to South-West Africa, east to Lake Ngami. From a cursory examination of material in the Durban Museum it became evident that the usually accepted distributions of the races were not entirely satisfactory, and that three reasonably defined forms of Turtur chalcospilos could be admitted as occurring in sub-continental southern Africa. These new findings in the main confirm the earlier observations made on the South African popu- lations by Clancey (1952). The series in the Durban Museum has been augmented by the loan of additional material from other museums, for the loan of which | am indebted to the Directors of the following; Chicago Natural History ~ Museum (through Mr. Melvin A. Traylor), National Museum of Southern _ Rhodesia (through Mr. M. P. Stuart Irwin), Transvaal Museum (through Mr. O. P. M. Prozesky), Natal Museum and the East London Museum. lam also indebted to Herr G. Mauersberger, writing on behalf of Pro- fessor Dr. E. Stresemann of the Zoological Museum, Berlin, for kindly supplying information on the Types housed in that Institute. | am also indebted to Mr. P. A. Clancey, Director of the Durban Museum, for _ much valuable assistance in the preparation of this paper. I have been fortunate in having no less than 165 specimens on which to base my BRnclosions. T. c. chalcospilos is found to be a dark race inhabiting the eastern Cape Province, Natal and Zululand, while from southern Angola, Damaraland and northern Great Namaqualand, eastwards through the Bechuanaland Protectorate to the drier western and southern districts of Southern Rhodesia and the western Transvaal, occur markedly paler populations, ‘which constitute the race T. c. volkmanni. This race is considerably paler than nominate 7. chalcospilos of the south-east, being a race of the arid interior and west. In northern Zululand, Swaziland and eastern lowveld of the Transvaal, Mozambique and Southern Rhodesia occur populations which are intermediate in colour between the dark nominate race of the south-east and the pale 7. c. vo/kmanni, but sufficiently distinct from either as to warrant independent nomenclatural recognition. To this form the name 7. c. zambesiensis (Roberts) 1922: Zimbiti, Beira District, Mozam- bique, is considered applicable, the Type of which has been studied. This _ little dove has been liberally provided with names by workers, but none of those proposed, by Reichenow (er/angeri, 1902), Oberholser (acanthina, _ 1905), and Mearns (intensa, 1915) appear to be applicable to the popu- | lations I propose to call 7. c. zambesiensis. T. c. erlangeri, a name given to a - Vol. 18 88 1961 the northern Angola population, represents very small-sized birds. Reichenow (1905) gives the wing length of this race as 100-105 mm., and the accuracy of this is confirmed by two virtual topotypes examined by me, both from Nogui, northern Angola, wings 3 103.5, 2 103.5 mm. A single similarly small-sized bird from Kilifi, coastal Kenya Colony (wing 106 mm.), on the eastern side of the continent, suggests that this small- sized race of 7. chalcospilos extends right across central Africa in the wooded savannas lying to the south and east of the Lower Guinea Forest, and T. c. acanthina, a name given to the Mt. Kilimanjaro population, is almost certainly a synonym. A single specimen from the Luwipa River, Tanganyika Territory, resembles 7. c. zambesiensis in size and general colouration, but is warmer and more buffy brown over the mantle and wings, and may yet be shown to represent an undescribed race of this small dove from the southern highlands of Tanganyika Territory. It is quite clear that the present arrangement of the populations of T. chalcos- pilos lying to the northward of 10° S. lat., in Africa is eminently un- satisfactory, but in the absence of adequate series I cannot undertake a complete racial revision of the species. Within the limits of sub-continental - South Africa the characters and ranges of the three acceptable races are now reasonably well-known, and these are as follows: (a) Turtur chalcospilos chalcospilos (Wagler) Columba Chalcospilos Wagler, Syst. Av., 1827, Columba, sp. 83: South Africa = Eastern Cape Province. Synonym: Chalcopelia chalcospilos caffra Reichenow, Journ. f. Orn., 50, 1902, p. 134: Kaffernland, i.e., Eastern Cape Province. . The darkest race. Top of head Deep Neutral Gray (Ridgway (1912) pl. LIIJ), nape and mantle Brownish Olive (pl. XXX). On under-parts,@ breast Cinnamon-Drab (pl. XLVI) or slightly more violaceous. Measurements: 7 33 wings 110.5-116.0 (112.9), culmens 17.5- 19.5 (18.8), tails 81.5-89.0 (85.2), 6 92 108.0-111.5 (109.8), -17.0-18.5 (17.6), 75.0-88.0 (81.5). Material: 29 (Eastern Cape Province, 20; Natal, 7; Eastern Transvaal, 2). ; Type: Not traced. Range: Eastern southern and eastern Cape Province to Natal and Zulu-— land, north of which it intergrades with the next race. y Remarks: The two specimens from the eastern Transvaal (Lydsdorp) — are probably wintering birds from further south. The Type of T. c. oi is not in the Zoological Museum, Berlin G. Mauersberger (in /itt.), and 1 1S x presumed to have been lost. , (b) Turtur chalcospilos zambesiensis Roberts 5; Turtur chalcospilos zambesiensis Roberts, Ann. Transy. Mus., 8, 1922, p. 197: Zimbiti, Beira district, Mozambique. Head-top rather lighter coronally than Deep Neutral Gray (pl. LUD, nape and mantle paler than in the nominate race, being Buffy-Brown (pl. XL) or slightly greyer, under-parts lighter, about Light Cinnamon- Drab (pl. XLVI). Measurements: 10 3g wings 110.5-114.5 (112.4), culmens 17.0-18.5_ (17.6), tails 77.5-88.0 (83.0), 10 92 106.0-113.5 (109.0), 16.5-18.0 (17. 3), 74.0—84.5 (79.2). Material: 111 (Eastern Transvaal, 33; Swaziland, 6; Zululand, 10; 4 & a ee eS ee aaceiateaaiimiamaiiditialitiie o oA i — oS) eee Gers, |S . fa 12° * CAPE TOWN on oes £25522: 34° a2) aa BPE pont cvizasetn Oy 3 Tim POPO AIVEA ' DELAGOA BAY 2——— | \ Sketch=map showing the approximate ranges of the three races of the ? Fmerald=spotted Wood Dove ‘urtur chalcospilos (Wagler) in Southern Africa. furtur chalcospilos chalcospilos (Wagler) Turtur chalcospilos zambesiensis Roberts 1 Yurtur chalcospilos volkmanni (Reichenow) “Mozambique, 21 Southern Rhodesia, 22; Caprivi, 1; Northern Bechuana- dand Protectorate, 7; Nyasaland, 11). Type: In the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria. Range: Northern Zululand (unstable), Swaziland (unstable), Eastern insvaal, Mozambique, most of the Southern Rhodesian ‘plateau’, Northern Bechuanaland Protectorate (in Ngamiland) and adjacent north- ‘eastern South-West Africa (Caprivi), Northern Rhodesia (T. c. volkmanni probable in southern Barotseland), and Nyasaland. Perhaps ranging to parts of western Angola in the west, and southern Tanganyika Territory in the east, but available material is inadequate for the determining of the northern range limits. (c) Turtur chalcospilos volkmanni (Reichenow) Chalcopelia chalcospilos volkmanni Reichenow, Journ. f. Orn., 1902, p. 134: Damaraland. The palest race. Compared with 7. c. zambesiensis markedly paler, being noticeably whiter over the face; coped of head Gull Gray (pl. LITI), oes Drab (pl. XLVI) and breast Ecru-Drab (pl. XLVI). Vol. 18 90 | 1961 Measurements: 11 33 wings 110.5-117.0 (113.2), culmens 16.5-19.0 (17.6), tails 77.5-84.0 (81.5), 3 92 107.0-109.0 (108.3), 16.0-18.0 (17.0), 75.5-83.5 (79.2). 7 Material: 15 (South-West Africa, 1; southern Angola, 1; Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1; Southern Rhodesia, 12). : Type: In the Zoological Museum, Berlin. Range: The desertic regions of south-west Africa, ranging from southern — and south-western Angola and the northern half of South-West Africa, — eastwards through the Bechuanaland Protectorate to the western Trans- . vaal and most of Matabeleland, and perhaps to Barotseland and adjacent : parts of south-western Southern Rhodesia. Intergrades to the west of its — stated range with the previous race. Bibliography : Clancey, P. A., ‘‘A Systematic Account of the Birds Collected on the Natal Museum — Expedition to the Lebombo Mountains and Tongoland, July, 1951,’ Ann. Natal 4 Mus., xii, (2), 236-237, 1952. : McLachlan, G.R., & Liversidge, R., Roberts Birds of rc h Ate: p. 173; 1957. / Peters, 342, C heck List of Birds of the World, 3, 113, Reichenow, 'A., Die Vogel Afrikas, 3, 812, 1905. 2 Vincent, J., A Check List of the Birds of South Africa, p. 37, 1952. q : 3 1 Notes on Eremomela icteropygialis (Lafresnaye) by C. M. N. WHITE Received 14th December, 1960 This widely distributed African warbler presents a number of taxonomic — uncertainties which are discussed here. (a) The type locality and range of the nominate form. Macdonald (1957) has drawn attention to the uncertainty which ~ surrounds this point. The type locality was given as Orange river, but — the label of the type originally read ‘‘des Elephants’’; this locality was — crossed out and ‘‘d’Orange’’ substituted. Lafresnaye actually said that — the type was ‘‘said to have come from the Orange river’’, implying some — doubt. A. British Museum specimen matched with the type is a very pale bird from Otjimbingwe. Macdonald concludes that the name should be — applied to the South West African form. | Clancey ( 1959) disagrees with this and recognises the nominate form — as ranging from the Asbestos Mountains to the Orange river and southern ~ South West Africa with perimacha as a synonym. In a letter to me dated ~ 3rd October 1960 he argues that the type locality should not be changed, and that the type is very old, probably faded, and no longer useful for comparison. He considers that there are two forms in South West Africa, of which the more northern and paler should be called sharpei. Type localities, once declared should not be amended without very good reason, but in this case there is very real doubt as to the provenance of the type of icteropygialis in view of the amended locality on the label, and Lafresnaye’s own words ‘‘said to have come from the Orang river’’. Moreover the matched B.M. specimen is an old Andersons a and therefore there is no question of comparing a fresh bird with an old foxed type. _ 196) 9] Vol. 18 I consider that Macdonald’s arguments are therefore convincing and ‘that icteropygialis refers to the paler South West African form. The series in the British Museum does not support the existance of two forms in South West Africa. (b) The Bechuanaland form. Clancey considers that Bechuanaland birds should be referred to the pale form which he calls sharpei and which I regard as icteropygialis. But British Museum material and a series of 19 others loaned by the National Museum. Bulawayo are clearer yellow on the lower belly and a little darker in general, and must be referred to the form E. i. perimacha Oberholser. (c) The Barotseland form. Mr. C. W. Benson asked me to investigate the correct name for this form since he had found difficulty in naming it. It is a distinct and un- named form for which I propose Eremomela icteropygialis viriditincta subsp. nov. Description: nearest to polioxantha Sharpe, but the yellow of the under- side more restricted (though less so than in perimacha), and less clear yellow, being somewhat tinged with green; breast and upperside more brownish grey than in polioxantha, but upperside decidedly greyer than in perimacha. Type: adult female collected 15 miles west of Victoria Falls on 27th July, 1957 and in National Museum, Bulawayo. N.M. number 31, 270. Range: from the Caprivi Strip and west of Victoria Falls to Barotseland from Sesheke north to Mongu and Mankoya. _ (d) The range of E. i. polioxantha. _ This form with grey upperside and yellow of abdomen reaching up to the lower breast has a very wide range from the eastern Transvaal and Zululand northwards. It extends west into Bechuanaland to Makarikari and Panda Matenga. Grant and Praed (1947) separated a single specimen from Liwale in south Tanganyika as E. i. belli. The supposed long wing of 68 mm. is a slip for the type has a wing of 58 mm., and the more extensive yellow on the lower breast is suggestive of immaturity. Polioxantha occurs at Isoka on the Tanganyika border, at Iringa and Morogoro in Tan- nyika and in Nyasaland and Portuguese East Africa, and there seems to be no good reason for recognising be//i as a distinct form. However the birds commonly united as polioxantha are not wholly uniform for 15 cimens from the northern areas of Northern Rhodesia average a more sky grey above than Southern Rhodesian birds and also average er deeper yellow below. In these respects they tend to bridge the small erences between polioxantha and abdominalis Reichenow. It is thus t possible that be/li might be used for an intermediate form. However I find the differences between polioxantha and abdominalis rather poorly fined, and cannot see any reason for recognising an intermediate between them. _ (e) The status of E. i. abdominalis Reichenow. _ The correct allocation of this name is surrounded by some doubt. The form was described from Tabora but I have been unable to trace other Material from anywhere near the type locality. I have examined a series in the Coryndon Museum from Isiolo, Lokitaung, Simba, Ukamba, Athi z Vol. 18 ‘geet 1961 river, Chyulu hills and Magadi in Kenya. Compared with polioxantha they seem a little darker and more. brownish on the sides of the breast and none shows any white stripe over the eye. Dr. A. L. Rand has kindly sent me details of another similar series in the Chicago Natural History Museum from Maungu, Camp ya Bibi, Meru, Archer’s Post, Mt. Lucania — and Magadi which also lack any white over the eye. The British Museum — has two more from Kitumbeine and Longido, also without eye stripes. Some polioxantha also show no white over the eye or a mere trace, not — always symmetrical. The supposed smaller bill of abdominalis is a rather — poor average character in long series, so that the difference between the latter and polioxantha rests upon the eye stripe’s presence or absence. . (f) The status of E. salvadorii Reichenow. Mrs. Hall (1960) has drawn attention to the possible overlap of green backed salvadorii and grey backed polioxantha in central Angola, and, suggests that the former is a distinct species. On the other hai material collected by Benson in N.W. Northern Rhodesia on the Lungwevungu river suggests intergradation between the two. Further collecting and field work in Angola is needed to elucidate this question, and possibly the two forms behave more like good species in central Angola than they do in Northern Rhodesia. In the latter area both Benson and | regard them as clearly conspecific and intergrading forms. (g) Variation in north east Africa. Grant and Praed place all the forms from.the Sudan and Ethiopia to British Somaliland and Uganda and west Kenya as a, single form, griseoflava Heuglin. Four additional. names have been applied to’ birds from this area. | am not convinced that all these birds should be un,ted as a single form, but series in good condition both of plumage and of preparation from critical areas are lacking, and statements in the literature are somewhat confused and contradictory. Adequate material should, be. collected to elucidate this question. The nature of the transition from abdominalis to these much less yellow forms needs special investigation as the ranges appear to approach each other quite closely. (h) Doubtful ranges. Grant and Praed (vol. 2) omit Kenya from the range of abdominalis _ despite the considerable range of that form in Kenya. They also extend E. flavicrissalis Sharpe into British Somaliland, although I have been unable to trace evidence of this. There are no flavicrissalis from British Somaliland in either the British Museum or the Coryndon Museum. I am greatly indebted to the National Museum, Bulawayo for the generous loan of material used in this study, to Mrs. B. P. Hall for notes on British Museum material arising out of queries after I had examined it, to Dr. A. L. Rand and Mr. P. A. Clancey for information on several | points, to the Coryndon Museum, Nairobi for the opportunity to examine their material, and to Mr. C. W. Benson for assisting in the study of material. x , ve Pr ‘ a rt Mes. ‘al Dy ‘ ¢ , ' i : ‘ 4 # f f - ¢ ’ » Ye ; : ; - . ~ ¥ “yy? ‘ r) “f if , , 7 J i wt . 7 ee ; i af» gyiet io : ; a Ps Shs tf 4d 4 w aS, | Loe ue 7 ih: ‘ , i j , 4 « 4 { ba Cee I : ; : ye Te : i P f) f . f. - J i , a hs! 9: E —- ? A i e ‘ 7) “37 - r - 4 ; c ” . . : a ‘ * he ‘ . , ror wt a ‘ var th : et it MM Tt) : “ ‘ i ¥ : Pts, ' , ‘ tl a ‘ : ‘A ve ¢ Phe tive BARID ABT ZION " 3 as WON jrhoonaqy nn wi Hive & rs aay . i) ji a a ——@ St ae _] ~ =: CONTRIBUTORS Contributions are not restricted to members of the B.O.C. and should be addressed to the Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, ‘‘Merriewood’’, Seven- oaks, Kent. These should be concise and typed on one side of the paper, double-spaced, with a good margin. The first time a species is mentioned, the scientific generic and specific names should be included. Subsequently the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus. Scientific names are printed in italics and should be underlined in the typescript. | References should be given at the end of the paper. Authors introducing a new name or describing a new species or race should indicate this in their title and display the name prominently in the text followed by nom. nov., sp. nov., subsp. nov. as appropriate. In these descriptions, the first introduction of the name should be followed by paragraphs for ‘‘Description’’, ‘‘Distribution’’, ‘“Type’’, ‘‘Measure- ments of Type’’, ‘‘Material examined’’ and further sub-headings as required. Proofs must be returned without delay. No changes may be made at this stage, other than corrections. At the discretion of the Editor, the Club will pay for a reasonable number of monochrome blocks, which the contributor may retain for his own use. Contributors are entitled to a maximum of fifty free copies of the Bulletin, supplied only as specifically requested by authors. Those con- tributing to a meeting should hand in their MS. at that meeting; otherwise a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Applications for back numbers which cost 4s. each, should be made to N. J. P. Wadley, 58 Ovington Street, London, S.W.3. Members who have back numbers of the Bulletin, which they no longer require are requested to send them to N. J. P. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 30s. (payable in advance) or per copy 4s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, C. N. Walter, Finsbury Pavement House, 120 Moorgate, London, E.C.2. CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Miss E. Forster, The Double House, Wiveton, Holt, Norfolk. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1961 16th May, 19th September, 17th October, 21st November, 19th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent. OO BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON EPSEP 1961 en Fs 7% ‘ @yracnaseo ey OP ~~ Volume 81 September No. 6 1961 M St 3 : eee . Dik: sexta to mentee af tht Bs fierge. Eo. Pid. Bieta, - Se chet “" (en Ae cong se UR Oe ay Ma wiwSAT Be cll Tene fe 3 CON {aneciic racecs Sipkuit D> ies cutee Lattice: Ge Ae, sa as vd fotibe Sy. WoetsHan YATTat wc’ ‘ Le Pe A : + ie P W . ar , x % ‘ = j z . he "a ; Ma ; i , $v H ix ’ = Ld a 4 P tea é artes git ae re a : ; Wd Mists, ¥ favek “s i rh era & : : eee if hy SP ies es > , RAT; oo = ~ ma? Sieben %\ 93 = Sep 196) Vo. ®! ~~ BULLETIN | “OF THE PURCHASED BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 8l Number 6 Published: Ist September, 196! The five hundred and ninetieth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, S.W.7, at 6.45 p.m. on Tuesday, 16th May, 1961. Chairman: CAPTAIN C. R. S. PITMAN Members present, 26; Temporary Associates (Home), 2; (Overseas), 1; Guests, 11; Total, 40. The Chairman opened with a welcome for Mr. Jack Livingstone, President of the Canadian Audubon Society; Mr. Roger Tory Peterson and Mr. Richard Pough from America and Mr. Claude Austin from Australia. Some Reflections on the British List, with special reference to the unwritten rule that rare birds may not now be shot Summary of a talk by R. S. R. FITTER The British List covers all species of wild birds which are found or have occurred naturally within the geographical area of Great Britain and Ireland, i.e. not including the Channel Isles. It also includes subspecies, but this aspect is not discussed here. In 1952 there were 426 full species on the British List, but since then no fewer than 24 have been added and three deleted or amalgamated (hooded crow, black-winged -pratincole, meadow bunting), leaving a total of 447. _ The question arises of whether or to what extent it is scientifically valuable to maintain such a list, taking into account the considerable energies needed to compile it and validate the records, or whether it is perhaps an outmoded idea of limited scientific value. It is obviously useful to have a list of the regular breeding birds, winter visitors and passage migrants occurring in any territory. The difficulties arise with the irregular ‘Visitors and vagrants, where we are up against the problems inherent in the validation of individual records. The List Sub-committee of the Union judged the authenticity of records by (i) the credibility of the evidence and (ii) the probability of the occurrence being natural. In considering the credibility of evidence, we must take into account the virtual impossibility of validating specimen records once they have passed into history and on the other hand the immense recent increase in skill in field identification, which makes many recent sight records more reliable than many old specimen records. The current revival of the controversy about the so-called ‘* Hastings records’’ of rare birds alleged to have been shot mainly in the district between Hastings and Dungeness in the first two decades of the present century shows that no specimen records can be regarded as 100%, certain once (or even before) those familiar with the immediate circumstances have passed away. On the other hand, the classic case of the Berkhamsted grey shrike in 1940-42 shows that sight records vouched for by even the most eminent field ob- servers may yet be erroneous. Finally it is necessary to take into account the possibility of confusion between vagrants which are likely to occur in the British Isles and those which are almost indistinguishable in the field but highly unlikely to occur here, The Vol. 81 94 1961 1960 report of the Rarity Records Committee cites three instances of this uncertainty, viz. duck blue-winged teal and cinnamon teal, great reed-warbler and Acrocephalus stentoreus and little egret and snowy egret. It is in these last cases that the so-called unwritten rule that rare birds may not now be shot purely to establish their identity may be considered to be a special hindrance. This rule, incidentally, is of very recent origin, for only in 1948 the first British specimen — of Bonelli’s warbler was killed to make certain of its identity. Obviously trapping is the answer in many cases, if the bird can be trapped. (But in the subsequent discussion Mr. H. G. Alexander cited an instance where identification in the hand by two leading field observers had later been proved wrong by a third.) : The case of the alleged lesser scaup, which on being shot turned out to be a hybrid pochard x tufted duck, appears to be a limiting one. It was not just an isolated rarity, but one of several which had appeared more or less simultaneously. If it were to be held that the Nature Conservancy was unjustified in issuing a licence to shoot this bird, then the Conservancy might as well be deprived of its powers ever to allow a bird to be shot to settle its identity. Since, however, mistakes can happen alike with dead specimens, live specimens in the hand, and birds seen in the field, future ornithologists may well feel that shooting a bird does not really settle the question as firmly as used to be thought. Turning to the List Sub-committee’s second set of considerations, relating to whether the bird has occurred naturally or not, the main problem relates to escapes. The 1960 report of the Rarity Records Committee cites five species where the possibility of escapes could not be ruled out, viz. night heron, white stork, red-crested pochard, ferruginous duck and snow goose. It is in fact impossible ever to be absolutely sure that any rare bird seen anywhere has not escaped from captivity. This argument has most conspicuously been used to keep off the British List the great black woodpecker, with over 80 reported occurrences in the British Isles, although the bird is very rarely kept in captivity, and in fact only three instances of it escaping or being released are on record. A further question arises when birds that have undoubtedly escaped from captivity establish themselves as breeding species. It took the Canada goose about 100 years to qualify as a British bird, and recently the mandarin duck was turned down with a residential qualification of about 30 years. As a result, protection could not be obtained for it, and it may well be wiped out again by shooting before it attains the apparent qualifying period of 100 years. The formerly contentious question of whether North American passerines could reach the British Isles by natural means had now been settled by agreement that some of them certainly can and do, while if others have an assisted passage on board ship this does not affect the issue of naturalness. The upshot of the foregoing considerations is that there can be no 100% certainty of any individual record, whether or no it is backed by a specimen. Too much depends on the veracity and credibility of individual witnesses, which cannot be judged after a lapse of time, any more than the credulity of former editors of journals can be definitively judged by those who never knew them. This would seem to support the unwritten rule. What are the implications for the British List? I should like to put forward some tentative proposals, first for a decinneal revision, since such substantial changes are now taking place, especially in the status of certain passage migrants and breeding birds such as the collared dove, osprey, wryneck and black-tailed godwit, and second for the division of the List into two parts, viz. Part I, the scientifically most important part, to contain breeding birds and regular winter visitors and passage migrants. Part II, scientifically less valuable because inevitably based on records which cannot all be 100% certain, for the irregular visitors and vagrants. These might well be classified into those of which 10 or more had occurred in the past ten years, those of which fewer than 10 had occurred in the past ten years, and those of which none had occurred in the past ten years. This might give a more realistic look to the British List, which at present does not even reveal which birds have not been recorded during the 20th century. Finally, in view of the fact that no individual record can be 100% certain for all time, I would like the List Sub-committee to consider the inclusion, possibly in a separate category, of records which it considers at least 95% certain, but with a scintilla of doubt remaining. It would be especially valuaers if ¢ extreme rarities in this catesoms could be officially placed on record. ~-. 1961 95. Vol. 81 In the discussion which followed, Mr. Fitter’s ideas were supported by Mr. Jack Livingstone, while Mr. Roger Tory Peterson pointed out that there was little harm to _ the species in shooting a vagrant, apart from its aesthetic value, as it would be unlikely to survive in any case. Dr. Ian Nisbet (‘‘ British Birds’’ Rarities Committee) supported this view in special circumstances, such as the shooting of the pochard x tufted duck hybrid, where one of a group was being collected and he felt that the American oriole ringed on Bardsay Island should have been collected, as it remains unidentified. Mr. H. G. Alexander (B.O.U. Records Committee) stressed the great skill with present day field identification, but quoted the problem of the Fair Isle western sandpiper, which was wrongly identified, although examined in the hand by himself and Mr. Kenneth Williamson, for Dr. Nisbet now considered it was a western sandpiper, whereas it was originally recorded as a semi-palmated sandpiper. Mr. Max Nicholson spoke of the excellent work done by both the B.O.U. Records Committee and the ‘‘ British Birds’’ Rarities Committee. He did not support Mr. Fitter’s ideas for changes in the official List, while Mr. C. J. O. Harrison thought that the use of the List results in some ab- surdities in the law. Dr. James Harrison strongly disapproved of the rejection of the ** Hastings records’’, stating that as a boy he had seen a rujous warbler in his garden at Hastings and three days later, the bird being mounted in George Bristow’s shop. He could see no point now in doubting the word of well-known ornithologists, who investi- gated those records at the time, particularly in view of the many rarities identified in the same area since the last war. Dwarfism in a Pheasant by J. S. ASH Received Sth November, 1960 -A very small cock Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in its first winter plumage was recently sent to me by D. J. Cowen, Esq. It had been shot on about 24th October, 1960 at Oundle, Northamptonshire. Except for its small size and light weight, the bird was normal; there was no sign of the emaciation which is characteristic of most birds having a low body weight, there were good deposits of subcutaneous fat, and there was no evidence of disease or injury. Except for a post-mortem change in colour, the testes Were normal in appearance. As the condition of dwarfism is apparently extremely rare in birds, it is of interest to compare a few of its standard measurements with those given in The Handbook. The weights are taken from Blank and Ash (in preparation) :— Measurements in mm. The Handbook Oundle bird 4 Wing 235-260 219 4 Tarsus 60-78 50 Bill (from feathers) 28-32 26 Tail (central) 420-520 419 Weight 1394 gms.* 510.3 gms. * average of 1668 wild first-winter cocks, range 850.5—2069.6 gms. On the basis of wing moult, the bird was between 15 and 16 weeks of age. As far as I know, the presence of the growth hormone has not been demonstrated in the pituitary of birds: although hypophysectomy retards the growth of birds, this does not mean that the retardation is specifically due to the absence of the growth hormone. Unfortunately, decomposition Was too advanced in the present specimen to permit an examination of the region of the pituitary. Landauer (1929) has described in detail a case of thyrogenous dwarfism (Myxoedema infantilis) in the domestic fowl. This was ‘proportionate’ Vol. 81 96 1961 dwarfism comparable with dwarfism of a pathogenic origin in humans. — The few measurements taken of the Oundle bird suggest, however, that this was a case of ‘disproportionate’ dwarfism, and the causal factor should perhaps be sought elsewhere. This example is probably more closely parallelled by the dwarf Larus ‘‘capistratus’’ variety of the Black- headed Gull (L. ridibundus) discussed by Hazelwood and Harrison (1953). References : Blank, T. H. and J. S. Ash (in preparation). Body weights of Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), Red-legged Partridges (Alectoris rufa) and Partridges Perdix perdix). Hazelwood, A. and J. M. Harrison (1953). A Note on Larus ‘* capistratus’’ Temminck. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 73: 98-100. Landauer, W. (1929). Thyrogenous dwarfism (Myxoedema infantilis) in the Domestic Fowl. Amer. J. Anat. 43: 1-44. The Significance of some Plumage Phases of the House-Sparrow, Passer domesticus (Linnaeus) and the Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis Temminck* PART ONE by JAMES M. HARRISON Received 2nd January, 1961 I. INTRODUCTION The above research was prompted by the report of a meeting of the British Association in Bristol in 1955 when subsequently, in an article in The Daily Telegraph (3rd September, 1955), a claim was made by Robin Cormack, then a pupil at the Bristol Grammar School to the effect that the sexes of young House-Sparrows, Passer domesticus domesticus could be differ- entiated in the field by the presence in the males of a white, or pale spot behind the eye. In so far as this claim is concerned it may be said to have been substantiated by this investigation though, in the material examined by the writer, this character was not absolutely constant for in some individuals it was absent, in others unilateral only and in none did it seem to constitute a good field character; while these were the findings on the material for this paper, one cannot rule out the possibility that Cormack may have handled a population in which the white eye spots were apparent- ly more pronounced. The present study was suggested to me by Mr. J. D. Macdonald to whom I am indebted for the loan of the British Museum file with the original reference and certain correspondence. Full juveniles of P. domesticus are sadly lacking in most collections, both public and private it would seem, and before any progress could be made at all it was necessary to collect and prepare specially some 70 specimens of positively, i.e. anatomically, sexed individuals to augment such other material as was available; in all about 100 juveniles came under review. The total material seen, i.e. birds of both sexes and all ages amounted to approximately 500. It must also be mentioned that unless meticulous care is taken in the preparation of the material, the white spots and other head characters can easily be effaced. In the course of these investigations it became apparent that there were other characters of very *A Summary of this paper was read at the British Ornithologists’ Union York Con- ference on 25th March, 1961. 1961 97 Vol. 81 considerable interest and the scope of the enquiry was therefore broadened to embrace the possible significance of certain of these characters, which were found not only in the juveniles and in birds of the year, but also in adults. li. SCOPE It is not intended that this communication should deal exhaustively with individual variation for this, both in P. domesticus and P. hispanio- lensis is considerable in so far as colour shades, bill colour, etc. are con- cerned, nor is it intended to deal primarily with geographical races, in fact this aspect of the problems involved will only be mentioned in so far as it is related to the bearing on phylogeny and affinity. This latter aspect had indeed already been recognised, for Bodenstein (*) (1953) recorded a hispaniolensis-like head pattern in an example of P. d. domesticus from Central Europe, while one need only refer to such a recent work as A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe (*) to see the hispaniolensis pattern of the head portrayed. However, it should at the same time be stressed that the fully developed pattern is by no means a constant character in P. domesticus, for it is mostly vestigial, sometimes on one side only and by no means infrequently absent. It is to be noted particularly however, that it is almost constant and usually well developed in the race P. d. italiae, so that one can state that this is linked with the chestnut crown as in P. hispaniolensis, a combination of characters of important phylogenetic significance. Hil. SALIENT SPECIFIC CHARACTERS The approach to the problems of phylogeny and affinity is to be made along orthodox lines, viz: the recognition of the salient characters of the two species and the observation of the incidence of what would appear to represent specific unit characters occurring in one or the other, as indi- cating possible phylogenetic relationship. The general characters of the two groups are as follows :— (A) THE PASSER DOMESTICUS COMPLEX Juveniles: Although in general there is little overall difference between the sexes, there are some differences by which certain individuals may be presumed to be of one sex or the other, but such sexual dimorphism as there is is not constant and a state of juvenile intersexuality is apparent. Very broadly the following table sets out such differentiating characters as exist even if only inconstantly :— Characters: Ye" ue, Chin and throat: Dusky Whitish White spots behind Present Absent eyes: Post-ocular stripe : Usually more As arule ash to colourful, cinna- drab or bistre mon to bay or range. russet range. (See Plate 1) Vol. 81 98 1961 Stress must be laid again on the fact that the white eye spots, in the © material examined were often very inconspicuous, sometimes unilateral and occasionally absent as already stated. The fact that this character is not very constant is in itself significant. In fact, again on the material examined there was no secondary sexual character in the juveniles which could be stated to be absolutely constant and reliable. The most one can say is that most of the males show a dusky throat patch, pale or whitish spots behind the eyes and a more colourful post-ocular stripe than the females, and that the latter usually lack the dusky throat patch, rarely apparently have white eye spots and have a dull post-ocular stripe. On the freshly collected juvenile material forming the basis of this paper it was found that approximately 5% of males lacked the dusky throat patch and 6% of females showed the character, thus indicating a degree of intersexuality. Nichols (*) in his excellent paper on seasonal individual variation in this species, classifies the juveniles into three types as follows :— Type-A. which ‘‘is not noticeably different from the adult female’’. Type-B. which ‘‘is characterised by a slight mark which is yet dis- tinctive when attention is called to it, a narrow, sharply defined pale or whitish arched streak from the eye to the bill (nostril-ward) (See Plate II B). This was more or less regularly correlated with whiter underparts than | usual, the whitish extending on to the cheeks, and a faint but evident dusky chin-and-throat patch, and noted in six or seven young birds out of sixteen trapped from 9th to 17th June 1932. It was thought at the time to be the plumage of the juvenal male but it probably has not that sig- nificance.’’ Since, of course, these birds were not controlled by anatomical sexing the observation could not be significantly assessed and the recog- nition of a juvenile intersexuality was not, under these circumstances, possible. Weaver (*) commenting on the dusky throat patch remarks ‘‘By the tenth day after hatching the color pattern is evident, showing a wing bar, and in some males a black bib’’. From this it is apparent that this author also recognised the fact that as a secondary sexual character the dusky throat patch in males is not invariable. Since the exposure of certain homologous characters occurs at different stages of development the material of this study was divided into two groups, viz: (a) full juveniles and (4) first winter, first summer and adult individuals. Having considered the morphology and the unreliability of the sexual dimorphism in the juveniles, it is necessary now to detail the specific and subspecific characters of the more mature birds, which, of course, show very marked differences in the two sexes, already striking even in freshly moulted birds of the year. The characters of the males in these more mature ages are too well known to demand detailed description and it is sufficient to enumerate the grey crown and black gorget as characteristic of this sex and the absence of the contrasting crown and black gorget in the females, while it is, of course, necessary to note again that the crown colour of the males of the race P. d. italiae is rich chestnut, a fact which, in the writer’s opinion, is not devoid of phylogenetic significance as already mentioned. 1961 99 Vol. 81 Very briefly it can be stated that the first winter males of the species, with the exception of the race italiae, can be recognised by the less pure grey crown and the broader chestnut edges to the secondaries particularly, this latter distinction applying also to the race italiae, in which the chest- nut is less rich. First summer birds are less easy to be certain of and it is doubtful whether they can in most cases, in fact, be differentiated from adults. Adult males have black throat and gorget, grey crowns, chestnut lesser and median wing-coverts and brightly striated mantles which show chestnut in varying amount. Females in their first winter plumage show the broad edges to the secondaries which are lacking in the adults while they have, of course, normally uniform sombre brown coloured crowns, drab _ post-ocular stripes, no white eye spots and no black gorget. A very recent study into the individual variation in Passer domesticus was made by Keve (1960) (°) which also contains a valuable assessment of the vexed question of the geographical races of the species. There is also a very full bibliography of recently published literature. (B) THE P. HISPANIOLENSIS COMPLEX Although very few juveniles were available, the juvenile morphology of this species conforms very closely to that of the former species group and need not, therefore, receive detailed description here. However, it must be noted that a percentage of the first winter and adult females are morphologically distinct, while others are scarcely to be differentiated from those of P. domesticus. This is a point in the writer’s opinion of special significance and will be discussed in a later section. In those female individuals of P. hispaniolensis which closely resemble those of P. domesticus it has been noted that the mantle striations are, brighter and more contrasting (fide Mendelssohn in litt. 18th September, 60) and this appears to be the only distinction. The morphology of the adult males of P. hispaniolensis assume a great im- ‘portance in relation to this problem for to them can be referred certain of the recurring homologous characters observable in juveniles of P. domesticus males and also in some later plumage stages of that species. The characters which invest P. hispaniolensis with this importance are in the males :— (a) the chestnut crown, (5) the white lines which run from base of bill backwards over and behind the eyes, (c) the pattern of the black gorget, and. (d) the striations of the breast and flanks. Mention has already been made of the fact that certain females of this | Species are easily distinguished from those of P. domesticus and the characters which make this possible are (1) the presence of a dusky throat patch and (2) some degree of striation of the breast and flanks. IV. EVIDENCE OF PHYLOGENY AND AFFINITY | There are certain homologous characters which, occurring in one or the other of the two species have great value in assessing relationship, and _ these can be grouped as to whether they find exposure during the stage of Vol. 81 100 1961 full immaturity or in birds after completion of the post-juvenile moult, i.e. as first winter, first summer or as adult birds. It is now probably generally accepted that homologous characters of a transient nature can occur in the juveniles of different species and may, therefore, reflect the phylogeny of the group and the following instances in P. domesticus illustrate this hypothesis excellently. The evidence as afforded by the full juveniles of this species is provided by the exposure of the following characters; firstly we may consider the white eye spot; this is undoubtedly the remnant of the white markings which are so constant in P. hispaniolensis males and which extend from the base of the bill backwards over and beyond the eyes. These in P. domesticus, as has been already stressed, are often inconspicuous and vestigial, not infrequently only on one side and sometimes completely absent, as may also be the post-ocular stripes; secondly an important feature especially of the juvenile males of P. domesticus is the dusky throat patch. This is, of course, quite distinct from the black gorget which ~ is acquired by the post-juvenile moult. It is the writer’s opinion that the dusky throat patch is indicative of an affinity to P. hispaniolensis in which species a throat patch occurs in all males and in a certain percentage of females. Finally in 10%, or possibly even in a higher percentage of full juvenile males of P. domesticus striations in distribution similar to those of the adults of P. hispaniolensis occur. These striations are, of course, a — ‘“ghost’’ pattern but are nevertheless very definite. (See Plate III). Nichols — (/oc. cit.) describes in his type-—B juvenile ‘‘a narrow sharply defined pale or whitish arched streak from the eye to the bill’’. This character is rare in juveniles of P. domesticus but more common in first year and adult males though usually incomplete or vestigial and sometimes entirely lacking: it is undoubtedly derived from P. hispaniolensis, (See Plate II B). If we now come to the first winter and adult males of P. domesticus the characters to which attention is to be directed are the following :— (a) the white markings in the head already described for P. hispaniolensis (b) the white eye spots, (c) the character of the black gorget, and to a lesser extent (d) the colour of the crown. With regard to (a) this is by no means always present and may be said to be more usually vestigial, unilateral or absent. In its most vestigial form even when apparently absent, remnants can often be detected by scrutinising the bases of the feathers arising near the nostrils and at the rictus; (b) the white eye-spots may be conspicuous or the reverse or, again, may be unilateral or absent; this state of affairs suggests that it is a phylo- genetic character which is in the process of being eliminated. The characters observable in (c) the black gorget assume a considerable importance, for both in extent and character it shows variation. The most significant of these is that type in which the lower border does not end as a straight line but shows a series of arrow-heads directed downwards towards the breast and flanks, while some specimens also show suggestions of striations arising from them which at once recalls the hispaniolensis pattern, especi- ally in individuals in which the striations are present even if weakly developed, (See Plate IV). Although (d) the colour of the crown is less liable to reflect phylogeny there are nevertheless some instances of isolated es ee. : —-:1961 101 Vol. 81 ’ k~ ‘ee >) 2 sm. : 2 Pi qo 2 2%" apf . S18 2 cis ; ee Sa: : ~ > ; ‘ Pm Ss Tae = 3 e's & 33 Hi ES ee > x a: ~ s ee . ~: 3 ay <3 & se 7 a o> : : ‘ 6 We . = Z PLATE I. Juveniles of Passer domesticus domesticus (Linnaeus). A. Male with dusky throat patch. B. Male showing dusky throat patch moulting into black gorget of first winter plumage. C. Female, no dusky throat patch. D. Female with dusky throat patch illustrating juvenile intersexuality. Ye ope . x +? Ax ? = $ = a led uF Se S2 > a'.§ A i oi PLATE Il. A. Juvenile showing conspicuous white eye spot. B. Juvenile showing pale arched line from base of bill to beyond eye. Vol. 81 102 1961 a Ln ey — ASS Ne9 a) a! shaft sone ght oF aw WIL bay Ss pcb. wr erty 4 “a + Se anrOp? Wp PAS sernyss setpt 4258 Ss gshh phy « = SPA IS IMAI ASS . HR Same ag 3 aN waAg wear PLATE I. Juvenile males A—F showing dusky throat patches and variable striations of underparts, ‘‘ghost’’ hispaniolensis pattern: all specimens from the Sevenoaks district of Kent. ay i «: he moat O- J wt ¥ Wsyfoen pei / 20. ~h eV AAS PLATE IV. Overlap of characters in the adult males of the two species. Lower borders of gorgets in P. d. domesticus showing ‘‘arrow-heads’’ and striations of breast and flanks. A. Passer hispaniolensis hispaniolensis Temminck Malta. B. Passer domesticus domesticus (Linnaeus) British Isles. C. Passer domesticus domesticus (Linnaeus) Switzerland. 1961 103 Vol. 81 chestnut feathers occurring on the top of the crown where normally no chestnut is found in P. domesticus, except, of course, in the race P. d. italiae. In this connection the position of P. d. italiae is of importance for if, as I contend, P. domesticus has evolved from P. hispaniolensis then this race in its evolution has retained the chestnut crown of the latter species. Some support to this theory is lent by the fact that in P. d. italiae the white markings on the head which are so characteristic of P. hispaniolensis are almost as strongly marked and constant in P. d. iftaliae. These findings point to P. d. italiae being very close to P. hispanioleasis. Occasional adult males of P. d. domesticus from Europe can be found in which the centres of the crown feathers are dark sepia giving the appear- ances found in some less strongly differentiated examples of P. d. tingitanus from North Africa. Nichols in his paper (/oc. cit.) has the following comments to make upon the inheritance of homologous characters: **They suggest potential more or less complete and unlike patterns in House Sparrow heredity which crop out in young birds, less standardised than adults. Strangely enough I find a white streak from eye to bill ob- viously homologous with that in type-B birds in normal males of P. Jagoensis from Cape Verde Islands and its race ruficinctus of the South and East African mainland.’’ Having now considered the broad morphological characters of the two species groups there yet remains to be discussed the interesting position of the sex anomalies. (to be concluded ) Variant winter plumage of the female Tufted Duck by JAMES M. AND JEFFERY G. HARRISON Received 3lst December, 1960 With regard to the discussions! ? following our original communication? on variant plumage of the female Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula Boie, we are now in a position to take this matter a stage further. In the spring of 1960 a brood of Tufted Duck was hatched in captivity. One of the young when moulting into its first winter plumage showed signs of the dark brown flecking of the white underparts, which E. H. Gillham considers to be a normal type of summer plumage, as described in The Handbook". _ The bird was kept in captivity and it unfortunately died of an acute | aspergillosis, without loss of weight or general condition on 5th December, | 1960. The skin was prepared and careful note was made at the time of the | state of moult. This was in effect complete and there was no evidence of any active moult anywhere. It is now in the collection of J.M.H. When it died in mid-winter, this specimen possessed underparts more heavily flecked with dark brown than any of the three specimens originally illustrated by us and it proves conclusively that the plumage we described is neither that of the adult nor the immature female, nor is it a summer plumage. It is, in fact, an unusual variant first winter plumage. It yet remains to be seen, from captivity birds of known age, what the subsequent | adult seasonal plumages of this mutation may be or whether it is a phase | restricted to homologous recessive individuals, during the first winter | plumage only. Vol. 81 104 1961 Variant first winter female Tufted Duck; 5. xii. 1960, showing heavy brown flecking of the underparts. Three young Tufted Duck of the same brood. The upper and lower birds show the normal subdued barring of the immatrice. The centre bird shows abnormal dark flecking. The specimen now described is illustrated in the accompanying plate and we are also publishing a plate showing three first winter Tufted Duck of the same brood, which should have appeared in our second paper on this subject?. Two show the accepted type of immature plumage, presenting the barred belly and vent, while the centre bird, which was also the centre bird of our original plate*, shows in addition to the normal subdued barring of the belly and vent, the coarse and more generally distributed dark flecking to which we originally referred. ~ ——————————eee 1961 105 Vol. 81 We are indebted to Dr. Edmund Gleadow for the new specimen. References : 1 Gillham, E. H., *‘ Remarks on the female plumages of the Tufted Duck and a com- parison with the Ring-necked Duck’. Bull. B.O.C., Vol. 80., pp. 140-1. 1960. 2 Harrison, James M. and Jeffery G. **Further remarks on Female Plumages of the Tufted Duck’’. Bull, B.O.C., Vol. 80, pp. 141-2. 1960. 5 Harrison, James M. and Jeffery G. **On Varieties of the Tufted Duck, with an account of an unrecorded type of variation’’. Bull, B.O.C., Vol. 80, pp. 25-28. 1960. 4 Witherby, H. F. et a/. *‘ The Handbook of British Birds’*. Vol. 3., London, 1939. More aquatic predators of birds by CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received 2nd January, 1961 PART Ill (V) CHELONIANS AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA. Miss Courtenay-Latimer writes ‘‘Our Fresh Water Tortoises, Pelomedusa subrufa Gray are extremely common on all our water courses. They consume young waterfowl and their eggs’’. Specific cases quoted are:— A water tortoise (20.10.41) ate a two days’ old duckling of the Black Duck, Anas sparsa, near Port Elizabeth. Also, on the Thomas river, Eastern Cape, at least on four occasions whilst studying the breeding habits of the Yellow-billed Duck, Anas undulata Dubois, water tortoises either ate the eggs or devoured the ducklings when two to three days’ old. According to African Wild Life (°°), the carnivorous water tortoise, Pelomedusa subrufa is disliked because of its habit of seizing small duck- lings, etc. by the leg as they swim on dam or river, and then drag them to the bottom to drown before devouring them. Many a farmer has lost much of his young feathered stock to this underwater thief. In ('*: p. 65) it is recorded that other predators of waterfowl which from time to time require control include water tortoises. A. C. Harrison, Secretary of the Cape Piscatorial Society, with reference to aquatic predators of birds, writes “‘the water tortoise is a minor predator’’. NORTHERN SNAPPING TURTLE, Chelhydras serpentina (Linn.) NORTH AMERICA: CANADA: ONTARIO. In a communication from the Chief, Fish and Wild Life Branch, Department of Lands and Forests, Ontario, a biologist Mr. H. G. Lumsden recalls having found a half-grown Mallard Duck in 1949 at Lake St. Clair with one leg severed above the tarsal joint. The bird although drowned was still warm. He believed that it was the work of a Snapping Turtle. It is well-known that this chelonian, which attains a size of 15 inches across the carapace and a weight of 30 lbs. (occasionally as much as 60 or 70 Ibs.), will prey on waterfowl as opportunity offers. NORTH-EASTERN UNITED STATES. (?': p. 63) In the stomachs of 470 Snapping Turtles examined, the only birds found were Wood Duck, Aix sponsa (L.) .5 (volume) and Red-winged Black bird, Agelaeus phoeniceus (L.) .6. The percentage frequency of their finding was respec- tively .4 and .2. This would suggest that the Snapping Turtle is not a serious predator of waterfowl, though the general belief is to the contrary, Vol. 81 106 1961 Once again I am greatly indebted to all those who have so kindly provided me with such a wealth of information based either on their own experience or on that of others, or who have invited my attention to relevant references. In particular, | am most grateful for the help afforded by various correspondents in Canada, which has opened up for me a vast new field of highly rewarding research. SUMMARY In continuation of ibid 77 (°, * and *) several points of special interest emerge from these notes; first, the claim that ‘‘there is no evidence that African Otters prey on birds’’ is entirely erroneous; secondly, the South African Water Tortoise, Pelomedusa subrufa as a predator of ducklings, such as the Black Duck, Anas sparsa and the Yellow-billed Duck, Anas undulata, and waterfowl eggs is a serious pest; and thirdly, Ocypode Crabs may or may not be guilty of serious predation. There is additional con- firmation that the Nile Crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus of sizes between one metre and four metres in length preys to a certain extent on birds; and it seems possible that not infrequently the crocodile takes its toll of the drinking Quelea swarms. Interesting information has also been obtained on the predacious habits of some species of sharks, not previously men- tioned. HABITUAL PREDATORS OF BIRDS (To add to previous list) MARINE FRESHWATER Fur Seal, Arctocephalus Otters—Lutra maculicollis and tasmanicus Aonyx capensis South African Water Tortoise, Pelomedusa subrufa PREY An additional predator of penguins, in particular the Little Penguin, Eudyptula minor, is the Fur Seal (Arctocephalus); marine predators are known to take gulls. Additions to the Nile Crocodile’s avian prey include Flamingos; Spoon- bill (Platalea); Purple Gallinule, Porphyrio alba; Allen’s Gallinule, Porphyrula alleni; African Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus; various Ducks; Blacksmith Plover, Hoplopterus armatus; Black-faced Sandgrouse, Pterocles decoratus; various doves (Streptopelia and Turtur); and an Estrildine Finch. There is reference to the Estuarine Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus taking Pelecanus conspicillatus and the Indian Marsh Crocodile, Crocodylus palustris taking (presumably Whistling) Teal. The Nile Monitor, Varanus niloticus, in the vicinity of a breeding colony of the White-fronted Bee-eater, Melittophagus bullockoides is recognized as an enemy. There is more evidence of C/arias and Trout preying on nestling birds. Silurus glanis is said to take waterfowl as large as ducks. Tiger Fish (Hydrocyon) are recorded rising to and taking Swallows. The Northern Pike, Esox lucius, in Canada, is a predator of waterfowl. OTTERS AND VIVERRIDAE In southern Africa the Otters, Aonyx capensis and Lutra maculicollis, particularly the former, can be ruthless, wasteful killers, their prey in- 1961 107 Vol. 81 cluding the Mute Swan, Cygnus olor; Black Duck, Anas sparsa; Whistling Teal, Dendrocygna bicolor; Little Grebe, Podiceps ruficollis; and various other waterfowl; also domestic geese, ducks and fowls. The European Otter, Lutra lutra is said sometimes to prey on seabirds. In Sweden, the remains of Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos; Coot, Fulica atra; Starling, Sturnus vulgaris; and Delichon (House Martin) or Hirundo (Swallow); have been found in its droppings. The Marsh Mongoose, Afilax paludinosus and the Grey Mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, too, can be very destructive to waterfowl and their eggs. LESS IMPORTANT PREDATORS MARINE. Greenland Shark, Somniosus microcephalus. FRESHWATER. Sheetfish, Si/urus glanis; and Northern (American) Snapping Turtle, Chelhydras serpentina. INVERTEBRATE PREDATORS: CRUSTACEANS Disastrous predation by some species of Ocypode Sand Crabs—for instance on the White-faced Petrel, Pelagodroma marina—is confirmed; on the other hand there are species of these Sand Crabs which inexplicably do not molest the young and eggs of seafowl. The Coconut Crab or Robber Crab, Birgus /atro, which is one of the predacious Land Hermit Crabs, eats the eggs of the Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata. Crabs of the genera Ocypoda and Birgus, although found on sea-girt islands, are mainly land creatures. INJURIES Further recorded cases of injuries on a somewhat extensive scale to the legs of seafowl are as before of obscure origin. References :— 1 Warham, John. Ibis 100 (4). 1958. 2 Smith, J. B. L. ‘‘The Sea Fishes of Southern Africa’’, 1950. 3’ Bigelow, H. B. & Schroeder, W. C. ‘‘Fishes of the Western North Atlantic— Sharks’’. Mem. Sears Found. Mar. Res., 1948. Bannerman, David A. **‘The Birds of the British Isles VII1’*, 1959. Ridley, M. W. and Percy, Lord Richard. *‘The Exploitation of Sea Birds in Sey- chelles’’. Col. Res. Studies. No. 25. H.M.S.O., 1958. Rogerson, H. L. ‘*The Field’’, 26th March 1959. Ansell, W. F. H. ‘‘Mammals of Northern Rhodesia’’, 1960. Haagner, A. ‘‘South African Mammals’’, 1920. Shortridge, G. C. *‘The Mammals of South-West Africa’’ I, 1934. 1 Maberly, C. T. Astley. ‘‘ Animals of Southern-Africa’’. 1959. ™ Report of the Department of Nature Conservation, Provincial Administration of the Cape of Good Hope, 1952. Report of the Department of Nature Conservation, Provincial Administration of the Cape of Good Hope, 1957. 1 Report of the Department of Nature Conservation, Provincial Administration of the Cape of Good Hope, 1958. 4 Corbet, Dr. Philip S. Uganda Wild Life and Sport I (3), 1957. 15 Stevenson-Hamilton, Lieut. Col. J. ‘*The Low Veld’’, 1929. 16 Shephard, J. B. Field and Tide, March 1959, Brander, A. A. Dunbar. ** Wild Animals in Central India’’, 1923. 18 Tjader, Richard. *‘The Big Game of Africa’’, 1920. 19 Meinertzhagen, R. Ibis 102 (3), 1960. oo = ono UD Vol. 81 108 1961 20 African Wild Life 4 (1), 1950. 21 The Food of Predaceous Animals in North-eastern United States. Pennsylvania Game Commission, 1950. 22 The Lammergeyer, Vol. I, No. |, May 1960. The Journal of the Natal Parks, Game and Fish Preservation Board. Turnbull-Kemp, P. St. J. Wild Life of the Trout Streams. Bull. No. 2016, Rhodesia Agricul. Journal. Vol. 57, No. 2, March-April 1960. Gallagher, M. D. Ibis 102 (4), 1960. s i) s - The status of Mirafra pulpa and Mirafra candida by B.. PF. HALL Received 26th January, 1961 Mirafra pulpa Friedmann, 1930 (April), Occ. Papers Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 5: 257— Sagon River (north side), southern Shoa, Abyssinia. (Here restricted to Sagon River at long. 37° 30’ E. from map of expedition, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 153, 1930: 7.) Mirafra candida Friedmann, 1930 (July), Auk 47: 418—northern Guaso Nyrio River, River, Kenya. (Here restricted to Archer’s Post from map of expedition.) History Mirafra pulpa was described on a single specimen collected on 19th May, and M. candida on one adult and two young birds collected in early August 1912, on the Childs Frick Abyssinian Expedition. M. pulpa was considered closest to M. passerina of southern Africa, a form now believed to be conspecific with M. cantillans by White (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 76, 1956: 3). Friedmann compared M. candida with M. cantillans marginata, also collected on the expedition, but mentioned no comparison between candida and pulpa. Grant and Mackworth-Praed (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 49, 1939: 157), from photographs of the type of pu/pa, concluded it represented only a rufous phase of M. cantillans marginata, and both candida and pulpa were listed in the synonymy of M. c. marginata in the African Hand- book of Birds, vol. 2. White (Peters in Check List of Birds of the World, vol. 9), left the status of both species in doubt, but subsequently (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 80, 1960: 22), also without having access to the type, con- sidered pulpa to be conspecific with M. williamsi Macdonald (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 76, 1956: 71—Marsabit) and an earlier name for it. Material examined (see Map) Through the kindness of Dr. Friedmann | have been able to borrow from the United States National Museum the type of M. pulpa, the type and one immature specimen of candida, an adult M. cantillans marginata from the south end of Lake Rudolf and young birds from the east of Lake Stephanie and the Indunamara Mts south of Lake Rudolf, all collected on the same expedition. Mr. M. A. Traylor has also kindly sent me from the Chicago Museum four young birds from Marsabit, out of a larger series collected there by Van Someren. I have compared all these in the British Museum with the type and three other specimens of M. williamsi, and a series of M. c. marginata which includes adults from Mega, Yavello and Alghe, southern Abyssinia, and the Baringo district, western Kenya. The adults of M. c. marginata are alike but the young birds from the Indunamara Mts. and Marsabit are in series more sandy orange than those from further north, which is partly, but may not be wholly, due to soil-staining. Apart from this colour difference they are similar to the others and, although there is always a possibility of error . . 1961 109 Vol. 81 in the identification of young larks without their parents, I believe them to have been correctly identified as young of M. cantillans. psd Marsabit xXx Micantillans marginata (adult) PM pulpa (syn. candida) a Guv.) W M williamsi Vol. 81 110 1961 Relationship of M. pulpa and M. candida When sending me the types of pulpa and candida Dr. Friedmann wrote that he could no longer feel certain that the two species were distinct, and after examination I also believe them to be conspecific. Some differences in colour and pattern are due to the type of candida being in very fresh plumage, in which moult is not quite complete: the dark tones appear rather brighter and richer than in the type of pulpa, and the pale edges broader, giving a more patterned effect. There is little difference in size (see Table) none in feet and claws, and the bills are similar though not identical, that of pu/pa being a trifle more pointed and narrower across the culmen. I therefore propose that candida be considered a synonym of pulpa, and hereafter the name pu/pa only will be used in discussing the relationship of the four specimens of pu/pa/candida to other species. Relationship of M. pulpa to M. cantillans marginata The specimens of M. pulpa, both adults and young, are distinguished from all of M. cantillans by the rich rufous of the mantle and the edges of the wings. There are however other small differences which have not received much attention. (a) The innermost secondaries and central rectrices of M. pulpa have a dark line separating the brown centres from the pale edges, giving a pattern similar to that found in M. rufocinnamomea but not in adult cantillans. Young birds of cantil/lans have an indication of this line but it is narrower and less pronounced than in young pulpa. Also, in fresh plumage, the head feathers of pu/pa have wide light edges with the dark centre narrow and tapering to a point at the tip of the feather, whereas in M. cantillans marginata the light edges are narrower with the dark centre broad and rounded at the tip, following the contour of the feather. This makes pu/pa appear more streaky on the head and marginata more scalloped. | (b) The rectrices of pu/pa are narrower and more pointed than those of marginata. (c) The bill of pu/pa, in even the smaller of the two adults, is heavier than that of marginata, broader at the base and wider across the ridge of the culmen, though the lengths are similar. (d) As White pointed out pu/pa is longer in the wing and tail than marginata. (see Table). These differences, each small, are together sufficient to make it difficult to accept that pu/pa is either a colour phase or a subspecies of M. cantillans. Also the occurrence of marginata east of Lake Stephanie and south of Lake Rudolph suggests that pu/pa and marginata are partly sympatric. I believe it is therefore best to consider M. pulpa as a distinct species. It may possibly be related to M. cantillans much as M. hypermetra is to M. africana. Relationship of M. pulpa to M. williamsi White points out the similarity in size between pu/pa and williamsi: in addition wi/liamsi has a similar patterning on the secondaries and central rectrices. Nevertheless I do not believe they are the same bird, nor that pulpa can represent an immature plumage of williamsi, for williamsi has a stronger bill, legs, feet and hind claw: the under wing-coverts are more rufous: the retrices are similar in shape to those of cantillans, not narrow 1961 111 Vol. 81 as in pulpa: also, as far as can be judged on worn specimens, the mantle is more vinous and may be less patterned. They may also be ecologically distinct for williamsi is known only from Marsabit and the Didd Galgalla lava desert 36 miles to the north, while pul/pa was collected in rather less arid country. Conclusions There is reason to regard M. pulpa (of which candida is a synonym) is specifically distinct from both M. cantillans and M. williamsi and it should provisionally be regarded as such until further field study and collecting provide adequate data on which to assess both the taxonomic and eco- logical status of the three larks. TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS (where published measurements differ from mine they are given in vo ier Wing Bill Tail 3 3 ¥ ms M. c. marginata 93 69 77-81 75-78 14-15 13.5-15 46- So 46-49 (Abyssinia & Kenya) M. williamsi 33 1° 84 83 15 15 52-55 (56) 50 (54) M. pulpa type 85 (84) 14.5 (14) 54 (60.5) type of candida 81 + (80) 14 (13.5) 54 (55.5) (moult) ~ A note on the Sand Crab (Ocopyde sp.) as a predator of birds in South Africa by DEREK M. ComINs Received 10th March, 1961 Captain Pitman (1957, 91) refers to two ‘‘kinds of crabs which have a 7 ri __ been seen to attack young birds and pick the skeletons clean, namely racing crabs or sand crabs, two species of which, Ocypoda cordimana and O. ceratopthalmus (sic) are common on East African shores”’. A specimen of a sand crab (EL. 128 3, O. ceratophthalmus (Pallas)) was collected by Miss M. Courtenay-Latimer and Mr. G. G. Smith, of the _ East London Museum, at about I a.m. on the 17th May, 1953 at Mboynte BBincicated as Embotyi on certain maps) near Lusikisiki on the Pondoland coast. The crab was found attempting to drag a dead female adult Cape Rock Thrush (Monticola rupestris (Vieillot)) into its burrow which was situated in beach sand just above high tide mark. The bird was not _ decomposed; it was skinned and prepared as a museum specimen that evening. The bird and crab now compose an exhibit on display at the East London Museum. * There is no proof that the sand crab had actually caught the Cape Rock ‘Thrush. It should be noted that the Cape Rock Thrush is known to occur “right down to the seashore’’ at least in the southern Cape (McLachlan and Liversidge: 1957, 296) which indicates that the bird at Mboynte had not necessarily arrived in sifu as tide drift. A well authenticated report of a sand crab having been observed to catch and kill a bird would be of great interest and worthy of publication. Barnard (1950, 87) gives the distribu- tion of O. ceratophthalmus as **Mauritius, east coast of Africa to Red Sea, Vol. 81 112 1961 Indo-Pacific’’. Workers in these localities are urged to publish any — observations of predation by sand crabs on birds. Bibliography : Barnard, K. H. 1950. ‘‘ Descriptive Catalogue of South African Decaped Crustacea (Crabs and Shrimps)’’, Ann. S. Afr. Mus. McLachlan, G. R. and Liversidge, R. 1957. Roberts Birds of South Africa. Pitman, C. R. S. 1957. ‘‘ Further notes on Aquatic Predators of Birds’’, Bull. B.O.C. 77, 6 (1957), 89. Nile Crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus versus Spurwing Goose Plectropterus gambensis by CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received 18th February, 1961 In the River Nile, in the Murchison Falls National Park in northern Uganda, a flightless (moulting) female spurwing goose took to the water — on the approach of a boat. Immediately, a crocodile already in shallow water made for the bird at speed, swimming on the surface with the head just showing. The bird saw the crocodile’s approach and started to flap along the surface. Other crocodiles began to converge on the goose from — all directions. The crocodile’s swimming speed at the surface was faster than the goose and each time one closed with her she dived, changed direction under water and surfaced some twenty yards away. When she re-surfaced the crocodiles were slow to see her, but when they did so, immediately they started to close in again. Eventually there were eight crocodiles hunting her. One crocodile managed to approach close and then dived, only to surface again immediately behind the bird, which too had dived, just in time, and eluded its pursuer under water. Usually the goose dived when a crocodile had closed to within fifteen or twenty yards, and the crocodile then did not bother to dive. Finally, the goose made its way to deep water in mid stream and the crocodiles gave up the chase. Their reluctance to continue may have been influenced by the proximity of the boat. XIII Congressus Internationalis Ornithologicus The Thirteenth International Ornithological Congress will convene at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, from 17th to 24th June, 1962. The official announcement and application for membership in the Congress are now ready for distribution. Interested persons who have not already done so should send their names and addresses to the Sec- retary General as soon as possible. A small fund has been obtained to provide partial support for the travel of a few persons coming from outside North America. Application forms will be sent to persons requesting them. (Citizens of the United States and Canada are not eligible.) All applications for membership, travel grants and places on the programme should be returned to the Secretary General before 1st Decem- ber, 1961. Charles G. Sibley, Secretary General ‘ _.. Fernow Hall, Cornell University fe q SEP 1069 , 4 Ithaca, New York, U.S.A. és Cx 4 " j PURCHAS: ‘ge ,, 2HO7 UEL8 TOD vif? ‘to Hodhoict of beinwver son sie gronudnIneD 7M?” .woutish 2D 0 10) sotibd 2c) 0) beersabbe od ye bie agio, Ro boqyl brs sei; cro9/ed bigorde sesdT toed edso goege 8 cin Jaw oT wnigiect boos & ritw nsosqe-tduob ed 2 batt od biverde astngn ‘oiliverre bas sizotlsy oftitwoive orl) 2 ates ett Yo roxio! Labini bd ove) vino bean sme sege ssf! ua: oil: at benilzwbeu od bluode brs wiieh iri batnrrg = 2oTeN io MIGaG 61 Yo bre oils te it? vin sd bivode coonsisia 4 Sir. age wer 6 atidiisesb 1 sma won «2 0 ee imi ero: aL ma el OPTUS _ “5 iqzib bre ere You! hima e irorba: hivorte Grxqqs es * cet, WGA AUT ie tion vd “bswellel dice A od binnde onan of} Yo sobs: iar detit ait .2noitqiraesb mM “oqrl’ ponadiveld’? ¢ MORGHoetl"’ * $01 Age TRBIEG ipod-d 2 “porta bar “bomemexs lshatsM"’ ““oayT to ziasar nat IT pst 8 sic eagnae © i. Veish juniiiw | rogers Sa teu fioG74 a aut? Yo folietoeb oft 1A RAGNS MMe ret wedie .seRse eislt @ arch aid ammomdoonom Io Todi sldenoties s yt yoo Hiw duk> f | Sete. ett yc) ce) 97 Yen 1 jolndinknes ) aor vite ko” irtinniixger SG) bs Mins vs eroidinoD ‘betesupat Yleoiiooge 2s yliro boil iad Sa emia! \wi a Wace rere bas bluode encom & Oo} 2aijudin ray moi lvog ori oninonbtions: be pehiik Stl iw. Sjom sh i t" 2 0. | th bts ee ; rie oe Siew Shey’ Sct sei iM AG erat A. OAR ; ; oc Mbiso: fz rye] WP thoo Honiw arsdenun vasd IO} eMOLGoeg A Beatin .0.¥ 2hobno td jedue gotunivO 8t votheW 4 1M vay aa ‘teaned Orr ysl Hoitw AIHW Sc) io eradmun stoad Votber wy 4 4 as! OF cred be 158 OF ‘VATSARI GA OF, Morr TMH Be 20} vilauans waedmiszenen ¥¢ Doehdoaug od yarn nivalivd oT. ENS ool mo anit a ideyan (eb Yqn? wy to (sonevbs ai A aobua lt. pragiooM Oc) | seu0F inemovA yindenia ~ SWS OUezaAAO'> /moH: si} 0) bageotbhs vd blvosie sarobonesin. sO poy. gloH wroteviY 4geue A. adi Loft s9i2104 9 h, 0@r HOF goviTaaM ‘GRA esata Saas He? asdavevt wil rsdoisO Ai‘ i roderoyyee 04 i Scemneenessiamnaatinandidiedestiiee: Tan Miettinen ete ati q bas wD ZTAIOO.IOHT ARO HITS H dehy vd i bated Beenie Ase diwoe® eeorf stabeontoH » noth. oT CONTRIBUTORS Contributions are not restricted to members of the B.O.C. and should be addressed to the Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, ‘‘Merriewood’’, Seven- oaks, Kent. These should be concise and typed on one side of the paper, double-spaced, with a good margin. The first time a species is mentioned, the scientific generic and specific names should be included. Subsequently the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus. Scientific names are printed in italics and should be underlined in the typescript. References should be given at the end of the paper. Authors introducing a new name or describing a new species or race should indicate this in their title and display the name prominently in the text followed by nom. nov., sp. nov., subsp. nov. as appropriate. In these descriptions, the first introduction of the name should be followed by paragraphs for ‘‘Description’’, ‘‘Distribution’’, ‘“Type’’, ‘‘Measure- — ments of Type’’, ‘‘Material examined’’ and further sub-headings as required. Proofs must be returned without delay. No changes may be made at this stage, other than corrections. At the discretion of the Editor, the Club will pay for a reasonable number of monochrome blocks, which the contributor may retain for his own use. Contributors are entitled to a maximum of fifty free copies of the Bulletin, supplied only as specifically requested by authors. Those con- tributing to a meeting should hand in their MS. at that meeting; otherwise — a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Applications for back numbers which cost 4s. each, should be made to N. J. P. Wadley, 58 Ovington Street, London, S.W.3. Members who have ~ back numbers of the Bulletin, which they no longer require are requested — to send them to N. J. P. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 30s. (payable in advance) or per copy 4s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, C. N. Walter, — Finsbury Pavement House, 120 Moorgate, London, E.C.2. CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Miss E. Forster, The Double House, Wiveton, Holt, Norfolk. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1961 19th September, 17th October, 21st November, 19th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent. a =e rt — Seer 4” BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON = 4 OCT 1961 the original work of Sclater (1911) in order to determine on what ‘material his so-called ‘‘western’’ race was founded. Reference to this york shows that Sclater had ten breeding birds from Port Nolloth, ittle Namaqualand, collected by Claude Grant in July and August, 1903, ‘and four from Durban Road (Durbanville), near Cape Town, taken in farch and September in the same year by Grant. Other specimens in the ritish Museum (Nat. Hist.), London, also used by Sclater, came from Kugelfontein and Komaggas, Little Namaqualand, and from Cape Town. ‘rom this information it can be deduced with reasonable assurance that the characters given by Sclater for the ‘‘western’’, race of the Stonechat were based largely on or influenced by a preponderance of material from Little Namaqualand. This point is very important, because I now find that the Little Namaqualand series before me from Strandfontein, Garies, . 2 Vol. 81 116 1961 Kamieskroon, Wallekraal, Port Nolloth and Alexander Bay, at the mouth . of the Orange River, shows the characters generally ascribed by workers — to the nominate race in having the hazel brown on the ventral surface of the male restricted in breeding birds to the middle and the sides of the © breast; the females with whitish throats and sharply demarcated white over the lower breast and abdomen. This very distinctively marked race appears to be largely restricted to the dunes and sea-fog region of western Little Namaqualand—a region already well-known for its number of endemic races, most of which tend to be greyer or whiter than their congeners from further east or south. The characters of the Little Nama- qualand Stonechat are in keeping with this general trend of variation in western Cape bird forms. Now that the topotypical populations of S. t. torquata have been shown to be the same as the S. ¢. caffra of authors, the S. t. torquata of Sclater and subsequent workers, as understood on the basis of Little Namaqua- land birds, will require to be given a name. I propose: Saxicola torquata clanceyi, subsp. nov. Type: 3, adult. Wallekraal, western Little Namaqualand, north- western Cape Province (30° 21’ S., 17° 27’ E.). 8th August, 1960. Collected by E. Hayden. In the collection of the East London Museum. E. L. Mus. No. 8291. Description: Similar to S. t. torquata (Linnaeus), 1766, of the south- western and eastern Cape, Natal and Zululand, from which it differs as follows: Adult male in breeding plumage with the hazel brown of the ventral surface restricted to the median surface and the adjacent sides of the breast, thereby exhibiting much more white laterally. Pure white extends from the sides of the neck and the edges of the breast down the sides of the body and over flanks, mid- and lower- breast, abdomen, crissum and under tail-coverts. Adult female: differs from that of S. t. torquata in having the throat whiter (when worn usually showing a lot of basal black over the lower throat), not buffy, and with the lower breast abdomen, caudad surfaces of the flanks, crissum and under tail-coverts white, not buffy. Also rather greyer and less warmly coloured on the upper-parts. Distinctions best marked in the breeding dress. Similar in size. Paratypical material: 11 33, 2 29. All from the following localities in western Little Namaqualand: Wallekraal, 3 $3, 2 99; 20 miles S.W. of Garies, 1 §; Garies, 1 3; Strandfontein, 1 3; near Kamieskroon, 1 3; Port Nolloth, 3 $3; Alexander Bay, 1 ¢. Also examined—a long series of S. t. torquata, and series of S. t. stonei and S. t. oreobates Clancey, 1956, described from Basutoland. Range: The dune area of western Little Namaqualand from about the mouth of the Orange River (Alexander Bay), to just south of the mouth of the Olifants River (Strandfontein), south of which it intergrades with S. t. torquata (A series of breeding birds from Clanwilliam shows this intergradation clearly). Measurements of the Type: Wing 71.5, culmen 17, tarsus 22.5, tail 52 mm. Remarks: 1 name this new race in honour of Mr. P. A. Clancey, t 1961 117 Vol. 81 Director of the Durban Muesum, in recognition of his help in elucidating the taxonomy of the Cape Stonechats and the vast amount of work he has done to help ornithology in southern Africa. Apart from S. ¢. torquata and S. ¢. clanceyi, two other races of this species occur within the political limits of the Cape Province. The two taxa just mentioned are actually coastal in their distribution, while in the interior of the Cape Province rather paler birds occur. Breeding males in a series in the East London Museum from the drier interior of the eastern Cape (mainly Albany division) are distinctly lighter and more yellowish, more cinnamon coloured, over the breast, sides of the body and flanks than in S. ¢. torquata of the coastal strip, while the central portion of the lower breast, the abdomen, crissum and under tail-coverts are buffy white, not pure white, thereby presenting a less strongly contrasted chromatic effect over the median ventral surface. Mr. Clancey has kindly compared these specimens at my request with material in the Durban Museum, and has pronounced them as applicable to S. ¢. stonei, which race ranges from Angola and Northern Rhodesia, southwards in the interior of south-central Africa to the northern and eastern Cape Province, Orange Free State, the Transvaal and most of Southern Rhodesia. As Stonechats are given to much seasonal movement, further collecting of breeding birds will be necessary in order to clear up the precise distributions of S. t. torquata and S. t. stonei in the eastern Cape Province. S. t. oreobates also occurs within the limits of the Cape Province, the East London Museum collection possessing two females of this race from localities in the north of the eastern parts of the province from localities in the mountains lying adjacent to Basutoland. Males of S. t. oreobates resemble S. ¢. stonei over the abdominal surface, but are much darker and more saturated. The racial distinctions are, however, better marked in the female, which is a more vinaceous grey, less buff, on the upper-parts than in either S. ¢. torguata or S. t. stonei, and on the under-parts the throat is distinctly darker and the rest of the ventral surface more vinaceous tinged. It is a restricted montane race, occurring in two widely separated regions, namely, the highlands of Basutoland and the eastern highlands of Southern Rhodesia. Acknowledgments For the loan of camparative material I am grateful to the Directors of he following museums: South African Museum, Cape Town; Durban useum; and the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria. Iam deeply grateful to Mr. P. A. Clancey, of the Durban Museum, for is help and guidance in the preparation of this report and for effecting rtain critical comparisons for me. To Mr. G. G. Smith I extend gratitude for making possible the col- ection of the valuable series of ornithological material in this Museum. Notes on African Thrushes PART ONE by C. M. N. WHITE Received 15th January, 1961 The present series of notes arise, from the preparation of a revised check list of the African Turdinae. As with most other Passerine groups of any Vol. 81 —-118 1961 _ size a simple linear sequence of the genera is impracticable, but genera may be arranged in groups of apparently closely related genera. This — raises in varying degrees the question of what genera should be recognised. — The present note deals with an assemblage of Turdine genera which may conveniently be termed the charts and wheateas. j The genera recognised by Sclater (1930) which comprise this group are Saxicola, Myrmecocichla, Thamnolaea, Pentholaea, Pinarochroa, Kar- rucincla, Emarginata, Cercomela, Oenanthe. Ripley (Postilla, no. 13, 1952) proposed to add to it Chaetops. These genera are of very unequal value, and only three or four of them can be accepted without reserve. Two of these which may be admitted without further discussion are Saxicola and Oenanthe. : Cercomela was originally used for certain rather small brownish species found in dry areas of the Middle East, N.E. Africa and the southern edge of the Sahara (melanura, scotocerca and dubia). Structurally they are very like Oenanthe but lack the boldly patterned tail and plumage, live inside” bushes to a greater extent and have a distinctive ethological character in that they frequently open their tails in a fanwise manner. Since 1926 it has been usual to include also familiaris in Cercomela. In 1950 I pointed out that the monotypic Emarginata was so closely related to familiaris that the two species should be included in the same genus. In 1957 Macdonald pointed out that Karrucincla schlegelii and ‘‘Oenanthe’’ tractrac were so closely related that they should be placed in the same genus although Oenanthe might not be the correct genus for them. Ripley had in 1952 recognised Emarginata with Karrucincla as a synonym, an unnatural arrangement apparently based on the emargination of the primarie which is clearly not a good generic character and occurs also in tractrac. In 1958 the S.A.O.S. List Committee proposed that Oenanthe tractrac, Karrucincla schlegelii and Emarginata sinuata all be included in Cercomela Cercomela as thus enlarged becomes more difficult to separate from” Oenanthe than the Cercomela of Sclater. Pattern ceases to be a very good | guide for the tail pattern of tractrac is like that found in Oenanthe, whilst schlegelii was found by Macdonald to frequent the tops of bushes like a™ Saxicola although it twinkled its wings like C. familiaris. Cercomela in its present form comprises a rather varied group of species, and although I I retain it in its enlarged form, I believe that it virtually merges into Oenanthe and the distinction between these genera is rather an artificial matter of convenience. Ripley (1952) proposed to merge Pinarochroa with Cer= comela; Goodwin (1957) preferred to retain Pinarochroa on the ground that it was as close to Oenanthe as to Cercomela. If tractrac and schlegelii were kept in Oenanthe, I would include Pinarochroa there too on account of its tail pattern, but with these two species assigned to Cercomela, there can be little ground for claiming that Pinarochroa 1s more like Oenanthe, | especially as Cercomela and Oenanthe virtually merge into each other. Consequently I consider that Pinarochroa should be included in Cercomela. Myrmecocichla, Thamnolaea and Pentholaea form a closely related group of chats typified by most often having black plumage in at least males, with varying development of white on the head and wing. Pen- tholaea consists of two rather small species; they do not really show any differences from Myrmecocichla apart from their small size. Thamnolaea 1961 119 Vol. 81 - as usually accepted contains two species. The chestnut on the abdomen in males seems to be the only character by which they differ from Myrme- cocichla. T. cinnamomeiventris is associated with rocky hills but the other species T. semirufa occurs on open grasslands like some species of Myrme- — cocichla. A further peculiarity of Cinnamomeiventris is its habit of nesting in old nests of swallows. The habitat peculiarity of cinnamomeiventris among rocks is paralleled by that of Pentholaea melaena which is found among rocky ravines although the other Pentholaea frequents open savanna woods. The differences between these three genera of black chats are thus very unsatisfactory; two of the three genera only contain two species each and their characters are specific rather than generic. Mr. C. W. Benson who has had field experience of all three genera agrees with me that there is no good ground for separating Thamnolaea and Myrme- cocichla, and no obvious reason for not also uniting Pentholaea with them. I propose to do so. Thamnolaea and Myrmecocichla were described by Cabanis at the same time in 1850, but without designating any types of the genera. This was done by Gray in 1855 in Cat. Gen. Subgen. Bds. He designated a type for Myrmecocichla on p. 35 and for Thamnolaea on p. 36. I therefore select Myrmecocichla as the name under which to place these black chats. Ripley (1952) places Chaetops between Thamnolaea and Myrmecocichla in his arrangement. He gives no reason for this, and Chaetops with its _ graduated white tipped tail and peculiar pattern does not appear to belong in this group of the Jurdinae. The genera of the chats and wheatears found in Africa can thus be reduced from Sclater’s 9 to 4, viz. Saxicola, Oenanthe, Cercomela and Myrmecocichla. A second group of genera occuring in the Ethiopian region may be touched upon in conclusion: these are Phoenicurus (migrant only) and Monticola. I agree with those ornithologists who regard these as probably related genera, The status of neither is disputed, and they may be regarded as forming a self contained group. The Significance of some Plumage Phases of the House-Sparrow, Passer domesticus (Linnaeus) and the Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis Temminck* PART Two by JAMES M. HARRISON Received 2nd January, 1961 V. INTERSEXES As some of the secondary sexual characters are anomalous in full _ juveniles of P. domesticus it will be found impossible to assign any indi- - vidual, which could not be anatomically sexed, with any degree of con- fidence to its correct sex. But the real anomalous intersexes have occurred in birds in their first winter plumage. Hartert (°) in Vég. pal. Fauna described as species No. 251 Passer *A Summary of this paper was read at the British Ornithologists’ Union York Con- ference on 25th March, 1961. Vol. 81 120 1961 | pak et a House-Sparrow collected by Sarudny (*) in Baluchistan in. As this so-called species was from its original description a complete enigma Professor Mayr (8) and Dr. Charles Vaurie scrutinised the Koelz collections of Passer domesticus from Persia, Afghanistan and various parts of India, in all about 350 specimens. In the series examined they ‘‘found two kinds of specimens that show indication of intermediacy — between male and female plumage’’. Amongst the first year males in rather female dress in the Koetz col- lections there were four specimens, while amongst the adult females there were six showing a degree of maleness. They comment that ‘‘It is thus evident that specimens of both sexes occur in Western Asiatic House- — Sparrow populations that are somewhat intermediate between the typical male and female plumage’’. Mayr (/oc. cit.) states ‘‘Although no male was found without a dark throat patch, as the type of P. enigmaticus the available evidence suggests that the types of enigmaticus are intersexes of P. domesticus. (See Plates V and VI). As it is known that the only secondary sexual character in P. domesticus which is under hormonal control is the bill colour of the male in summer a fact experimentally established by Keck (°) the assumption of the black throat by females of the species invests this character with genetic, and therefore pari. passu phylogenetic significance. This represents in all probability an evolutionary pointer back to P. hispaniolensis for, as has already been shown, in the latter species both sexes can normally have this character. In the more mature plumages of the male the black throat and gorget are invariably present and in the same plumages of the female it is by no means unusual to see a dark throat patch. (See Plate VII). The writer has two or three such specimens of P. domesticus, amongst them an adult female taken in the breeding season in the British Isles which shows this character to an equal extent as is found in some female examples of P. hispaniolensis, while Nichols (/oc. cit.) refers to ‘‘an aberrant bird which was banded on 13th May 1930’’ and recovered on 14th May 1932, i.e. ‘‘at least three years old when it had a dark throat patch faintly indicated’’. The ovary was said to be moderate, but not in breeding condition. Such cases, it would seem, must be regarded as genetic intersexes, essentially mutational and therefore important phylogenetically. In P. domesticus females such cases are to be regarded as very rare. Mayr (loc. cit.) states ‘‘Nothing since has been heard of this ‘enigmatic species’ (as Hartert had called it) except that Sarudny and Harms (*° gave some additional details of the capture of the only two known speci- mens’’. To the intersexes listed by Mayr (loc. cit.) can now be added the follow- ing :— dS 8th April 1881 Candahar, Afghanistan. Swinhoe Coll. B.M. Register No. 81. 12.1.153. ® 23rd Sept. 1907 50 miles west of Samarkand, Turkestan. 4 Carruthers Coll. B.M. Register No. 1909. 10.26.444. @ 23rd Sept. 1907 50 miles west of Samarkand, Turkestan. Carruthers Coll. B.M. Register No. 1909. 10.26. 522. ik? i 1961 121 Vol. 81 2 18th Oct. 1954 Habbaniya, Iraq. B.148. Collected by Jeffery G. Harrison. In coll. James M. Harrison. It is known that with transient endocrine imbalance the secondary sexual characters in some species, notably in Gallus domesticus, Phasianus colchicus and some of the Anatidae, a swing in these characters towards or away from one or the other sex may result. But as already stated this basis cannot be accepted as responsible for such cases in P. domesticus and Mayr (loc. cit.) comments in this connection, ‘‘Rather, it seems probable that most of the sexual dimorphism is genetically fixed in the feather papillae’’. We know that an appearance of pseudo-feminisation can result from an imbalance of the thyroid secretion. This has been produced experimentally by Zawadowsky (?") and his colleagues and has been recorded in the wild Plate V PLATES V. AND VI. _ Intersexes of Passer domesticus (Linnaeus) Passer ** enigmaticus’’. A. Male, Passer domesticus indicus Jardine and Selby. 14th October, 1937. Kalat i Ghilzai, Afghanistan. Koelz Collection, American Museum of Natural History, No. 467226. B. Female, Passer domesticus indicus Jardine and Selby. 23rd September, 1907. 50 miles west of Samarkand, Turkestan, 1,500 feet. Carruthers Collection. Brit. Mus. Reg. No. 1909. 10. 26, 4444. C. Female, date and locality as B, Carruthers Collection. Brit. Mus. Reg. No. 1909. 10. 26. 522. Both specimens in the Collections of the British Museum, (Natural History). D. Female, Passer domesticus biblicus Hartert. 18th October, 1954, Habbaniya, Iraq. Collected by Jeffery G. Harrison. No. B. 148. Collection James M. Harrison. Note to the above specimens of intersexes can be added a further example in the British Museum series :— Male, Passer domesticus indicus Jardine and Selby. 18th April, 1881 Candahar, Af- ghanistan. Swinhoe Collection. Brit. Mus. Reg. No. 81-12. 1. 153. Vol. 81 122 1961 state (Harrison (77) 1961) so the aetiology of the intersexes in P. domesticus is possibly complex. Undoubtedly the genetic basis is the primary factor while the possibility arises of some other factor as yet to be determined which might affect the reaction of the feather papillae. VI. DISCUSSION It is evident that a close study of aberrant and homologous characters in birds is desirable, and that particular attention should be given to the juvenile and subadult plumages. The complexity of all such cases is emphasised by the present study into nt Hoge goals 72 ee Bro x ia 2} | fe et net os Plate VI this subject in Passer domesticus, for here recent research has eliminated very largely any question of hormonal influence and has focused attention on heredity and on the genetic potential of the feather papillae which, it is suggested, may be held responsible for the sexual dimorphism—where sexual dimorphism is under hormonal control histological investigation gives the complete answer in any anomalies. In further recent studies stemming from the work of Stresemann (?°) into the anomalous plumages of certain species, e.g. Phoenicurus ochrurus, Muscicapa hypoleuca, M. albicollis, Sylvia atricapilla and S. communis, he coined for such the term “‘Hemmungskleid”’, for which Mayr (?*) later suggested the term ‘‘retarded’’ plumage, where the male of a species in definitive plumage shows two different types, one of which resembles the immature or female dress. Nichols (oc. cit.) refers to his type—B juvenile in P. domesticus as foreshadowing the male plumage. He further suggested that they might be called ‘‘a juvenal with progressive plumage’’. This seems to 1961 123 Vol. 81 the writer inappropriate in that the subjects concerned are /fu// juveniles and that Stresemann’s ‘‘Fortsschritskleid’’, Mayr’s ‘‘Progressive’’ plumage, refer to birds which have passed the post-juvenile moult and might therefore even be breeding birds; in fact Mayr (/oc. cit.) comments *‘such plumages may also occur in adult birds: namely, ‘‘retarded’”’ plumages in adult males and ‘‘progressive’’ plumages in adult females’’. Therefore in the use of the above terms the operative condition is the implied breeding of the individual. The dusky throat patch in P. domesticus juveniles while affording a clue to the sex of the individual is, in the writer’s opinion, of far greater significance as a phylogenetic expression for the reasons already advanced (vide supra). bis bee may arev FZ, — a Sef * sche ID Oy rene Ny id sorry Sf z weet aot eine Swat Poa, 4 Plate VIT PLATE Vil. Overlap of characters in females of Passer domesticus domesticus (Linnaeus) and Passer hispaniolensis hispaniolensis Temminck. A. B. and D. Passer hispaniolensis hispaniolensis Temminck, Thrace. Collection of James M. Harrison. C. Passer hispaniolensis hispaniolensis Temminck, Malta. Collection W. H. Payn. E. Passer domesticus domesticus (Linnaeus). Breeding adult British Isles. Collection James M. Harrison. F. Passer domesticus domesticus (Linnaeus). Full juvenile female showing dusky throat patch and ‘‘ghost’’ hispaniolensis pattern of breast and flanks, British Isles. Collection James M. Harrison. VII. SUMMARY This paper describes certain plumages in the House-Sparrow, Passer domesticus (Linnaeus) and relates these phylogenetically to the Spanish Sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis (Temminck). The implications drawn from the study of certain races and intersexes Vol. 81 124 1961 of P. domesticus, and their bearing on the question of Phylogeny are discussed in the light of recent relevant research. The occurrence of certain homologous recurring characters both in the juvenile and later stages of P. domesticus lends strong support to the explanation of such as reversionary atavistic phenomena. The value of the study of juvenile and immature plumages is stressed, as calculated to advance the knowledge of avian phylogeny and affinity. Acknowledgments Grateful acknowledgments are made to the following for the presenta- tion or loan of specimens, or other valuable assistance, and particularly to Mr. J. D. Macdonald for suggesting that I should undertake this re- search :— Dr. Jeffery G. Harrison, Mr. Haim Hovel, Mr. J. D. Macdonald, Professor Ernst Mayr, Professor H. Mendelssohn, Mr. A. G. Parsons, Major W. H. Payn, Mr. J. D. Summers-Smith, Mr. F. C. Sawyer, Miss G. M. Thomas and Dr. Charles Vaurie for the loan of a specimen from the Koelz Collection in the American Museum of Natural History. References : 1 Bodenstein, G., 1953. Auftreten einer Aispaniolensis-ahnlichen Zeichnung bei einer Mitteleuropdischen Haussperling. Orn. Mtsbr., 5, 72. 2 Peterson, R. T., Mountford, G., and Hollom, P. A. D., 1954. A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. Plate 63. Nichols, J. T., 1953. Seasonal and individual variation in young House Sparrows. Bird Banding, 6, 11-15. 4 Weaver, R. L., 1942. Growth and development of English House Sparrow. The Wilson Bulletin, 54, 3, 183-191. Keve, A., 1960. Variations-Studien Uber die Populationen des Haussperlings, Passer domesticus domesticus L. Proc. XII. Int. Orn. Congr. Helsinki. 1, 376-395. 4 Plates. Hartert, E., 1910. Species No. 251. Passer enigmaticus Die Vég. paldark. Fauna. |. 154. 7 Sarudny, N., 1903. Einige neue Spezies und Subspezies paldarktischer Vogelarten. Orn. Mtsbr., 129-131. 8 Mayr, E., 1949. Enigmatic Sparrows. /bis, 91, 304-306. ® Keck, W. N., 1934. The Control of the Secondary Sex Characters in the English Sparrow, Passer domesticus (Linnaeus). J. Exp. Zool., 67, 2, 315-347. 10 Sarudny, N., and Harms, M. 1913. Bermerkung uber einige VOgel Persiens. II. Die Sperlinge Persiens. J.f.O., 61, 644-645. 11 Zawadowsky, M. M., 1929. Die Rolle der Schilddriisse bei der Bestimmung des Geschlechtsdimorphismus nach dem Gefieder von V6geln. Endocrinologie, V., 253-362. 12 Harrison, James M., 1961. Some Aberrant Plumages in the Covert Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus. Orn. Pheasant Trust—First Annual Rep., Avicult. Mag. 67, 1. 21-25. 2 Plates. Stresemann, E., 1920. Avifanua Macedonica. Mayr, E., 1933. Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Exped. XX VII. Notes on the variation of immature and adult plumages in birds and a physiological explanation of abnormal plumages. Amer. Mus. Novit. No., 666, 1-10. eo on a 1 1 m © The anomaly of the Rough-wing Swallows of the Psalidoprocne holomelaena—orientalis group of races by MICHAEL P. STUART IRWIN Received 28th January, 1961 White (1961: Bull. B.O.C. 81; pp. 29-33) in his recent review of the interspecific relationships of the species of Psalidoprocne lumped the various 1961 125 Vol. 81 _ populations of Psalidoprocne holomelaena and Psalidoprocne. orientalis occurring in Eastern, Central and South Africa, at the same time merging into this enlarged species, an assemblage of largely allopatric and monotypic or near monotypic forms, thus greatly reducing the number of species. Pending a greater understanding of the evolutionary history of the genus and this group in particular, this step appears eminently satisfactory, though additional researches may necessitate some future modification. In discussing the apparent mutually exclusive distribution of those forms possessing either grey or white under wing coverts (reichenowi and orientalis), and those that are wholly black (holomelaena); living in East, Central and South Africa, it is shown that these two easily dis- - tinguishable groups are, (allowing for apparent off-season wanderings) always allopatric to one another as far as the breeding populations are concerned. Holomelaena is shown by White to consist of two geographic- ally distant populations living in South and East Africa, the latter popu- lations ranging across to the eastern Belgian Congo. The intervening area from central Tanganyika Territory to Southern Rhodesia and adjacent Portuguese East Africa being occupied by orientalis populations. (Note that the supposed occurrence of holomelaena in the Matengo Highlands of south-western Tanganyika Territory as reported by Sassi and Zimmer (1941 : 316-317) in an area otherwise known to be inhabited by orientalis 1 populations, is almost certainly an error, as it is wholly based on visual _ evidence). _ Since the appearance of White’s review, the existence of a further isolated population of holomelaena-like birds has been brought to light in Southern Rhodesia. The first report of the existence of all-black rough- Wings in this territory was made by Priest (1935: 321), but has been subsequently generally ignored. This author reported collecting two birds, an adult and a juvenile at Zimbabwe, in the Midlands in 1932. However, _ when compiling the Check List of the Birds of Southern Rhodesia, Smithers et al. (1957: 130) did not then accept its occurrence for lack of material _ evidence, as Priest’s skins could not be traced. On the other hand, several reliable observers subsequently reported it on the basis of visual evidence in that area. In view of this and the original record by Priest, a few days were spent in early November, in the Bikita Native Reserve, just south of Bikita at about 3,400 ft. a.s.l. at approximately 20° 06’ S., 31° 37’ E., this ~ is some 45 miles east of Zimbabwe, but in country even more ecologically _ suitable for the occurrence of rough-wings. Collecting activities centred along a small perennial stream running _ through rich Brachystegia woodland, and within an hour of arrival the first _ pair of rough-wings were spotted flying lazily upstream, level with the tops of the trees. On the following morning a party of about eight were noticed - flying about over a closely cropped sward dotted with dead trees, on the | same stream, just below a strip of retreating forest. Henceforth they were ' observed on numerous occasions, but were invariably on the move either ' upstream or downstream, flying at about tree height. Under such conditions | they were not easy to collect, but finally on the 7th, a pair were obtained as | they were about to go to roost in a sandy bank on the same stream, where they had been noted at the same time on the previous evening. Both proved Vol. 81 126 ; 1961 to be fully adult, one being a male with slightly enlarged testes and the other a female with ovaries undeveloped. The general habitat in which they occurred was one of rich Brachystegia woodland bisected by forested or semi-forested water courses, otherwise lined with Syzygium trees, or flanked by Brachystegia. Due to its topo- graphical position the whole region is one of locally high precipitation, ranging on the average of between 40 and 50 inches of rainfall per annum, and this in turn is reflected by the richness of the vegetation and through the continued existence of isolated patches of montane evergreen forest in sheltered positions on the higher hills. Botanically the region shows a marked phytogeographical affinity with eastern Southern Rhodesia; forming, as demonstrated by Wild (1956: 53-62), part of an east-west — extension of the Inyangani Subcentre, but isolated from similar such areas by tracts of drier country. In addition to other designated areas to the west, this particular region is termed the Bikita extension. Likewise the Zim- babwe area is similarly constituted, both forming extensions 2 and 3 of the — ' same complex as given on the accompanying map. The entire Bikita- Zimbabwe region receives not less than 32 inches of rainfall per annum. It is therefore apparently over this tract of country between about 3,000— 5,000 ft. a.s.l. that holomelaena-type birds are restricted. The affinities of this isolated population of all black birds must now be — considered in relation both to the other more distant populations of holomelaena-type birds occurring over a thousand miles to the north in © Tanganyika and in coastal Portuguese East Africa 350 miles to the south- ~ east, as well as to the geographically much nearer orientalis populations © living less than 40 miles distant across the Sabi Valley. Orientalis-type birds ~ are generally distributed along the eastern border of the territory, where — they occur between 1,000 and 7,000 ft. a.s.]. living usually in close associ-— ation with evergreen forest, though often too, found in Brachystegia. They also range locally, if only through sporadic wandering, as far west as Tsungwesi at 18° 48’ S., 32° 13’ E., and the Inyamapamberi River near | Inyazura, (personal visual record and R. K. Brooke in litt.) and to” Rusape, slightly to the north (A. N. B. Masterson, verbal comm.). They are also stated to occur on Wedza Mountain at 18° 45’ S., 31° 36’ E., (R.~ K. Brooke in /itt.) and Priest also recorded them from thence, but resident populations are still not known definitely elsewhere in Mashonland to the west, though on visual evidence some form is stated to occur near Sinoia, but supporting evidence has never been forthcoming; and R. K. Brooke recorded a single wanderer in November, eleven miles N.N.E. of Salisbury. Otherwise the only physical barrier separating the two popu-} lations is the arid rain-shadow region of the Sabi Valley which must be largely ecologically unsuitable, but the barrier cannot by any means be complete as R. K. Brooke again informs me that he has seen orientalis at 1,450 ft. a.s.I. to the south of Birchenough Bridge along the Sabi River. Likewise holomelaena would be equally likely to wander down into the” Sabi Valley. . | A similar set of circumstances exists in Northern Rhodesia, where orientalis occurs generally east of the Luangwa Rift, though also known from the lower Munyamadzi River in the valley itself; but to the west on the plateau is replaced by the race reichenowi. es 1961 127 Vol. 81 In analysing this distributional pattern it might at first seem that these more or less mutually exclusive populations would indicate the existence of strong interspecific competition and a general ecological incompat- ability, with holomelaena in part with a relict distribution. However, a relatively simple set of genetic factors may influence the occurrence and dominance of either the one type or the other; thus, until more is known about these swallows it seems preferable to follow White in regarding them as conspecific. I have closely compared the various populations of orientalis and holomelaena and have been quite unable to detect any differences in colour gloss between one and the other, nor as in the case of reichenowi, is there any consistent size difference. White recognises the East African suahelica as being larger, but one South African specimen examined, with a wing of 118 mm., is only one mm., smaller than the largest East African specimen measured by White. The following table of measurements which supplements that of White, is based on the adult material in the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, plus a series of holomelaena kindly loaned by Mr. P. A. Clancey, Director of the Durban Museum and Art Gallery. TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS holomelaena populations Eastern Cape, Natal wing 65 105, 106, 108, 111, 112, 112, 112, 118. and Northern Zululand Q 104. tail 33 =: 82, 82, 83, 86, 86, 88, 89, 92. Q 82 Bikita, Southern wing $ 109,298; tail 3 82, 2 69. orientalis populations Eastern Southern wing 33 104, 105, 106, 109, 109, 110, 112, 112, 113. Rhodesia and adjacent GO 95, 97, 98, 99, 99. Portuguese East tail 33 77, 79, 79, 79, 82, 83, 85, 86, 89. Africa 2° 65, 66, 68, 68, 69. Though White fully discussed the distributional pattern of the various forms, attention should perhaps also be drawn to a further instance of different races approaching each other closely. This is provided by ru- wenzori, the western representative of the all black holomelaena, which penetrates down the west side of Lake Tanganyika in the eastern Belgian Congo to Mount Kabobo at 5° 06’ S., 29° O1’ E., (Prigogine 1960: 38); and must therefore be closely approached by reichenowi which in turn is the western representative of orientalis, as this form occurs at Lubilu at 4° 40’ S., 27° 48’ E., (Schouteden 1955: 482). Here again different forms approach each other from widely separated geographical regions, further emphasising the rather complicated evolutionary history that this genus must have undergone in the past, preceding the establishment of the existing distributional pattern. Vol. 81 128 1961 References : Priest, C. D. 1935. The Birds of Southern Rhodesia. 3. London. Prigogine, Dr. A. 1960. La faune ornithologique du Massif du Mont Kabobo. Ann. du Musée Royal du Congo Belge, Tervuren. 85: -146. Sassi, M. and Zimmer, F. 1941. Beitrage zur kenntnis der Vogelwelt des Songea- Distriktes mit besonderer Berucksichtigung des Matengo-Hochlandes. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 51: 236-346. Schouteden, Dr. H. 1955. De Vogels van Belgisch Congo en van Ruanda-Urundi. Pt. 7. Ann. du Musée Royal du Congo Belge. Tervuren Zoologie 5: fasc. 2, 227-518. Smithers, R. H. N., Irwin, M. P. S., and Paterson, M. L. 1957. A Check List of the Birds of Southern Rhodesia. Cambridge, London. | White, C. M. N. 1961. The African Rough-winged Swallows. Bull. B.O.C. 81: 29-33. — Wild, H. 1956. The principle Phytogeographic elements of the Southern Rhodesian flora. Proc. Trans. Rhod. Sci. Assoc. 44: 53-62. On the polytypic variation of the Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrovhynchus (Stanley), with the characters of a new subspecies : by P. A. CLANCEY AND W. J. LAWSON Received 17th January, 1961 The Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus (Stanley), 1814: northern Abyssinia, is the more restricted in range of the two species of Buphagus, ranging from the southern Sudan, Uganda, the eastern borders of the Congo, Abyssinia, Eritrea and the Somalilands, southwards through eastern Africa to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, Southern Rhodesia, the Transvaal, Orange Free State, Swaziland, Natal and Zululand, and south- ern Portuguese East Africa. In many parts of its range, particularly in the south, it has been completely eradicated or sorely depleted in numbers through human agency in the form of game elimination and the mass dipping of cattle and other domestic stock. At the present time the popu- lations of this species are arranged in two rather imperfectly understood subspecies, resulting from the original work of the German systematist, Hermann Grote (1927), who recognised two races: a pale northern form (B. e. erythrorhynchus) with a somewhat limited range, and another © larger and darker one, B. e. caffer Grote, 1927: Palala River, Zoutpansberg, — northern Transvaal, distributed from about the southern limits of the — highlands of Kenya Colony south to the austral parts of the species’ range. Grote’s findings have been largely followed by later workers {see — Sclater (1930); Sclater, in Jackson (1938); and Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1955)], though Chapin (1954) found the overlap in wing-measure-_ ments between the two taxa to be considerable and the differences in colour to be relatively slight, and was unwilling to accord recognition to - B. e. caffer. Study of the variation is this species is complicated by the fact that considerable change is wrought in the colour of the feathers through the bleaching agency of the sun, series in museum collections from single localities are seldom extensive enough, while skins are extremely prone to rapid post-mortem cabinet colour change. 3 A direct comparison between recently taken material from the Transvaal (near topotypes of B. e. caffer) and specimens only a few years old from Abyssinia, Somaliland, and parts of Kenya Colony shows that B. e. é 1961 129 Vol. 81 erythrorhynchus and topotypical B. e. caffer are only slightly differentiated in the colouration of the body plumage and scarcely at all in size. In topotypical B. e. caffer the wings of 10 3 2° measure 119-124 (121.3), and the tails 87-95 (91.0) mm., and the colour of the upper-parts is about Deep Greyish Olive/Hair Brown [Ridgway (1912) (pl. xlvi)|, and the tail, when viewed ventrally, shows no suffusion of cinnamon, being wholly Hair Brown. In specimens of B. e. erythrorhynchus before us from Abys- sinia, northern Kenya Colony and Somaliland the upper-parts are slightly lighter than in B. e. caffer, particularly over the head, the colour of the _ mantle being about Drab (pl. xlvi) or slightly greyer. On the under parts, the throat is rather paler than Drab (a greyish olive in B. e. caffer), the breast is rather less dusky, and the lower breast, abdomen and flanks are usually rather more suffused with warm buff, less whitish, than B. e. caffer, but the best racial character seems to be in the colouration of the rectrices, the series of B. e. erythrorhynchus before us having the under surfaces of the tails distinctly cinnamon tinged. In some of the better marked speci- _ mens the inner webs of the two outer pairs of rectrices exhibit a 4—6 mm. wide lateral band of Sayal Brown (pl. xxix), which feature does not occur in B. e. caffer, as understood on the basis of Transvaal topotypes in the Durban Museum collection. While B. e. erythrorhynchus is not readily separable from B. e. caffer on the basis of size, some of the populations currently grouped in this taxon are indeed aggregates of much smaller sized birds than the latter race, - particularly those of Somalia and adjacent coastal Kenya Colony. Three 3 2 from Somalia (Iscia Baidoa; Mogadishu) have wings 108, 110, 110.5 - (all rather worn), while a single example from Lamu, north-eastern Kenya Colony coast, has a wing of 113, and another one from M’koi a wing of 108 mm. The tails of these five birds measure 79-84 (82.6) mm. The _ Somali examples are also on the whole paler and more ‘‘desert-coloured’’ than any other specimens examined by us. The rumps are particularly _ pallid. In the high interior of Kenya Colony, Uganda and Abyssinia (highlands) the populations are composed of very much larger birds - (wings of 11 3 9 115—125.5 (118.4), tails 84.5-93 (87.5) mm. Chapin gives the wings of Abyssinian birds as 105—120 mm., but some of his specimens were obviously not from the highlands of that country, or else partially moulted birds still carrying juvenal remiges. It seems to us that B. e. erythrorhynchus auct., is a composite form of two quite well-marked subspecific taxa: a large-sized race of the elevated interior of north-eastern Africa with wings over 115 mm. in length, and a markedly smaller and rather paler one apparently more or less confined to the arid region of Somaliland and immediately adjacent areas in other territories. It is evident from a study of the pertinent literature that some workers have considered the latter populations to represent the nominate race, while the former are often placed along with the southern B. e. caffer—now seen to be incorrect in the light of the characters found to differentiate Transvaal topotypes of that race from the Abyssinian and Kenya Colony highland populations of the species. The question of allocating names to the two ‘subspecies which comprise the taxon B. e. erythrorhynchus auct., will require to be held in abeyance pending the examination of much more extensive material from north-eastern Africa than presently available to us. Vol. 81 7 130 1961 The northern limits of the range of B. e. caffer are not readily fixed on the basis of existing material, but two recently taken skins from the Kenya Colony highlands (South Kinangop; Lake Naivasha) collected by Mr. J. G. Williams seem to be intermediate between that race and the nominate one. Sclater, in Jackson, also observed that the birds of Kenya Colony and Uganda are often intermediate. B. e. caffer is now found to be a race of the interior savannas of east central and southern Africa, ranging from the interior of South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, northwards through Northern Rhodesia, adjacent Nyasaland, and parts of western northern Portuguese East Africa to the interior and western districts of Tanganyika Territory, north of which it intergrades with the slightly differentiated occidental populations of B. e. erythrorhynchus as at present accepted. In dealing with the characters of B. e. caffer, Mackworth-Praed and Grant describe the race as differing from the nominotypical form by being browner above, and warmer in tone of colour. As will be appreciated from a study of our observations on the actual differences segregating B. e. caffer of the Transvaal and B. e. erythrorhynchus, the former race is slightly darker and colder in tone on the upper-parts, and paler if anything below. It would appear that the two authors concerned based their assessment of the characters of B. e. caffer on material emanating from the populations of the humid eastern littoral of eastern and south-eastern Africa, and not wholly on the birds of the southern interior plateau. We now find that the populations of this oxpecker from the littoral of north- eastern Kenya Colony (Kilifi) and Tanganyika Territory, southwards through the lowlands of Portuguese East Africa to Zululand and (?) Natal are distinctly darker and more richly coloured than interior birds. In the case of the coastal Kenya Colony birds there is also a marked size difference (wings of 3 3 2 109, 109, 110.5 mm.), and the rectrices are suffused with cinnamon, in these respects agreeing with the small-sized Lamu, M’koi and Somali birds discussed earlier in this paper, although, of course, differing abruptly in their darker, more saturated colouration. It seems to us that such populations are in all probability no more than minor links between the well differentiated populations of Somalia and the adjacent littoral of Kenya Colony and the darker and larger sized birds occurring slightly further south in coastal East and south-eastern Africa, which latter are readily distinguishable on the basis of much darker colouration from both B. e. caffer and B. e. erythrorhynchus. As no name seems to be available for this richly coloured coastal form of the Red- billed Oxpecker, we propose to name it Buphagus erythrorhynchus scotinus, subsp. nov. Type: 3, adult. Panda, Inhambane district, Sul do Save, southern Portu- — guese East Africa (24° 02’ S., 34° 45’ E.). 21st September, 1960. collected by P. A. Clancey. In the collection of the Durban Museum. Diagnosis: In newly moulted dress differs from B. e. caffer Grote, 1927: Palala River, Zoutpansberg, northern Transaval, in being much darker and blacker on the upper-parts, wings and tail (mantle centre about Fuscous (pl. xlvi) as against Deep Greyish Olive/Hair Brown in B. e. caffer); darker over the sides of the head and neck, and on the under-parts, ————————— 1961 © 131 Vol. 81 darker on the throat and breast; on the lower breast, abdomen and flanks more richly coloured, being slightly more dusky than Chamois (pl. xxx) (whitish buff in B. e. caffer). Averaging slightly smaller in size. Measurements: Wings of 10 3° 115-125 (118.7), tails 85.5-92 (89.0) mm. Paratypical material: 16. Portuguese East Africa, 14; eastern Tan- ganyika Territory, 2. Measurements of the Type: Wing (flattened) 125, culmen 20.5, tarsus 22, tail (moult) 80 mm. Range: Humid coastal area of south-eastern and eastern Africa, ranging from (?) Natal (no recently collected specimens available), Zululand, southern Portuguese East Africa, and the northern parts of the same territory to the littoral of north-eastern Tanganyika Territory (west as far as the Usambara Mts.). Intergrades in coastal Kenya Colony with the small-sized, pale coloured populations of B. e. erythrorhynchus auct., and presumably to the west of its established range with B. e. caffer. Remarks: The name chosen for the new race of Red-billed Oxpecker is from the Greek oxorwos, dark, swarthy, etc., which is descriptive of its darker and more saturated colouration when compared with the other two named races. Acknowledgements We are grateful to Mr. John G. Williams, Ornithologist of the Coryndon Museum, Nairobi, for assistance and the toan of material from eastern and north-eastern Africa. We also extend our profound thanks to Dr. M. Corinta-Ferreira, of the Museu Dr. Alvaro de Castro, Lourencgo Marques, for the loan of the Portuguese East African material housed in the collection of that institution. _ References: t Chapin, James P. Birds of the Belgian Congo, part iv, 1954, p. 177. Grote, H. Ornithologische Monatsberichte, vol. xxxv, 1927, p.13. Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. Birds of Eastern and North Eastern . Africa, vol. ii, 1955, p. 721. Ridgway, R. Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, 1912. Sclater, W. L. Systema Avium Aethiopicarum, part ti, 1930, p. 671. Sclater, W. L. in Jackson, F. Birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate, vol. iii, 1938, p. 1302. ADDENDUM Since the above report on the polytypic variation of Buphagus erythror- hynchus was written, the Durban Museum has received ten further speci- mens from Kenya Colony, collected in January and February, 1961, by our taxidermist, Mr. M. O. E. Baddeley. This additional material con- rms that two perfectly discrete races occur in the territory concerned. Four 3 ¢ 2 from Kachileba, Suam River, north-east of Mt. Elgon, have ' wings 116 (worn), 120, 121, 121.5, whereas 6 3 3 from Garissa, Tana River, “have wings 109.5, 110, 110.5, 111, 111, 113.5 mm. The Garissa birds are also much paler, especially on the ventral surfaces, than those from near Mt. Elgon, and agree with the other xeric populations occurring further east in Somalia in respect of colour and size. P.A.C. W.J.L. I i» a Vol. 81 132. 1961 The relationship of the Guinea-Fowls Agelastes meleagrides Bonaparte and Phasidus niger Cassin by B. P. HALL Received 21st February, 1961 In West Africa and the Congo two monotypic genera of guinea fowl are recognised: these are Agelastes meleagrides, the White-breasted or — Turkey-like Guinea-fowl of forests from Liberia to Ghana, and Phasidus — niger, the Black Guinea-fowl of the Congo forest from the Cameroons to Ituri. In structure and size the two birds are remarkably alike differing most notably from other guinea-fowl of Numida and Guttera in the texture of the plumage and the length and shape of the tail. From the few field notes available both seem to have similar habits, being denizens of thick forest, very shy, and keeping in small flocks or family parties rather than large flocks like other guinea-fowl. The differences on which the two genera have been recognised lie in the colour and pattern, and in the extent or lack of feathering on the head and neck. The adults of Agelastes have the head and upper neck bare except for a few sparse white feathers on the neck and throat, and the bare skin is recorded as rose-red in life: the lower neck and breast are white and the remainder of the body plumage slate grey with fine vermiculations. In Phasidus there is a band of short, soft black feathers from the nostrils to the hind crown, the sparse feathering of the throat and neck is black and ~ slightly more prolific on the hind neck than in Agelastes: the bare skin is recorded by Bannerman as yellow in life, and by Chapin as light red to pinkish grey on the throat: the plumage is uniform dark, sooty brown, with obsolescent vermiculations. These differences alone seem small grounds for distinguishing two genera and furthermore are not so pronounced in the young. An immature ~ specimen examined of Agelastes has the sparse feathering of the head and neck black with a greater concentration of feathers on the crown following — the line of the band in Phasidus, while younger birds are described as — having the white of the lower neck and breast replaced by blackish-brown feathers with no vermiculations, but with the rest of the plumage more like that of the adult. It seems indeed that the two birds, far from being members of different genera, may be closely related. Mr. R. E. Moreau, who has examined specimens with me, agrees with this view, and when I consulted Dr. J. P. Chapin he replied (in /itt). ‘‘I can readily agree that Agelastes and Phasidus are geographic representatives of one line of the guinea-fowl family and might be included under a single generic name.’’ I therefore propose that Phasidus be considered a synonym of Agelastes and that the Black Guinea-fowl shall be known as Agelastes niger. References: Bannerman, D. A. 1930. Birds of Tropical West Africa, 1: 356-358. WH MUS Chapin J. P. 1932. Birds of the Belgian Congo 1: 657-660. 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AoMey BoM .nodeviW .seuohl’S iG aif Asiaoy A eet RON POMITIRM: CIMA Baa vid P ry 7 _ oan at . Sai i saT | x h » . ee re = cnchelin yainnadp + « : - ee a we so a a CONTRIBUTORS Contributions are not restricted to members of the B.O.C. and should be addressed to the Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, ‘‘Merriewood’’, Seven- oaks, Kent. These should be concise and typed on one side of the paper, double-spaced, with a good margin. The first time a species is mentioned, the scientific generic and specific names should be included. Subsequently ~ the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus. Scientific — names are printed in italics and should be underlined in the typescript. References should be given at the end of the paper. Authors introducing a new name or describing a new species or race should indicate this in their title and display the name prominently in the © text followed by nom. noyv., sp. nov., subsp. nov. as appropriate. In these descriptions, the first introduction of the name should be followed by paragraphs for ‘‘Description’’, ‘‘Distribution’’, ‘‘Type’’, ‘“‘Measure- ments of Type’’, ‘‘Material examined’’ and further sub-headings as required. Proofs must be returned without delay. No changes may be made at this stage, other than corrections. At the discretion of the Editor, the Club will pay for a reasonable number of monochrome blocks, which the contributor may retain for his own use. Contributors are entitled to a maximum of fifty free copies of the Bulletin, supplied only as specifically requested by authors. Those con- tributing to a meeting should hand in their MS. at that meeting; otherwise a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. BACK NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN Applications for back numbers which cost 4s. each, should be made to N. J. P. Wadley, 58 Ovington Street, London, S.W.3. Members who have back numbers of the Bulletin, which they no longer require are requested to send them to N. J. P. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 30s. (payable in advance) or per copy 4s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, C. N. Walter, Finsbury Pavement House, 120 Moorgate, London, E.C.2. CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Miss E. Forster, The Double House, Wiveton, Holt, Norfolk. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1961 21st November, 19th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON ee / \ INU J 1961 mi 7 { “ ‘) z "he PM» 4d. : “URCHASED Yaar wish Volume 81 December No. 9 1961 haha bt : . ‘é By a AORIMANM,LATVTAL. Clip ald Parr eee tf: ups st aA Say ea Peat s ; | Te ae Re 44 ube a ae “ub ma ee te ti fe h a , Le ‘oe I a saps ae PRs ~ vedere) — mae 1k rh Seek ee ae pee ee Ss ee 7 ee hed ies Es i 5 0 NOY 1961 153 PURCHAS Vol. 81 BULLETIN — = OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 8l Number 9 Published: Ist December, 1961 The five hundred and ninety-third meeting of the Club was held jointly with the B.O.U. on Tuesday, 21st November, 1961. Editor of the Bulletin Would contributors kindly note the address of Mr. John Yealland on the back of the Bulletin, as he has now taken over the Editorship. An ovarian tumour in a Mallard by J. V. BEER AND G. W. STOREY Received 27th April, 1961 During the winter 1958/59, a female Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linnaeus, showing marked abdominal distension was observed amongst the collection at the Wildfowl Trust. For some months it was kept under observation but although having great difficulty with flight it was sufficiently agile to avoid capture and in spite of obvious deformity it appeared to pursue a normal existence. The bird was found dead on 24th February 1959 when it was possible to subject it to examina- tion. It was fortunate that the duck was carrying a ring from which it was discovered that it was ringed as a full-grown bird on 30th January 1956 thus establishing that it was at least 33 years old. Pathological Examination External examination revealed that it was in fair condition with normal plumage and weighed 1390 grms. There was an obvious abdominal mass. At post-mortem it was observed that the body showed depletion of sub-cutaneous and visceral fat whilst the blood vessels were distended and prominent. The heart, which was soft and pale, showed no gross abnormality, while _ the lungs exhibited congestion. The liver was friable and showed small _ yellow deposits. There was enlargement of one of the parathyroid glands, _ which was of a dark brown colour. Small quantities of a serous fluid were present in the body cavities. The most significant finding was a large tumour arising from the ovary. The tumour, which was non-capsulated and ovoid in shape, measured approximately 12 x 7 cms. and was attached to the ovarian area by a highly Vol. 81 154 Bulletin B.O.C. Ce ee Fig. 1 Ovarian tumour from a Mallard, which has been cut longitudinally, showing the pedicle and the interna! structure. Fig. 2 The cellular structure of the tumour (x 250) Bulletin B.O.C. 155 Vol. 81 vascular pedicle (Fig. 1). The tumour was white in colour, firm and ’ rubbery in texture, and weighed 400 grms. There were numerous metastatic nodules up to a few millimetres in size on the peritoneal membrane. Histology Sections of the tumour showed it to be a granulosa-cell tumour with characteristic variations in structure. For the most part it consists of (Fig. 2) groups of pale staining rounded or polyhedral cells with a well _ defined nucleus. There is a well defined fibrous stroma carrying thin- walled blood vessels. In parts, the fibrous trabeculae are more pronounced, whilst elsewhere the cell proliferation is such that one sees large sheets of _ cells with only scanty interstitial tissue. Occasionally, there is a tendency to papillary formation and also luteinisation, not uncommon findings in ' such tumours. Degenerative changes are absent and there is little cell atypism. The characteristic ‘‘rosette’’ formation which occurs in this type of tumour was not a feature of this particular specimen. Discussion Ovarian tumours in birds are described by Willis (1948) who states that their examination in the literature has been both sporadic and superficial. Feldman & Olson (1959) in their review of ‘‘Neoplastic Diseases of the Chicken’’ report that various workers had found an incidence of tumours of from 2 to 27 per cent and, in particular, that Eber & Malke (1932) had - found 15 cases of ovarian tumour in a series of 239 (6.4 per cent). The reviewers consider that Seifried (1923) had described a granulosa tumour _1n the chicken. The incidence of tumours in captive wild birds would seem to be lower. Lombard & Witte (1959) in 10,240 autopsies carried out at the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens reported the finding of 139 cases—an incidence of 1.4 per cent. In this series, in which there were 1081 autopsies on the Anseriformes, only three cases showed carcinomas of the genital tract, one of these being an ovarian carcinoma in a Bahama Pintail, Anas bahamensis Linnaeus. Jennings (1959b) reported a series of 680 autopsies on the Anatidae in which he found four cases of tumour and cyst (0.6 per cent) but no ovarian tumour. In free-living wild birds the incidence of tumours is similarly low. In a series of 734 post-mortems, Jennings (1954, 1955 and 1959a) and Jennings & Soulsby (1956 and 1957) reported four cases of tumour and one case of an ovarian cyst in a Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus Linnaeus | 0.7 per cent), while McDiarmid (1956) and Keymer (1958) only reported two cases, neither of which involved the ovary. From the literature the varian tumour would appear to be uncommon. The low incidence of tumours in wild birds may be due, in part at least, 0 the relative short life-span of the birds (McDiarmid 1956). Lombard & itte (1959) noted that an increase of incidence of the disease in captive ild birds paralleled the increased exhibition period which had resulted om improved feeding. The picture is further complicated in the case of ree-living wild birds by a relative lack of fresh material, when the frequency f diagnosis would be expected to be lower than in captive birds. The authors have not discovered any reference to a tumour of the type Vol. 81 156 Bulletin B.O.C. described occurring in the Anatidae. The tumour is a typical ovarian carcinoma of the granulosa-cell type which showed extensive peritoneal metastasis. A healthy duck of this species and age would weigh approxi- mately 1100 grms. based on its linear measurements (Beer, unpublished data), thus indicating a significant degree of malignant cachexia which undoubtedly resulted in death. Summary A malignant ovarian tumour of granulosa-cell type is reported occurring in an adult female Mallard. Comparison is made with the occurrence of tumours in the chicken and in other birds both captive and wild. Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank Professor R. A. Willis for confirmation of the histological diagnosis. References : Eber, A. and Malke, E. (1932) Zeitschr. f. Krebsforsch. 36 : 178. Geschwalstbildungen bein Hausgefliigel. Feldman, W. H. and Olson, C. Jr. (1959) In ‘‘ Diseases of Poultry’’, Eds. Biester, H. E. and Schwarte, L. H. Iowa State College Press. ‘‘ Neoplastic Diseases of the Chick- en’’, pp. 642-700. Jennings, A. R. (1954) J. Comp. Path. Ther. 64 : 356-359. Diseases in wild birds. Jennings, A. R. (1955) Bird Study 2 : 69-72. Diseases in wild birds. Jennings, A. R. (1959a) Bird Study 6 : 19-22. Diseases of wild birds, fifth report. Jennings, A. R. (1959b) In Wildfowl Trust Tenth Annual Report 1957-1958, pp. 37-40. Causes of death of birds at Slimbridge, 1955-1957. Jennings, A. R. and Soulsby, E. J. L. (1956) Bird Study 3 : 270-272. Diseases in wild birds, third report. Jennings, A. R. and Soulsby, E. J. L. (1957) Bird Study 4 : 216-220. Diseases of wild birds, fourth report. Keymer, I. F. (1958) Vet. Rec. 70 : 713-720, 736-740. A survey and review of the causes HF mortality in British birds and the significance of wild birds as disseminators of sease. Lombard, Louise S. and Witte, E. J. (1959) Cancer Res. 19: 127-141. Frequency and types of tumours in mammals and birds of the Philadelphia Zoological Garden. McDiarmid, A. (1956) Bull. B.O.C. 76 : 145-150. Some diseases of free-living wild birds in Britain. Seifried, O. (1923) Zeitschr. f. Krebsforsch. 20 : 188. Das ‘‘Oophoroma folliculare’’ beim Huhn. Ein Beitrag zur Histogenese der epithelialen Ovarialtumoren. Willis, R. A. (1948) ‘‘The Pathology of Tumours’’, p. 510. Butterworth. Further breeding records from Northern Rhodesia (No. 2) by C. W. BENSON AND CAPTAIN CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received Ist May, 1961 INTRODUCTION The present paper is a corollary to that by Benson and Pitman (1958-59). As previously, data are only included for those species for which they are scanty or lacking in Benson and White’s Check List (1957). Eggs recorded as collected are in the British Museum, unless otherwise indicated, while any parents or young birds so recorded are in the National Museum, Bulawayo. Co-ordinates are given for any locality, the position of which is not indicated in the Check List. The nomenclature of that work is followed. We are most grateful to the various persons whose names are mentioned below, in the appropriate context, for information and/or specimens. Bulletin B.O.C. 157 Vol. 81 | SYSTEMATIC LIST Ixobrychus minutus payesii (Hartlaub). Coll. nestling, 23rd April, 1960, Chilanga, caught locally, brought to C. W. B. It is in pale rufous buff down, except for a few dark brown feathers margined with rufous starting to appear on the mantle and wing- coverts. The outer toe is slightly shorter than the inner toe, as is charac- teristic of the Botaurinae (Bock, Amer. Mus. Novit., 1779, 1956: 12). Ciconia nigra (Linné). B. L. Mitchell observed a young bird in the sandstone gorges, on the north side of the Zambesi, below the Victoria Falls, at 26° 40’ E., on 20th July, 1959. It was able to fly weakly, but allowed approach to within 30 feet, and could not have been more than about two months old. Anastomus lamelligerus lamelligerus Temminck. W. D. C. Brickhill observed a colony of over 100 nests, in reeds border- ing a small lake in the Bangweulu Swamps, in July, 1958. The nests were flimsy platforms made of sticks and grass. Some contained eggs, others very small young. According to T. Keynes, there was a colony of hundreds of nests in reeds near the Machili/Zambesi Confluence, in May, 1959, some containing . eggs, others recently hatched young. By the end of June the young that had survived had flown, though in the meantime heavy toll had been taken of them by local Africans. Bostrychia hagedashia brevirostris (Reichenow). V. J. Barnett found a nest near Livingstone, on the Zambesi above the Victoria Falls, on 21st November, 1959. It was a platform of diameter not more than 15 inches, made of sticks, in a tree overhanging the river, about 10 feet above water-level. It contained one chick covered in fine black down, considered to be about four days old, and one egg. N. J. Carr and J. M. C. Uys found a nest on the Kafue at 14° 38’ S., 26° 11’ E., on 15th January, 1960. It was a frail, thin platform, of diameter only about eight inches, made of fine twigs, without any lining, in a Syzygium guineense tree overhanging the river, and about four feet above water-level. It contained two chicks, in dull black down, with a little white tipping on the throat, and some feathers starting to emerge from | _ Sheath in the area of the wings. Neophron monachus pileatus (Burchell). Mitchell found a nest containing a single chick about two weeks old, in the Kalomo District at about 17° S., 26° E., on 20th August, 1959. The nest was about 15 feet up in a small Acacia tree, on an unburnt open plain. Pellets found in the vicinity contained hooves of a newly born calf both of a Common Duiker (Sy/vicapra grimmia) and a Sharpe’s Grysbok ( Raphi- cerus sharpei), and the false hoof of a Reedbuck (Redunca arundinum), the hairs of all three of these species, and the remains of two rats. B. Donnelly and C. W. B. found a nest containing a single chick, at the Ngambwe Rapids, on the Zambesi, on 27th August, 1959. The nest was 35 feet above the ground, in riparian forest. The chick was still completely in brown down, about seven inches in length, and adjudged to be one week old, Vol. 81 158 r Bulletin B.O.C. Elanus caeruleus caeruleus (Desfontaines). Coll C/3 fresh, 3rd June, 1959, edge of Kafue Flats, on Lochinvar Ranch (Mitchell). Eggs dull surfaced, white, thickly smeared all over with burnt umber and/or permanent brown, on a few obscured greyish blotches; size 38.0 x 30.5, 37.0 x 31.0, 41.0 x 30.3 mm. Nest five feet up, in a sapling of Acacia sieberiana. Mitchell also saw a nest near Livingstone on 21st June, 1959, 35 feet up in an Acacia albida tree. There were two young, barely fledged, on the edge of the nest, while one of the parents was at the top of the tree, plucking fur from a rat, apparently a Mastomys natalensis. Accipiter melanoleucus melanoleucus Smith. Coll. nestling, 2nd October, 1960, Fort Jameson (V. J. Wilson). This specimen was taken from its nest in the top of a Brachystegia manga tree, when almost fully fledged, its one companion managing to fly away. It was kept in captivity until 4th February, 1961, when it died. It is still com- pletely in immature plumage. Another such specimen has been examined by C. W. B., shot by C. S. Holliday at Livingstone on 25th March, 1960, in the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum. Circus aeruginosus ranivorus (Daudin). Coll. C/3 fresh with female parent (with no more eggs to lay), Sth March, 1961, Choma District at 16° 39’ S., 27° O01’ E. (W. F. Bruce- Miller). The nest was in a swamp, one foot above water-level, a platform of coarse grass and reeds, with finer grass on top. Eggs white, smooth without gloss, nest-stained, green inside; size 46.8 x 36.3, 45.3 x 34.9, 48.6 x 36.3 mm. On 3rd March there were only two. C. W. B. saw a pair copulating in a low bush on the edge of a swamp near Kalomo on 8th January, 1958. Later the same day, one of the pair was flushed from a half-completed nest. Actophilornis africanus (Gmelin). There are definite egg-laying records in the Check List for February, May, June and December. Recent records, details of which it is un- necessary to give, indicate egg-laying in the following months :— January, one record; February, one; March, two; April, one; July, one; August, one; November, one. It is evident that this species has no marked breeding season, and this is supported by Nyasaland records (see Benson’s check ~ list, 1953), while R. K. Brooke has provided the following up-to-date information for Southern Rhodesia :— January, four records; February, four; March, six; April, one; May, nil; June, one; July, nil; August, six; September, one; October, one; November, six; December, four. Microparra capensis (Smith). C. W. B., in the Busanga Swamp (not Busango, as spelt in the Check List), 24th June, 1960, observed an adult accompanied by three young — not more than three-quarters of its size. It may be assumed that they were from eggs laid in early May. Charadrius tricollaris tricollaris Vieillot. Coll. C/2 fresh, 17th June, 1960, Chilanga (C. W. B.). The first egg was _ laid on 13th June, and presumably this was a full clutch. They are smooth ~ and dull surfaced, pale cream, much obscured by short fine lines and - i Bulletin B.O.C. 159 Vol. 81 confluent smears of sepia, concentrated in a small cap at the top, in a 5 mm. broad zone near the top, and in another slightly broader zone towards the middle of each egg, on almost obscured light grey, mainly in an underlying girdle around the top; size 29.1 x 22.0, 29.2 x 22.3 mm. They are in fact typical of this species, and see Serle (Bull. Brit. Orn. CL., 76, 1956: 79). Additional breeding records are as follows:— C/2, 22nd September, 1953, Lukusuzi Game Reserve (R. I. G. Attwell); single young birds only about four days old, 28th and 29th August, 1957, in separate localities near Chilanga (C. W. B.); two separate C/2, 6th and 11th September, 1958, Mwekera, near Kitwe (G. Bell-Cross); C/2, 20th September, 1960, Nsefu (C. J. Vernon). Gallinago nigripennis angolensis Bocage. Coll. two C/2, 8th June and 11th June, 1944, Ndola, both with female parents, one egg of first clutch fully shelled but not yet laid, second clutch partly incubated (E. L. Button). The parents have culmen (exposed) 96, 95 mm. respectively. The eggs of the first clutch are pyriform, smooth, with slight gloss, light warm sepia, boldly spotted and blotched warm sepia and raw umber—in one egg a broad girdle around the top—on underlying dull grey and light brownish grey; size 40.8 x 30.4, 40.4 x 30.0 mm. Those of the second clutch are more ovate than pyriform, and narrow- ing at one end, light stone-brown, very boldiy marked, mainly around the larger end, with large twisted confluent blotches and spots of shades of warm sepia, on underlying light grey and pale brownish grey, on one of the eggs also bold markings of raw umber; size 41.3 x 30.5, 42.3 x 30.5 mm. Benson (1959) records a C/2 from the Kafue Flats, and (Ann. Trans. Mus., 21 (2), 1949: 164) a C/I from northern Nyasaland, both being com- plete clutches. Burhinus capensis capensis (Lichtenstein). Attwell found a clutch of two eggs on 25th September, 1960, at Kafwala (14° 50’ S., 26° 10’ E.), in short grass by the edge of a motor-track through Brachystegia woodland. By 6th October one egg had hatched, and twenty- four hours later both had. Uys observed two chicks, still mainly in down, but with wing-feathers just starting to emerge from sheath, on 9th October, 1960, at Ntemwa (14° 22’ S., 26° 02’ E.) on recently burnt bare ground, on the edge of Brachystegia woodland. Mitchell saw two chicks still com- pletely in down, not more than a week old, on 6th November, 1960, at Moshi (14° 24’ S., 26° 10’ E.), in Brachystegia woodland, on ground over which a fierce fire had raged only the previous night. They were quite unharmed, and the question poses itself as to how they had survived. Larus cirrocephalus Vieillot. Coll. C/3 fresh, 4th August, 1960, near Ncheta Island, Bangweulu Swamps (Brickhill). Eggs on a pad of grass on a pile of excavated material by an artificial channel 40 feet wide, one foot above the water-level, and no other nests in the vicinity. One egg was broken and thrown away. Of the other two, both are smooth surfaced, with very slight gloss. One is pale olive-green, sparingly and irregularly marked with raw umber all over, _ on underlying violet-grey. The other is pale /erre verte, boldly and very sparingly blotched, mainly at the top of the large end, with sepia and light Vol. 81 160 Bulletin B.O.C. warm sepia, on underlying pale grey. Size 54.0 x 37.3, 54.2 x 36.3 mm. E. A. Zaloumis had a young bird brought to him on the Zambesi 12 miles downstream from Mwandi, in July, 1959. It still had some down adhering, and was only able to fly very weakly. Pterocles gutturalis gutturalis Smith. Coli. fully shelled oviduct egg, with both parents, 11th August, 1960, Munte Piain, 14° 00’ S., 25° 30’ E. (W. F. H. Ansell). The egg is smooth and fairly glossy, light brown, sparingly spotted and speckled light umber, more thickly at the top of the large end, and with a ‘girdled’ appearance, on underlying violet-slate, also mainly in a zone around the top; size approximately 43.5 x 33.3 mm. It closely resembles eggs of this species from Oldeani, Tanganyika. The female also contained an oocyte of dia- meter 24 mm. The stomach-contents of the parents consisted of seeds only, among which A. Angus, Plant Pathologist, Department of Agriculture, Northern Rhodesia, has identified the following after germination:— legumes, Sesbania sp. (trace only), Crotolaria sp. and Cassia sp.; weed, Achyranthes aspera (trace only); grasses, Leersia hexandra and Rottboelia exaltata (traces only of both); blackjack, Bidens sp. Records by Benson (1959, 1960, and Occ. Papers Nat. Mus. S. Rhod., 3 [24B], 1960: 245) indicate egg-laying during June/October. To these may be added the following :— Kafue Flats, 12th June, 1955, nest with three eggs (Lt.-Col. R. A. Critchiey); 17th September, 1957, two young not yet able to fly, less than half the size of their parents (Uys): Moshi (14° 24’ S., 26° 10’ E.), 8th September, 1960, three very smail chicks, only a few days old, of which by 4th October only one survived, by then about half the ~ size of its parents, but able to fly (Attwell & Uys). W. F. Bruce-Miller states that on his farm near Choma the odd indi- vidual may be seen at any season. But it is mostly in evidence in November, when flocks of 50 or more may be seen flying southward at a height of up to 1,000 feet, in the heat of the day, calling continuously. Occasionally a few individuals wili descend to drink at his dam, and then move on south again. See also Benson (1959), re its presence on the Kafue Flats only from late April to October. G. C. R. Clay, who has many years experience in Barotseland, has seen it only the once there, near Kalabo, during the dry season, and cannot credit that it occurs on the Barotse Plain in the rains, as recorded in the Check List, since practically the whole of the plain is then under several feet of water. It would appear that it is no more than a straggler to Barotseland, and we are unaware of any records from Angola. Pterocles bicinctus bicinctus Temminck. Coll. C/3 dead fresh, with female parent, wing 167 mm., 26th July, 1960, in stony, hilly Brachsytegia woodland, 15 miles north-east of Living- stone (V. J. Barnett). One egg was broken. The other two, which have been returned to the collector, are smooth and slightly glossed, pale pinkish brown, finely speckled ail over, one very sparingly, with light raw umber, © | on underlying rather bolder markings of light violet-grey in one, even bolder of pale grey in the other; size 37.3 x 26.4, 38.5 x 26.3 mm. They are not unlike eggs of P. guadricinctus collected by C. R. S. P. near the Kerio River, to the south of Lake Rudolf. = i \er Bulletin B.O.C. 161 Vol. 81 P. S. Morris saw a pair in the Luangwa Valley (Petauke District) on 16th September, 1960, with three chicks still quite unable to fly. Chrysococcyx caprius (Boddaert). A fledgling, the tail of which was sent to C. W. B. for identification, was shot by L. R. Evans at Serenje on 23rd March, 1958, while being fed by an Oriolus larvatus. Tauraco corythaix schalowi (Reichenow). C. W. B. observed a bird incubating a single egg near Chilanga on 8th December, 1957. The nest was near the top of a Bauhinia tree 15 feet high Another nest was observed in this locality between 15th and 23rd January, 1960, when two eggs were being incubated. It was in a mango tree, 15 feet above the ground. T. C. L. Symmes observed a nest near Lusaka between 9th and 17th January, 1960. This also contained two eggs, and was in a Bauhinia tree, 12 feet above the ground. Mrs. H. Tait saw a nest con- taining two well feathered young at Isoka on Ist February, 1961. Musophaga rossae Gould. C. J. Vernon found a nest at Kasama on 14th September, 1958. It was a large dove-like platform of sticks on the edge of a patch of evergreen forest, 12 feet above the ground. It contained one egg, and on the 18th two. On 6th October one egg was chipping open, and the following day both were doing so. The eggs were pale cream in colour. It is appropriate to expand the record of egg-laying at Kalulushi in October by L. L. Muir, summarised in the Check List. A nest was found by him in dense riparian forest, 10 feet above the ground, on 22nd October, 1955. It was a fair sized platform of sticks and twigs. It contained two white eggs, approximate size 41 x 38 mm. Tockus erythrorhynchus rufirostris (Sundevall). In the Luangwa Valley at 12° 30’ S., 32° 20’ E., on 26th March, 1958, Attwell watched a male bringing food (mostly orthopteran) throughout the day to a nesting hole in a tree of Colophospermum mopane, nine feet above the ground. The open part of the hole consisted of a slit measuring 1? inches vertically and ¢ inch wide. The slit was mudded all round for about one inch. Unfortunately, when the site was re-visited two weeks later, it was found that the tree had been destroyed by elephants. Scotopelia peli Bonaparte. T. Edelman observed a bird at its nest, a shallow platform of sticks containing one egg, on the edge of the Kariba Lake, 25th February, 1959. The nest was only five feet above the level of the rising flood, and would shortly have been inundated. Apus caffer streubelii (Hartiaub). Coll. nestling, 30th December, 1959, Chilanga (C. W. B.). This specimen is fully feathered, and has wing 115 mm. It was found on the floor of the verandah of M. A. E. Mortimer’s house, after the nest (an old one of Hirundo abyssinica) had disintegrated. A broken fresh egg had been found below the nest on 3rd October, while twittering from the interior of the nest was first heard on 29th November. A pair of adults had been around the house regularly since the previous February. Vol. 81 162 Bulletin B.O.C. R. M. Cary (communicated by J. M. Winterbottom) found an old nest of Hirundo abyssinica, containing three eggs of this swift—C/2 is usual—near the Kafue Bridge (Lusaka District) on 30th November, 1949. Motacilla clara torrentium Ticehurst. A. J. Tree found a fresh completed nest, in which no eggs had yet been laid, on the Kawanga River, at 15° 42’ S., 28° 36’ E., on the Zambesi scarp, on 30th August, 1960. It was on a small ledge, under an overhang of rock, four feet above water-level. He found another nest in this locality on 27th September, 1960, containing two eggs. It was placed behind a protruding root, on a bank three feet high, two feet above water-level. E. L. Button collected an immature specimen, still under parental care, tail 68 mm. only, on the Kabompo River at 11° 53’ S., on 10th November, 1960. C. W. B. has compared it with specimens from Southern Rhodesia and eastern Northern Rhodesia, lent by M. P. Stuart Irwin from the National Museum, Bulawayo. It is darker above than the great majority, and may be better placed with M. c. chapini Amadon (Amer. Mus. Novit., 1656, 1954: 4). The only other records of this species from the North- Western Province are from G. Bell-Cross, who saw one on the Kabompo at 12° 04’ S., on 27th July, 1960, while White has seen it at Mwinilunga. Benson (Occ. Papers Nat. Mus. S. Rhod., 3{24B], 1960: 347) records gonad-activity in a pair collected in the Mazabuka District in September (eastern co-ordinate shown incorrectly as 26° 08’ E., instead of 28° 08’ E.). The only record in the Check List is of egg-laying in October. All records point to dry season breeding, and it might be supposed that breeding in the rains, with the danger of nests being flooded out by rivers or streams in spate, would be avoided. However, there is a Nyasaland record of egg- laying in March, as weil as in August/October (Benson’s Check List, 1953). R. K. Brooke has provided the following up-to-date egg-laying records for Southern Rhodesia :— August, one record; September, two; October, one; November, two. The last two are from the very humid Melsetter area, and can certainly be taken as wet-season records. Moreover, Moreau (Fest. Stres., 1949 : 183) states that in the Usambara Mts. nesting takes place at any time of the year, and that the ‘‘long rains’’ of April and May are not avoided. Chlorocichla flaviventris occidentalis Sharpe. Coll. C/2 fresh, 8th November, 1960, Lusaka District at 15° 40’ S., 28° 37’ E. (C. W. B.). Nest on edge of riparian forest, eight feet above the ground. Eggs white, smooth, with slight gloss, with a marbled appearance, very boldly blotched all over with concentrations (confluent at large end) of warm sepia shades, with light and pale raw umber fine streaking and speckling, on underlying light and pale grey, mainly at the large end; size 24.6 x 17.0, 25.2 x 17.2 mm. Muscicapa boehmi (Reichenow). At Isoka, 2nd November, 1960, Mrs. Tait saw young being fed in an old nest of Anaplectes melanotis. A week later, they had apparently left, but on 12th December young were again being fed in the same nest, and on 28th December three fledglings under parental care were seen nearby. Turdus olivaceus stormsi Hartlaub. ¢ } Coll. C/2 fresh, with female parent (with no more eggs to lay), 20th f \ Bulletin B.O.C. 163 Vol. 18 September, 1960, Luela River at 11° 57’ S., 28° 52’ E. Nest a cup made of rootlets and tendrils, up to 2 mm. thick on the outside, less than 1 mm. on the inside. There was much dried mud at the base and in the walls. Di- mensions: external diameter 140, internal 85 mm.; external depth 95, internal 50 mm. Nest 15 feet above the ground in the lateral fork of a tree, in thick riparian forest. Eggs smooth, with slight gloss, pale caerulean blue, one tinged greenish. The blue egg is very scantily marked with a few small spots and specks of raw umber and some small paler smears. The other egg is sparingly spotted all over with pale burnt umber, with a zone of bolder markings around the top, on underlying very sparse spots of pale violet. The nest of this form seems to have only previously been found near Elisabethville (Vincent, /bis, 1947: 189). Psalidoprocne albiceps Sclater. Vernon opened up a nesting tunnel, extending into a small prospector’s pit-wall for about 18 inches, in Brachystegia woodland at Kasama on 3rd January, 1959. It contained a single fresh egg, on a pad of lichen and grass, on top of what was apparently a previous year’s nest. Building was also seen at another similar site on 29th November, 1958. Corvus albicollis Latham. Tree found a single well developed nestling, on a ledge on a limestone cliff, on the Zambesi scarp at 15° 41’ S., 28° 31’ E., on 24th October, 1960. It was not yet able to fly at all, and the shoulders were still in down. Onychognathus morio morio (Linné). Coll. C/3 heavily incubated, 10th December, 1959, from a cliff-face at Msoro, Fort Jameson District, at 13° 36’ S., 31° 54’ E. (V. J. Wilson). Mitchell saw two young only just fledged, being fed by their parents, in the gorges adjacent to the Victoria Falls, on 3rd May, 1959. Nectarinia verticalis viridisplendens (Reichenow). Mrs. Tait reports seeing a fledgling, still with a marked yellow gape- wattle, being fed by its parents at Old Fife on 6th April, 1960. _ Nectarinia olivacea lowei (Vincent). Coll. C/2 heavily incubated, with female parent, 26th October, 1960, Samfya (C. W. B.). One egg was lost. The other, which is badly broken and impossible to measure accurately, is smooth, with slight gloss, pale brown, heavily marked with sepia clouding, with a zone of darker spots around the top of the large end, above a broad brown zone. The nest was in a patch of evergreen forest, six feet above the ground. Pytilia afra (Gmelin). Coll. C/5 heavily incubated, with male parent, 2nd March, 1960, Chilanga (C. W. B.). One egg is larger than the other four, and was rather } more fresh. It measures 18.1 x 13.8 mm., and is attributed to Vidua paradisea. References: Benson, C. W. 1959. Kafue Excursion. Pree. First Pan-Afr. Orn. Congr. : 8-9, Benson, C. W. 1960. Breeding seasons of some game and protected birds in Northern Rhodesia. Black Lechwe, 2(5): 149-158. Benson, C. W. and Pitman, C. R. S. 1958-59. Further breeding records from Northern Rhodesia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 78: 164-166, 79: 14-16, 18-22. Vol. 81 164 Bulletin B.O.C. New name for Estrilda jamesoni benguellensis Delacour by MELVIN A. TRAYLOR Received 5th May, 1961 In his 1943 revision of the Estrildinae, Delacour (1943, Zoologica, 28: 84) united the genera Lagonosticta and Estrilda and in so doing created a number of secondary homonyms. For one of these, Estrilda jamesoni ansorgei (Lagonosticta rhodopareia ansorgei Neumann, 1908, Bul. Brit. Orn. Club, 21: 58) preoccupied by Estrilda shelleyi ansorgei (Pytelia ansorgei Hartert, 1899, Bul. Brit. Orn. Club, 10: 26), he proposed the name Estrilda jamesoni benguellensis. Unfortunately this name is pre- occupied by Estrilda paludicola benguellensis Neumann, 1908, Bul. Brit. Orn. Club, 21: 96. I, therefore, propose as a new name for Estrilda jJamesoni benguellensis Delacour: Estrilda jamesoni kabisombo nom. nov. The name kabisombo is taken from the type locality of the race, Kabi- sombo River, Huila, Angola. Notes on African species of Turdus by C. M. N. WHITE Received 8th March, 1961 1. Inter-relationships in the Turdus olivaceus, abyssinicus, pelios complex. There has been considerable fiuctuation of opinion about the inter- relationships of these thrushes, the number of species to be recognised, and where to attach some of the named geographical forms. Chapin (1953) proposed to arrange them in two species, olivaceus including pelios, and abyssinicus. The latter was regarded as comprising the montane thrushes of tropical East Africa. it appears that in fact one is faced with a group of very closely related birds which could be regarded as forming a single species but for the fact that two quite distinct forms now occur in places together as good species. Some quite different forms are linked by inter- grading series, whilst no intergradation is known between others. The intergrading series run northwards from Angola and Northern Rhodesia extending to Senegal in the west and to Eritrea in the east. This series comprises about seven subspecies. They are certainly a graded clinal series becoming paler in the north of their range, and often by convergence closely resembling superficially 7. libonyanus, and in places occupying a savanna niche where /ibonyanyus does not occur. They cannot be regarded as conspecific with /ibonyanus for they have yellow rather than deep orange | red bills, finely streaked instead of plain throats, and in the Katanga and Northern Rhodesia /ibonyanus and ‘‘pelios’’ stormsi live together. The pelios thrushes can likewise not be regarded as conspecific with abyssinicus for they also overlap in various places, sometimes with a partial ecological and altitudinal replacement, sometimes actually living side by side. The chief question is therefore whether pelios is to be treated as a species, or to be attached, as Chapin proposed, to olivaceus. At first sight there seems to be good reason for this since stormsi and olivaceus are very similar, and the latter is in fact apparently a stormsi with more melanin, giving it a much more dusky olive upperside, a dusky olive breast contrasting with the rufous abdomen very sharply instead of Bulletin B.O.C. 165 Vol. 81 merging into it, and a darker rufous abdomen. The objections to treating olivaceus and pelios as conspecific are two. Firstly olivaceus is geographi- cally widely separated from pelios; from the north Transvaal to northern ~ Northern Rhodesia there is no representative, for swynnertoni of the montane forests of east Southern Rhodesia is one of the abyssinicus group of thrushes. This gap in distribution is not a fatal barrier to treating the two as conspecific when the overall resemblance of o/ivaceus to stormsi is considered. More difficult however is the even greater resemblance between some of the southern olivaceus and members of the abyssinicus group. Thus | find 7. a. bambusicola an almost perfect replica of T. o. pondoensis differing in little more than its more olive, less dusky back. Similarly nominate abyssinicus and T. 0. smithii are almost exactly alike - except for the greatly reduced rufous on the abdomen in smithii. On the whole members of the montane abyssinicus group also have blacker lores and orbital regions than the pelios group, and olivaceus whilst somewhat intermediate is often as black there as some abyssinicus. Thus the southern olivaceus are in fact at least as similar to some of the abyssinicus group as they are to the pelios group. The southern o/ivaceus do not intergrade with either pelios or abyssinicus owing to gaps in ranges; the resemblance _ between pelios and olivaceus is greater than that between abyssinicus swynnertoni and olivaceus, although the latter are geographically closer to each other. On a purely subjective judgment one would conclude that olivaceus could interbreed equally easily with pelios stormsi or with the abyssinicus forms noted above. In my view it is logically impossible to attach olivaceus either to pelios or to abyssinicus since it appears equally closely related to certain forms of both. Under these circumstances it _ seems best to treat olivaceus as specifically distinct from either. 2. The components of the T. abyssinicus group. Variation in this species consists of partly random and non-clinal variation between isolated populations. From Ethiopia to Kenya and south west to Kivu and Mt. Kabobo the populations have rufous abdo- mens (abyssinicus, baraka, bambusicola); the rufous on the underside largely disappears in most of the East African montane forms (oldeani, deckeni, milanjensis, nyikae). {t reappears to some extent though in a more ochreous than rufous shade in swynnertoni in Southern Rhodesia. I consider the following, of whose position there has been difference of opinion, forms of T. abyssinicus. (a) helleri, which only differs in having a black head. (b) /udoviciae, which is a grey form without rufous below. Always hitherto treated as a separate species, this bird appears to be merely a very distinct form of abyssinicus. (c) menachensis. (d) nigrilorum and poensis. Chapin attached this pair to his olivaceus which included pelios. However in the Cameroons pelios and nigri/orum occur quite close to each other without intergradation, just as pelios and abyssinicus do in the eastern Congo and Ethiopia. A large part of the Cameroon mountain avifauna is derived from, and very closely related to that of the East African mountains which would suggest that nigrilorum is a form of abyssinicus. The pronounced black loral region seems to confirm this, since it is characteristic of most forms of abyssinicus. There is no obvious reason for treating nigri/orum as anything but a form of abyssinicus. Vol. 81 166 — Bulletin B.O.C. 3. Turdus libonyanus. The opportunity of examining a very large series of this species from South and Central Africa has given me the opportunity to reconsider the — geographical variation about which there has been much difference of opinion in recent years. Over the greater part of the range this is very slight, and I cannot find any constant differences between nominate birds from the Transvaal and long series from Southern and Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Some are slightly warmer and richer than others, and this is perhaps more common in the north of the range, but there is no constant difference to justify the separation of niassae from libonyanus. No doubt has been cast upon the validity of the pale verreauxi and this form extends into south west Barotseland and the Caprivi Strip where the population is unstable. T. /. chobiensis is based upon these unstable popu- lations of that area. North of the Zambezi opposite the Caprivi the popu- — lation in Sesheke and up stream from the Victoria Falls is not however verreauxi but proves to be identical with nominate /ibonyanus. The south east of the species’ range presents exceptionally interesting variations. 7. /. peripheris Clancey is indeed a very saturated form as Clancey claimed, although an occasional specimen from elsewhere may match it in this respect. A short distance further north in southern Portu- — guese East Africa tropicalis is almost as pale as verreauxi but has more rufous flanks although they are lighter than in the nominate form. In view of the great uniformity of populations over most of the large range of this thrush, the juxtaposition of two contrasting extremes in this area is remarkable, and both peripheris and tropicalis should be recognised on — the characters given. 4. Turdus litsipsirupa. Examination of long series shows beyond any doubt that Clancey’s form pauciguttatus is well founded both on the sparser spotting of the ~ underside and the paler and purer grey, less brownish tinged upperside. | Birds from Barotseland do not however show these characters and seem to be the nominate form. The difference between the nominate form and stierlingi are very slight. Neither denser spotting nor buffier underside are sufficiently marked to justify its recognition, but it can be upheld on its generally shorter bill. I am greatly indebted to the National Museum, Bulawayo and to the Durban Museum for the loan of material of these thrushes, and to Mr. C. W. Benson for examining them with me. Notes on Oenanthe pileata (Gmelin) by C. M. N. WHITE Received 24th April, 1961 There are two topics of interest concerning this wheatear—its geo- graphical variation and its migratory movements. The two should be considered together, but the latter has received little attention; the geo- graphical variation has been discussed several times with scanty agreemen as to what distinguishes the two forms which have been generally accepted (pileata and livingstonii). Most writers consider that /ivingstonii is smaller than the nominate for - Bulletin B.O.C. 167 Vol. 81 and Chapin (1953) quotes no other difference. Undoubtedly birds from north of the Limpopo average smaller, but since wing measurements overlap (males of /ivingstonii 90-97 against 91-104 in pileata) this is in- sufficient for formal separation. Livingstonii is said by some writers to have less white on the forehead, but this character seems to me to be quite inconstant and a matter of individual variation. Macdonald (1952) re- ported differences in the colour of the upperside; /ivingstonii was said to be more sepia, less warm fawn above, whilst a new form, neseri, was said to be lighter and more drab grey, less sepia, than /ivingstonii. However there is doubt about the range and characters of the new form. In 1956 the S.A.O.S. List Committee considered that birds from most of the range of neseri are inseparable from /ivingstonii, and in 1959 Clancey claimed that neseri is really a dark and not a pale form. In 1934 Lynes had observed that birds from Iringa were unusually dusky above but others from Kenya quite light. I have not re-examined specimens of neseri but have had available good series of the nominate form and of pi/eata, and do not find these supposed colour variations at all constant. As with all wheatears wear and abrasion produces rather marked changes. I agree with McLachlan and Liversidge that this makes worn /ivingstonii often rather greyer and less warm than the nominate form, but it is impossible to judge how far this is due to different effects of actinic action in different parts of the range. A single bird from Hanang in Tanganyika shows the rather dusky upperside noted by Lynes for his Iringa birds. The fact that Macdonald and Hall (1957) _ refer Kaokoveld birds to neseri whilst the S.A.O.S. List Committee refer _ the same birds to /ivingstonii, and that Macdonald regarded neseri as a _ pale form, whilst Clancey regards it as a dark form, shows that there is a - considerable subjective element in the assessment of supposed colour differences. Mr. Benson who examined these birds with me shares my own view that no clear cut colour differences can be used to distinguish sub- species. I consequently believe that a binomial designation is preferable at present. This decision is not however based solely upon the doubt as to whether colour differences of a sufficiently constant degree exist. O. pileata is a bird of migratory habits over much of its range. The Check List of Birds of the S.W. Cape (1955) state that it is resident there; McLachlan and _ Liversidge describe it as resident throughout southern Africa except in the _ south east coastal areas where it is uncommon during the colder months. _ This last statement is not in fact strictly true for in Southern Rhodesia it is a dry season visitor from mid May to November. This migratory habit with similar dates is equally true for Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland and the Katanga. The non breeding quarters of these dry season breeding _ Visitors to central Africa is not known, but birds in post juvenile and post breeding moult have been collected in Tanganyika on dates when the species is absent from Northern Rhodesia, and birds collected in South West Africa from December to early May illustrate the transition from - worn to fresh plumage following breeding. Either of these series both in terms of dates and of moult could thus represent the breeding populations of central Africa. However the species also breeds in East Africa and Jack- ; son has recorded two breeding seasons in Kenya, one of which April-June ; { — = Pen er es Vol. 81 168 | Bulletin B.O.C. overlaps the central African breeding period, whilst the other (December and January) is a period when pileata is absent from central Africa. There is of course no reason why defined subspecies of this wheatear should not be delineated in due course. The different populations certainly exhibit physiological differences since they are resident in the south western Cape, highly migratory over a great area of central Africa, and are presumably resident and have a double breeding period in Kenya. On account of the migratory habit over a wide area, non breeding birds or birds in post juvenile and post breeding moult collected in other parts of the total range cannot be assumed to be breeding birds of the locality in which they are collected. Clancey has drawn attention to anomalous specimens in South Africa which he suggests are migrants from other ~ areas. This is possible; equally they may be aberrant individuals of a local population since individual variation is high. Consequently I believe that further light must be thrown on the winter quarters of the central African birds before any sound analysis of geographical variation can be attempted. I am indebted to the National Museum, Bulawayo for the loan of a long series of specimens, and to Mr. C. W. Benson for examining them with me. Albinistic patterning in the Mallard, Muscovy, Mandarin and Salvadori’s Ducks by JAMES M. AND JEFFERY G. HARRISON Received 10th April, 1961 There appear to be certain latent recurring albinistic characters in some species of the Anatidae, which exhibit a linked association in some in- dividuals. These characters show a constant symmetrical pattern, which argues that they are not just haphazard instances of the pied state, such © as one would expect to result from the mating of a white with a normal — individual; from such a mating the progeny usually exhibit pied mosaics and may be classed as accidental variation. Illustrating this note are shown five instances of the condition in the Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linnaeus, all of which are drakes. From these it is apparent that the condition is one of a varying — degree of three distinct characters and that in all but the minimal, strikingly symmetrical white wing-tips combine to produce a remarkable variant. The characters presented by the five specimens shown range from an ~ entirely normally coloured individual (Fig. 1.1) except for the presence of a small white chin spot; the white semi-ring of the neck, which is such a familiar character of the Mallard drake is of normal extent. From this stage the variant passes through that condition shown by the next specimen (Fig. 1.2) in which both of these characters are seen in a more extensive © form, and in which the longest, but not all of the primaries, are white. The next stage presents as an individual in which the chin spot and the white at the root of the neck are beginning to coalesce (Fig. 1.*), and in which — all the primaries are white and part of the alula. From this stage the next (Fig. 1.4) is reached in which the lower half of the neck is white, and in — the wings not only are all the primaries white, but also the secondaries — forming the speculum, the alula and a few greater wing-coverts. In this 3 i ———— ee | ; Bulletin B.O.C. 169 Vol. 81 stage of the variant there is a striking similarity to the neck pattern of the adult drake Shoveler, Anas clypeata Linnaeus, which incidentally shows a white neck ring in some drakes in transition plumage from juvenile to first winter plumage, thus resembling the Mallard (1). Both these characters therefore demonstrate the close affinity existing between the Mallard and the Shoveler and fully support the suppression of the genus Spatula for the latter species. : The fully developed pattern of this Mallard variant is shown in Fig. 1.°. with virtually complete fusion of chin-spot and white at the root of the neck, with fully white primaries, alula and secondaries, though still with the majority of the wing-coverts normally coloured, as are the upperparts. The underparts as can be seen are somewhat leucistic over the belly. It is to be noted that specimens No. 2-5 have all arisen from normally coloured birds, which were placed on Bradbourne Lakes, Sevenoaks, approximately twenty years ago. No white ‘‘call-duck’’ have ever been put on to this water and the albinistic pattern has developed spontaneously, particularly during the past six years and presumably as the result of in-breeding, as the stock is very sedentary. We have other examples in both sexes and new ones occur annually. The first bird in the photograph was wild-shot by Dr. David Harrison at Otford, Kent. As is well known in-breeding, without any special effort, and selective in-breeding in this species are both responsible for the production of variants of various kinds, including the so-called ‘‘Cayuja’’ Mallard and such types as the “‘pepper and salt’’ variety, isabelline and other leucistic varieties and a melanistic type. It is equally well known that many such varieties are of peculiarly local distribution owing to the fact that the Mallard in domestication is of singularly sedentary habit. These conditions and results are readily understandable and in them- selves might appear sufficient. However, when one realises that a precisely similar combination of homologous characters can occur in other species, then it is evident that this circumstance alone takes the phenomenon outside the category of accidental variation and stresses the desirability of further consideration. The other species in which one or more of this set of homologous characters occur are the Mandarin Duck, Aix galericulata (Linnaeus), Salvadori’s Duck, Anas waigivensis Rothschild and Hartert, the domestic Muscovy Duck, Cairina moschata Linnaeus and the White-winged Wood Duck, Cairina scutulata, 8. Miiller, the European Green-winged Teal, Anas c. crecca Linnaeus, the Chilean Teal, Anas f. flavirostris Vieilliot? and various diving duck, Netta and Aythya species, while one of us (J.G.H.°) recorded an instance of symmetrical white wings in a wild adult drake Goosander, Mergus merganser merganser (Linnaeus) which is the only instance of this particular variant known to us in the diving duck species. The condition in the Mandarin is shown in the accompanying photo- graph. Both were bred in captivity by Dr. Edmund Gleadow and the drake shows a very distinctive white chin and neck spot corresponding to Stage 2 of the Mallard, while the duck corresponds to Stage 5 of the Mallard. Both of these Mandarins had white primaries on the unpinioned wing and would presumably have been symmetrical. We have a third example in an intersex, also from Dr. Gleadow. Vol. 81 170 Bulletin B.O.C. - The Muscovy Duck has become heavy and coarse under domestication and various colour changes have occurred. We have one example in which the head and neck corresponds closely to our Stage 5 of the Mallard and this bird also has several white primaries. Many Muscovy Ducks at the present time have totally white heads and necks and symmetrical white primaries. The closely-related White-winged Wood Duck shows a vairable degree of whiteness on the head and neck, but in the majority there is a marked tendency for the white to concentrate into a neck ring and the chin in all fourteen wild-killed examples in the British Museum and in the two we have from the Wildfowl Trust is white. We have seen none with any trace of white primaries. We have also examined ten examples of Salvadori’s Duck, six were wild taken in New Guinea, now in the British Museum, three were from the Wildfowl Trust collection and the tenth was presented to us by the Wild- fowl Trust. These last four birds were from the collection of Sir Edward Hallstrom at Nondugl and were presented by him to the Trust, with eleven others, some of which survive. Two of the wild-taken females show traces of a white chin spot as does an adult drake in the Wildfowl Trust collection, but the adult drake presented to us shows both a white chin spot and a white neck spot, corresponding to the Mandarin drake illustrated. As in the case of the Mallard, both Muscovy and Mandarin Ducks have come under domestication and all three are under the same artificial stresses. This may well apply to the rare Salvadori’s Duck and we believe that it is under these circumstances that the remarkable and constant albinistic patterning becomes revealed, as the result of inbreeding. At this point it is useful to enumerate the species in which the characters under discussion occur, either as part of a species’ normal morphology or as a recurring homologous expression, examples of variants occurring in the wild state being marked with an asterisk. (1) Symmetrical white primaries. These are found normally only in the swans* including the Black Swan, Cygnus atratus (Latham). As a variant, this character is found in the Mallard*, Muscovy, Man- darin and Goosander*. (2) White chin spot. This character is more widely distributed and is found as a constant character in the Ferruginous Duck*, Aythya nyroca (Giildenstadt). It is also present in a number of Tufted Duck*, A. fuligula (Linnaeus), Pochard*, A. ferina (Linnaeus), Scaup*, 4. marila (Linnaeus) New Zealand Scaup, A. novae-zeelandiae (Gmelin) and the Red-crested Pochard*, Netta rufina (Pallas). | It is found as a variant character in the Mallard*, Salvadori’s Duck*, — Mandarin Duck and Muscovy Duck. (3) White neck spot. In its strictest sense, this character is not found normally in any duck species, if one excludes the white semi-ring of the drake Mallard. It is our considered opinion that when seen in other species, the white neck spot is homologous to this character in the Mallard and this interpretation of it would infer that the Mallard is to be regarded as a species of considerable antiquity. Bulletin B.O.C. 171 Vol. 81 We have found white neck spots or semi-rings as variants 1n the following species :— European Green-winged Teal*, Yellow-billed Teal*, Mandarin Duck, Gadwall*, Anas strepera Linnaeus', Salvadori’s Duck, White-winged Wood Duck and Muscovy Duck. A white neck ring also occurs as a transient character in some eclipse drake Pintail*, Anas acuta Linnaeus and in immature to first winter drake Shoveler*, Anas c/ypeata Linnaeus. (4) The characters in combination. All three characters have only been found in combination in the Mallard, Muscovy Duck and Mandarin Duck. The white chin and neck spots are found in combination in these three and in Salvadori’s Duck. The development of the albinistic patterning is shown therefore to be a graduated phenomenon, associated with in-breeding in domestication, but also occurring to a lesser degree in the wild state. Acknowledgements. We would like to thank Mr. J. D. Macdonald for facilities to study specimens in the British Museum (Natural History); also Fig. 1.—Albinistic Patterning in the Mallard Lower bird: 12th October, 1958: Otford, Kent. All others :— 16th March, 1958: Sevenoaks. Kent. Mr. Peter Scott and the Wildfowl Trust for the presentation of a Sal- vadori’s Duck and the loan of others. The following also provided us with valuable specimens:— Dr. E. Gleadow, Dr. David Harrison, Lt. Cdr. A. S. McLean, the late Mr. Foster Stubbs, Mr. John Wardell and Captain J. V. Wilkinson, R.N. Sevenoaks Urban District Council granted us Vol. 81 eZ Bulletin B.O.C. EEE BE Fig. 2.—Albinistic Patterning in the Mandarin Left :— 25th February, 1961. 2nd year drake. Right :— 26th February, 1961. Ist year duck. permission to collect and study the Mallard on Bradbourne Lakes and Mrs. Pamela Harrison took the photographs for us. We are most grateful to them all. Postscript Since going to press, we have received a further drake Mandarin with white primaries from Dr. E. Gleadow, bred this year it is an immature drake Mallard, shot by Mr. J. Wilde on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent on 30th September, 1961, which has a white breast shield, but is otherwise in normal juvenile plumage. We are very grateful to both these gentlemen for the specimens. References: 1 Harrison, J. M. and J. G. ‘‘Evolutionary Significance of certain Plumage Sequences in Northern Shoveler.’’ Bull. B.O.C., Vol. 79, pp. 135-42. 1959. 2 Harrison, J. M. and J. G. ‘‘The White Neck Spot Variant in the European Green- winged Teal and the Yellow-billed Teal.’’ Bull. B.O.C., Vol. 78, pp. 104-5. 1958. 3 Harrison, J. G. ‘‘Symmetrical Albinism in Bird’s Wings.’’ Bull. B.O.C., Vol. 73, ip. NOS. 958% 4 Harrison, J. M. and J. G. ‘‘Plumage Variants in drake Gadwall’’ Bull. B.O.C., Vol. 79, pp. 78-9. 1959. Keo S§ ows peeps ri hci ae ‘4 Aba Deb ‘iD ot yp ieriatt te 3 od iyo: 29849 eioeeA nobrnot te BIT On B tiv Tents aa >, ‘eee dt i obie SO MO/ ‘boqy t boas bis. oi ve, onions “eke Aestotinan ai 2oidage w oxtit teva . oe orn ort! hefidotieedn? .bobulonied blued: ile og SOuTIBT oilmeiod .euneg oil] to stro a2 conver Iptszeqy? elt oi! Lanilrs oD chit 71a boinen; wont Nh XO orig wan 8 pniaub ONT oruA wary oleae onetsee ons enlqrib-bine, otis iiss i Zit? Sanoibai blyosds ary. THIGH 8 vou di wow Mae .wron amen yd bewollo} IxS3 Mod b ile otras: OAD, 0. telsK bouni seni it anoisqivaeeb er* ino ivucden ad “poigrosaG'* wt ederiog ene tails ait bens Set iad lehste’? , oqyTt Io tino Ler tee a ; , bs WPT , od ar patie ov ualeb wile FW ravaten is od — dtoord, 2 if ye AOenaeib ory yA eronostioo malt srl} ant zifiy Sinorriso tor + % wdiewn cidaaoenes & 103 yeq Uiw auld bij ~ AGald pero eid TOR nigiot yam 10judhineo oT iii jo frueixain & of boli sta 8 aiGdnine) etodius yd beizoupsr vol Hooge 28 vitro boilqetre wits Pot a go0 tert 58 2M vier rt bast bluotz Bul 3990 £02 onity noltudietros ost) sarangi barreeni ad fiw hea | My bs Q | at @ 1 cid ros, : sg ars ; my LS VAVRISUS ay 4O 250 BaMUiM- ADAP . Bisatle (floss: Joo) riot evedenan coed 10} enoitscilqqgA ae el ed We nebo d joo noargnivO 82 svalbeW TUM Siupes toxnol on ya doth r seats tina x13 lo Modtoud Mond | gabe . % 1.108 sod) base of VATASATS pea W p30 Tt vilewne isdunpeme Ts Laeave ol Ee ‘as oT] od Yeon rival sd'T st Taras Al not “Hho 1 Stdave he ¥YQOD 39q OARVDE OT ae. we wohiod ‘atggiooll 08 oeue?! InomaV Ct yivdentt 2 AGATA a ‘ i Bistsee tah 4: ry on ntheditise oth bined Hetinogesi1o> tartrO HtohoV aaa nodaviv - HOO oT roto 4 E ad i Lic ! i€ is fae} aa cw ert BAN PRAM IIG . Kiel po ne : ‘Tediwonl] dy?! a, r | san mae “ATG ay sd 3 mis be 1 AE . ata 4 VALE A as sitalide’ a x aA A? rte we dl fine , 2 ; ath rey )s 7y ee “! me ; ie *. J . is Fels i. * ‘ep ae ," 7 ‘ ; Su > f.c-- 2. CONTRIBUTORS Contributions are not restricted to members of the B.O.C. and should be addressed to the Editor, Mr. John Yealland, The Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, N.W.1. 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Forster, The Double House, Wiveton, Holt, Norfolk. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1961 19th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent. ey * “poet ts! ne oa, «> A Cre! cele ys f 4 + ry oe on FY eu, BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB (Founded Sth October, 1892) TITLE and OBJECTS The objects of the Club, which shall be called the ‘‘British Orni- thologists’ Club’’, are the promotion of scientific discussion be- tween Members of the British Ornithologists’ Union and others interested in ornithology, and to facilitate the publication of scientific information connected with ornithology. 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