SAened Ssreeeear ss Sere gticist ite 1 igtehrres — o cro <3 + ° =: es ‘ =o me Re 5333 seesa eee stistit ; 27) ‘ > a Tass tole ore Heitss aehes ; begs + ates etre $3 re cor al Ser iter sstitis oh its topo re) os ¢ ged pegs sis po + oe + : $053. Bo BULLETIN ’ . Pat , } ; “ 7 ss ie itn Gaye taut oe : or Yee . / ~ BRITISH MITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB FOWR Hs YRALLAN D: iF e4 pe ‘ rie: | — isi is Ba , Cee mua 4 ‘ ie ; 7 g , _ ee Pe ee ; ; ; my A ° a i Lian WO q, a rine » . < y BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB EDITED BY Purine? oY PAE LAND Volume 84 1964 PRICE FOUR SHILLINGS PREFACE ATTENDANCE at the meetings held during 1964 numbered 290 members and guests. To Mrs. B. P. Hall we are once again extremely grateful for her compilation of this Index; to those who have supported the Bulletin with so interesting a variety of papers and to the speakers at our meetings we all feel a warm appreciation. The Caxton and Holmesdale Press has continued to give us valued co-operation and a special word of gratitude is due to the Manager, Mr. K. E. Wiltsher. J. J. YEALLAND. ili COMMITTEE 1964 Major-General C. B. WAINWRIGHT, Chairman (elected 1962) R. S. R. Fitter, Vice-Chairman (elected 1962) J. J. YEALLAND, Editor (elected 1962) C. J. O. HARRISON, Secretary (elected 1964) P. TATE, Treasurer (elected 1962) Mrs. B. P. HALL (elected 1962) P. HoGG (elected 1962) Sirk HUGH ELLIoTT (elected 1964) M. L. R. Romer (elected 1964) 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. MACK WORTH-PRAED 1956-1959 Captain C. R. S. PITMAN 1959-1962 Maj.-Gen. C. B. WAINWRIGHT 1962- Vice-Chairmen LORD ROTHSCHILD 1930-193] W. L. SCLATER 1931-1932 H. F. WITHERBY 1932-1933 G. M. MATHEWS 1933-1934 N. B. KINNEAR 1934-1935 iv Vice-Chairmen—cont. H. WHISTLER D. SETH-SMITH Colonel R. SPARROW Dr. G. CARMICHAEL LOW Hon. Guy CHARTERIS W. L. SCLATER Dr. D. A. BANNERMAN Captain C. H. B. GRANT B. W. TUCKER F. J. F. BARRINGTON Dr. E. HOPKINSON C. W. MACK WORTH-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 E. M. NICHOLSON Captain C. R. S. PITMAN Mrs. B. P. HALL R. S. R. FITTER 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 J. J. YEALLAND 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 1959-1962 1962- 1892-1904 1904-1914 1914-1915 1915-1920 1920-1925 1925-1930 1930-1935 1935-1940 1940-1945 1945-1947 1947-1952 1952-1961 1962- V 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. CLEGG Miss G. M. RHODES N. J. P. WADLEY Miss E. FORSTER Dr. J. G. HARRISON C. J. O. HARRISON Honorary Treasurers C. W. MACK WORTH-PRAED Major A. G. L. SLADEN Miss E. P. LEACH C. N. WALTER P. TATI 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 1960-1962 1962-1964 1964— 1935-1936 1936-1942 1942-1949 1950-1962 1962- Vi LIST OF MEMBERS AS AT 3lst OCTOBER, 1964 Amended as follows: New Members Bopy, S., c/o B.T.O. Beech Grove, Tring, Herts. Buck, W. F. A., Hill Farm, Stockbury, Nr. Sittingbourne, Kent. CUTHBERTSON, G. B., The Bath Club, 41 Brook Street, London, W.1. Fossey, H. B., 16 Keynsham Avenue, Woodford Green, Essex. Grecory, A. R., P.O. Box 24884 Karen, Kenya. Grimes, L. G., Physics Dept., University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. HuGHEs, Mrs. A., East Farm, Hammoon, Sturminster Newton, Dorset. KENNEDY, Maj.-Gen. Sir JOHN N., G.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., K.B.E., C.B., M.C. | Belgrave Place, London, S.W.1. MeEapD, C. J., c/o B.T.O., Beech Grove, Tring, Herts. RipGway, R. H., 3 Deepdale, Parkside Avenue, London, S.W.19. ZISWILER, Dr. V., Zoological Museum of the University of Zurich, Kunstlergasse 16, Zurich, Switzerland. Resigned LAMM, D. W. ARKELL, J. PEASE, H. J. R. BROMLEY, R. RANKIN, Dr. M. N. Coursiw:, J... TONGUE, P. HALDANE, L. A. ULFSTRAND, Dr. S. Excluded BAIRD, D. E. DuFFIN, C. J. Beck, J. R. Woopwarp, I. D. W. Died The Committee regret to announce the death of the following members :— Dr. James P. Chapin, R. Chislett, Esq., Dato Loke Wan Tho, H. Stevens, Esq. LIST OF AUTHORS Page ACCOUNTS, FINANCIAL AND REPORT OF COMMITTEE a bs apa - 78-80 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING hes f.3 cee mae og r w 98 BANNERMAN, DAVID On the status of Puffinus assimilis baroli in the Azores archipelago .. 111-112 BENSON, C. W. The European and African races of Baillon’s Crake, Porzana pusilla. . 2-5 The species of Cercococcyx in Mwinilunga, Northern Rhodesia < 5-7 Alcedo quadribrachys and A. semitorquata in the North-Western Pro- vince of Northern Rhodesia cs is ht ' ry .. 67-69 A new subspecies of Pink-billed Lark, Calandrella conirostris from Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia nae Ay an if .. 106-107 Some further records from Barotseland .. sa rh - a: 108 BENSON, C. W. and HOLuipDay, C. S. Some further records from the North-Western Province of Northern Rhodesia. .. Ni, J bs =: is - a = o-70 Sarothrura affinis and some other species on the Nyika Plateau . JSt=132 BENSON, C. W. and IRwIn, M. P. STUART The African subspecies of the Great Crested Grebe .. ue .. 134-137 BENSON, C. W. and PITMAN, C. R. S. Further breeding records from Northern Rhodesia (No. 4) .. .. 54-60 BOuRNE, W. R. P. On the occurrence and nomenclature of certain petrels in North America 114-116 Vil Page BROOKE, R. K. On the races of the White-rumped Swift Apus caffer .. ” .»” 62-64 Burton, P. J. K. A marsh on the Caspian... bi 4 3 _ ry Aa 99 CLANCEY, P. A. On Fringilla cinnamomea Lichtenstein 1842 39 On variation in the Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator (Sparrman) 84-87 On the original description of Passer iagoensis motitensis Smith or 110 On the races of the Whimbrel Numenius it wintering in south- eastern Africa oF éa ¥ ns + Ji .. 138-140 CLAY, THERESA Geographical distribution of the Mallophaga (Insecta) ~? & 14-16 CoMINS, DEREK M. Nesting materials used by Cisticola juncidis (Rafinesque) .. 141-142 DEIGNAN, H. C. A new race of the Alpine Accentor, Prunella collaris, from Formosa 39-40 DELACOuR, JEAN Pheasants 3! axl a xm f xt 1 .. 97-98 DowsetTT, R. J. and TREE, A. J. The occurrence of ‘Neophron percnopterus in Northern Rhodesia yxuet 32-54 Goopwin, DEREK Some aspects of nesting behaviour in Estrilda_ .. me m .. 99-105 See also PITWELL, L. R. GRIMWOOD, IAN The Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Merops nubicus Gmelin using animal perches... “a a a bs us 4 .. 105-106 HALL, B. P. and Moreau, R. E. Notes on Andropadus masukuensis Shelley and the status of Andropadus tephrolaema kungwensis (Moreau) a a6 he _ .. 133-134 HarRISON, C. J. O. The distribution, within the eggshell, of the pigments on egg coloration 17-20 Moults and colour change in the Pin- tailed Whydah, Vidua macroura 21-25 HARRISON, JAMES M. Further comments on hybridisation between the European Wigeon and Northern Shoveler .. 30-39 A case of spontaneous rupture of the left auricle in a Great Crested Grebe and two other species of birds .. is" +f o: .. 108-110 Harrison, JAMES M. and HOvEL, HAIM On the taxonomy of Afthene noctua in Israel i ind di wep GI-94 Ho.uipay, C. S. See BENSON, C. W. HOoGERWERF, A. On birds new for New Guinea or with a larger range than previously known te * by te: F x 4» &« + 70-77 94~96 118-124 142-148 153-161 Hove, Haim The Chestnut-banded Sand-Plover in Israel! - ' 105 See also HARRISON, JAMES M. Husain, K. Z. House Crow’s nest in a house * he : 9-1] Vill Page IRWIN, M. P. STUART See BENSON, C. W. JOHNSON, A. W. Notes on the African Finfoot, Podica senegalensis (Vieillot) and the Chilean Torrent Duck, Merganetta a.armata Gould .. Fs .. 148-149 The Giant Coot Fulica gigantea Eydoux and Souleyet ay .. 170-172 KEITH, STUART A. new subspecies of Spreo albicapillus (Blyth) from Kenya .. .. 162-163 LAWSON, WALTER J. Note on the Paradise Flycatcher iad viridis (Miller) in south- ern Africa 46-47 Instability of feather pigmentation in the White ‘Helmet Shrike Prionops plumatus. . rt ye : : . 117-118 MARKus, MILEs B. Intestinal caeca in the South African Columbidae ee Be .. 137-138 Moreau, R. E. The re-discovery of an African owl Bubo vosseleri 4 4 .. 47-§2 See also HALL, B. P. PARKER, SHANE A. Taxonomic position of the genus Culicicapa Swinhoe Aiea aay 4546 The identity of Antiornis grahami Riley ~ ; ; .. 113-114 PITMAN, C. R. S. A further note on the egg of the Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius Stephens... <4 ime * .. 140-141 See also BENSON, C. W. and VERNON, ae 8 PITWELL, L. R. and GOODWIN, DEREK Some observations on pigeons in Addis Ababa .. - he .. 41-45 SAGE, BRYAN L. Comments on colour varieties in the Golden Plover .. mt + 7-9 Mottled plumage in the genus Corvus... = sa 7 eee A New Zealand Scaup X Tufted Duck .. hes = o: .. 149-152 Seorr, R. E. Partial albinism in a Redpoll *: ue Af) M DE .. 112-113 SERLE, WILLIAM A further note on an aberrant Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava flava Linnaeus obtained in British Cameroons 40 The lower altitudinal limit of the montane forest birds of the Came- roon Mountain, West Africa... ys 4. V€ ay it. 87-91 SmiTH, K. D. Acrocephalus dumetorum in Africa m MS 5 ay ed 172 SPARKS, JOHN H. Contact behaviour in the Cuban Finch, Jiaris canora (Gmelin) .. 164-169 TRAYLOR, M. A. A peculiar mutant sunbird ay A. od ‘. if} , IR? 34-13 A new race of Estrilda atricapilla ons Ba i fi .. 6465 Three new birds from Africa ne i pce i iw ~ 81-84 TREE, A. J. See DowseTT, R. J. TURNER, M. I. M. Some observations of bird behaviour made from an aircraft on the Serengeti National Park .. at i 2} nt ne - 65-67 VERNON, C. J. (with note by PITMAN, C. R. S.) Observations on Cisticola njombe and nigriloris . . " me .. 124-131 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 also under the subspecific name. abdimii, Sphenorhynchus 105 aberrans, Cisticola 125 abyssinicus, Pseudoalcippe 90 Accipiter melanoleucus 56, 69 Acrocephalus dumetorum 172 — scirpaceus 172 Actitis hypoleucus 123 acuminata, Erolia 121, 143-145 Adamastor cinereus 115 adustus, Alseonax 90 aequatorialis, Apus 67 afer, Turtur 137 affinis, Apus 67 affinis, Aythya 151 affinis, Sarothrura 131 africanus, Phalacrocorax 54 africanus, Pseudogyps 65 Afropavo 98 Agapornis fischeri 109 Ailuroedus crassirostris 159 Aix galericulata 109 alba, Crocethia 144 albicapillus, Spreo 162-163 albicollis, Ficedula 46 albifrons, Amblyospiza 59 albigularis, Hirundo 59 albitorques, Columba 42 albiventris, Trochocercus 90 Alcedo quadribrachys 67-69 — semitorquata 67-69 Alethe poliothorax 88, 90 Alseonax adustus 90 Amandava 104 Amandava amandava 165-168 Amaurornis olivaceus 119 Amblyospiza albifrons 59 amboinensis, Macropygia 153-154 americana, Aythya 151 Anas aucklandica 151 — castanea 151 — clypeata 30-38 — gibberifrons 77, 152 — penelope 30-38 — querquedula 76 — superciliosa 77 Anastomus lamelligerus 55 Andropadus masukuensis 133-134 — montanus 133 — tephrolaema 133 anglorum, Puffinus 116 angolensis, Dryoscopus 90 angolensis, Gypohierax 52 angulata, Gallinula 56 Anhinga anhinga 54 — rufa 72 Anomalospiza imberbis 59 anomalus, Rhinopomastus aterrimus 81 Anous minutus 148 Antiornis grahami 113-114 Apalis cinerea 69, 90 Aplopelia larvata 90 approximans, Circus 95—96 apricarius, Charadrius 7-8 Aprosmictus erythropterus 154—155 Apus affinis 67 — caffer 62-64 — aequatorialis 67 Aquila audax 94 — dubia 69 — rapax 66 arcuata, Dendrocygna 76-77 Ardeotis kori 105 Argusianus 98 Arizelocichla montana 88, 90 — tephrolaema 88-90 armata, Merganetta 148-149 arquatrix, Columba 43, 90, 137 Artamus cinereus 158 asiatica, Eupoda 120-121 assimilis, Puffinus 111-112 astrild, Estrilda 60, 100, 103 aterrimus, Probosciger 154 aterrimus, Rhinopomastus 81-82 Athene noctua 91-94 atricapilla, Estrilda 64-65 atricapilla, Sylvia 132 atroflavus, Laniarius 90 aucklandica, Anas 151 audax, Aquila 94 audeberti, Pachycoccyx 69 australis, Aythya 77, 152 australis, Choriotis 120 australis, Mergus 151 avakubi, Estrilda atricapilla 64 ayresii, Cisticola 124, 126 Aythya affinis 151 — americana 151 — australis 77, 152 — collaris 151 — ferina 37, 149-152 — fuligula 37 — novaeseelandiae 149-152 — valisineria 151 baboecala, Bradypterus 129 Bartramia longicauda 14-15 bellicosus, Polemaetus 66 bengalus, Uraeginthus 165 bensoni, Cisticola chiniana 83 bertrandi, Ploceus 132 bicinctus, Pterocles 58 bicolor, Dendrocygna 56 bicolor, Ploceus 70 bilineatus, Pogoniulus 69 bocagei, Cossypha 69 boehmi, Sarothrura 131 Bostrychia hagedash 55 brachyptera, Cisticola 125 Bradypterus baboecala 129 — cinnamomeus 69 — mariae 90 brevirostris, Schoenicola 69 brunnescens, Cisticola 108 Bubo poensis 48, 51 — vosseleri 47-52 Bubulcus ibis 74, 106 burtoni, Poliospiza 91 Butorides rufiventris 55 caeruleus, Elanus 96 caesia, Coracina 88—90 caffer, Apus 62-64 calandra, Emberiza 113 Calandrella conirostris harti subsp. noy. 106 Calidris canutus 122, 143-144 — ruficollis 140 — tenuirostris 121-122, 143-144 calva, Treron 137 camelus, Struthio 67 camerunensis, Francolinus 90 Campethera tullbergi 88, 90 cannabina, Carduelis 113 canora, Tiaris 164-169 cantans, Cisticola 125, 129 canutus, Calidris 122, 143-144 capensis, Daption 116 capensis, Emberiza 39 capensis, Fringillaria 39 capensis, Motacilla 141 capensis, Oena 137 capensis, Streptopelia 43 capicola, Streptopelia 137 capistratus, Serinus 70 Caprimulgus 61 Carduelis cannabina 113 — flammea 112-113 carunculatus, Grus 57 caspia, Hydroprogne 147 castanea, Anas [51 castanotis, Taeniopygia 169 Catreus 98 cenchroides, Falco 96 Centropus cupreicaudus 59 — superciliosus 59 Cercococcyx olivinus 5—6 — mechowi 5-6 — montanus 6 cerviniventris, Chlamydera 158 Cettia flavolivaceus 113-114 — fortipes 113 ceylonensis, Culicicapa 45—46 Chalcomitra ursulae 90 chalcopterus, Rhinoptilus 58 chalcospilos, Turtur 137 Charadrius apricarius 7-8 — leschenaultii 121, 143 Charmosyna placentis 154 chinensis, Excalfactoria 118, 157 chiniana, Cisticola 83 Chlamydera cerviniventris 158 Chlidonias hybrida 147 — leucoptera 147 Chloris chloris 113 chloropus, Gallinula 19, 25 Choriotis australis 120 Chrysolophus 98 Ciccaba woodfordi 61 Ciconia ciconia 66 cinctus, Erythrogonys 143 cinctus, Rhinoptilus 57 cinerea, Apalis 69, 90 cinerea, Motacilla 157 cinereus, Adamastor 115 cinereus, Artamus 158 cinerus, Poliolimnas 119 cinerus, Xenus 145 cinnamomea, Fringilla 39 cinnamomeus, Bradypterus 69 Cinnyris reichenowi 87-88, 90 Circus approximans 95-96 — spilonotus 95-96 Cisticola aberrans 125 — ayresii 124, 126 — brachyptera 125 — brunnescens 108 — cantans 125, 129 Cisticola chiniana bensoni subsp. nov. 83 Cisticola discolor 90 — exilis 157-158 — fulvicapilla 125 — juncidis 141-142, 158 — lais 124-129 — natalensis 125 — nigriloris 125-13! — njombe 124-131 — rufilata 83 — tinniens 126, 128 — woosnami 125 clypeata, Anas 30-38 coelebs, Fringilla 109, 113 collaris, Aythya 151 collaris, Prunella 39-40 Columba albitorques 42 — arquatrix 43, 90, 137 — guinea 42, 44, 137 — leuconota 44 — livia 41-43 — palumbus 44 — rupestris 44 conirostris, Calandrella 106-107 Coracina caesia 88, 90 — novaehollandiae 158 corax, Corvus 25 coronatus, Stephanibyx 67 corone, Corvus 20, 26—30 Corvus corax 25 ° — corone 20, 26-30 — frugilegus 25-30 — monedula 26-29 — splendens 9-11 coryphaea, Viridibucco 88, 90 Cossypha bocagei 69 — isabellae 90 Coturnix coturnix 18, 132 crassirostris, Ailuroedus 159 cristata, Fulica 56 cristatus, Podiceps 108, 134-136 Crocethia alba 144 crossleyi, Geokichla 90 Crossoptilon 98 Cryptospiza reichenovii 90 Cuculus solitarius 140-141 Culicicapa ceylonensis 45-46 — helianthea 45 cupreicaudus, Centropus 59 cyanomelas, Rhinopomastus 82 cyanomelas, Trochocercus 69 Cyanomitra oritis 88. 90 Dacelo gaudichaud 155 — leachii 155 — tyro 155 Daption capensis | 16 daurica, Hirundo 132 decipiens, Streptopelia 43 Dendrocygna arcuata 76-77 — bicolor 56 — eytoni 76 — guttata 77 Dicrurus ludwigi 69 dicolor, Cisticola 90 dominica, Pluvialis 120-121, Dryoscopus angolensis 90 dubia, Aquila 69 dumetorum, Acrocephalus 172 123, 157 ecaudatus, Terathopius 52, 66 Egretta intermedia 54 Elanus caeruleus 96 elegans, Sarothrura 131 ellioti, Mesopicos 90 Emberiza calandra 113 — capensis 39 Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis 67 epichlora, Urolais 88, 90 Eremialector gutturalis 67 Erolia acuminata 121, 143-145 — ruficollis 145 — testacea 144 Erythrogonys cinctus 143 erythronotus, Estrilda 100 erythropterus, Aprosmictus 154—155 Estrilda astrild 60, 100, 103 xi Estrilda atricapilla 64—65 Estrilda atricapilla avakubi subsp. nov. 64 Estrilda erythronotus 100 — melanotis 100 — melpoda 100, 103 — nonnula 100 — paludicola 60, 100 — perreini 100 — rhodopyga 100, 102 troglodytes 99-100, 102-103 Eupoda asiatica 120-121 evangelinae, Neochmia 160 Excalfactoria chinensis 118, 157 exilis, Cisticola 157—158 eytoni, Dendrocygna 76 falcinellus, Limicola 145 Falco cenchroides 96 — tinnunculus 108 fasciata, Rallina 120 fennelli, Prunella collaris 40 ferina, Aythya 37, 149-152 Ficedula albicollis 46 — hypoleuca 46 — strophiata 46 fischeri, Agapornis 109 flammea, Carduelis 112-113 flava, Motacilla 40, 156 flavirostris, Tockus 108 flavolivaceus, Cettia 113-114 fortipes, Cettia 113 Francolinus camerunensis 90 Fregetta grallaria 115-116 fregetta, Thalissidroma 115 Fregetta tropica 115 Fringilla cinnamomea 39 — coelebs 109, 113 Fringillaria capensis 39 — media 39 frugilegus, Corvus 25-30 Fulica cristata 56 — gigantea 170-172 fuliginosa, Psalidoprocne 87-88, 90 fuliginosa, Rhipidura 46 fuligula, Aythya 37 fulvicapilla, Cisticola 125 galericulata, Aix 109 galerita, Kakatoe 154 Gallinago gallinago 143 — hardwickii 142-143 — megala 142-143 — stenura 143 Gallinula angulata 56 — chloropus 19, 25 Gallus 97 Garrulax sannio 18 gaudichaud, Dacelo 155 Gelochelidon nilotica 148 Geokichla crossleyi 90 gibberifrons, Anas 77, 152 gigantea, Fulica 170-172 gladiator, Malaconotus 90 Glareola isabella 121 glareola, Tringa 123-124, 157 grahami, Antiornis 113-114 grallaria, Fregetta 115-116 griseocephalus, Mesopicus 108 Grus carunculatus 57 guinea, Columba 42, 44, 137 gulielmi II], Opositta 154 guttata, Dendrocygna 77 gutturalis, Eremialector 67 gutturalis, Pterocles 58 Gypohierax angolensis 52 Gyps ruppelli 56 haematod, Trichoglossus 154 Haematortyx 97 hagedash, Bostrychia 55 Halcyon nigrocyanea 155 hardwickii, Gallinago 142-143 harti, Calandrella conirostris 106 helianthea, Culicicapa 45 heliosylus, Zonerodious 74 herberti, Seicercus 90 Heterotrogon vittatum 88-90 Hirundo albigularis 59 — daurica 132 — rustica 59 horrensis, Spreo albicapillus 162 hybrida, Chlidonias 147 Hydroprogne caspia 147 Hypochera 103 hypoleuca, Ficedula 46 hypoleucus, Actitis 123 hypoxantha, Rhipidura 46 iagoensis, Passer 110 ibis, Bubulcus 74, 106 imberbis, Anomalospiza 59 Indicator indicator 84-87 inepta, Megacrex 120 insignis, Ploceus 90 intermedia, Egretta 54 isabella, Glareola 121 isabella, Stiltia 146 isabellae, Cossypha 90 Ithaginis 97 juncidis, Cisticola 141-142, 158 Kakatoe galerita 154 — tenuirostris 154 kori, Ardeotis 105 Lagonosticta 104 — rubricata 70, 101 lais, Cisticola 124-129 Lagopus scoticus 19 lamelligerus, Anastomus 55 Laniarius atroflavus 90 Xil Laniarius poensis 87, 89-90 lapponica, Limosa 122 Larius roratus 154 larvata, Aplopelia 90 leachii, Dacelo 155 leschenaultii, Charadrius 121, 143 leucogaster, Sula 14-16 leucogaster, Thalissidroma 115 leucomelas, Lybius 108 leucomystax, Pogoniulus 132 leuconota, Columba 44 leucopogon, Prinia 69 leucoptera, Chlidonias 147 libonyanus, Turdus 87—90 Limicola falcinellus 145 Limosa lapponica 122 — limosa 121, 143-144 Linurgus olivaceus 91 livia, Columba 41—43 lobatus, Phalaropus 145 locustella, Ortygospiza 108 Lonchura nevermanni 160-161 — stygia 160-161 longicauda, Bartramia 14-15 lopesi, Poliolais 90 Lophophorus 97-98 Lophura 97-98 ludwigi, Dicrurus 69 lugens, Streptopelia 43 lugubris, Speirops 90 Lybius leucomelas 108 lynesi, Sarothrura 131 Macropygia amboinensis 153-154 — nigrirostris 153 macroura, Vidua 21—25 madagascariensis, Numenius 121 Malaconotus gladiator 90 — nigrifrons 69 mariae, Bradypterus 90 mariquensis, Nectarinia 11-13 masukuensis, Andropadus 133-134 mechowi, Cercococcyx 5—6 media, Fringillaria 39 Megacrex inepta 120 megala, Gallinago 142-143 Megalurus timoriensis 157 melanogaster, Ploceus 88, 90 melanoleucus, Accipiter 56, 69 Melanospiza 164 melanotis, Estrilda 100 melpoda, Estrilda 100, 103 Merganetta armata 148-149 Mergus australis 151 Merops nubicoides 106 — philippinus 156 — variegatus 108 merula, Turdus 28 Mesopicos ellioti 90 — _ griseocephalus 108 Mesoscolopax minutus 121 minutus, Anous 148 minutus, Mesoscolopax 121 Mirafra rufocinnamomea 67 monedula, Corvus 26-29 montana, Arizelocichla 88-90 montanus, Andropadus 133 montanus, Cercoccyx 6 Motacilla capensis 141 — cinerea 157 — flava 40, 156 natalensis, Cisticola 125 nebularia, Tringa 123, 145 Necrosyrtes monachus 52, 65 Nectarinia mariquensis 11-13 — olivacea 69 Neochmia evangelinae 160 Neophron percnopterus 52-53, 65 Neornis 113 Nesocharis shelleyi 90 nevermanni, Lonchura 160-161 nigrifrons, Malaconotus 69 nigriloris, Cisticola 124-131 nigrirostris, Macropygia 153 nigrocyanea, Halcyon 155 nilotica, Gelochelidon 148 njombe, Cisticola 124-131 noctua, Athene 91-94 nonnula, Estrilda 100 Notophoyx novaehollandiae 72 — pacifica 74 — picata 72 novaeguineae, Philemon 160 novaehollandiae, Coracina 158 novaehollandiae, Notophoyx 72 novaeseelandiae, Aythya 149-152 nubicoides, Merops 106 nubicus, Merops 105 Numenius madagascariensis 121 — phaeopus 121-122, 138-140 Nycticorax nycticorax 171 obscurus, Puffinus 111 occipitalis, Trigonoceps 52, 65 oceanica, Procellaria 115 oceanicus, Oceanites 71-72, 115 Oceanites oceanicus 71-72, 115 ochropus, Tringa 122, 124, 157 ocularis, Ploceus 83-84 Oena capensis 137 Oligura 113 olivacea, Nectarinia 69 olivacea, Tiaris 167-169 olivaceus, Amaurornis 119 olivaceus, Linurgus 91 olivaceus, Turdus 69 olivinus, Cercococcyx 5-6 Onychognathus walleri 90 Opopsitta gulielmi IIIT 154 oritis, Cyanomitra 88, 90 Ortygospiza locustella 108 xiii Pachycoccyx audeberti 69 pacifica, Notophoyx 74 pallidirostris, Tockus 108 paludicola, Estrilda 60, 100 palumbus, Columba 44 Passer iagoensis 110 Pavo 98 Pelecanus rufescens 66 penelope, Anas 38 percnopterus, Neophron 52-53, 65 perreini, Estrilda 100 phaeopus, Numenius 121-122, 138-140 Phalacrocorax africanus 54 Phalaropus lobatus 145 Phasianus 98 Philemon novaeguineae 160 philippensis, Rallus 119 philippinus, Merops 156 Phyllastrephus poensis 90 — poliocephalus 90 picata, Notophoyx 72 placentis, Charmosyna 154 Platalea regia 75 plicatus, Rhyticeros 156 Ploceus bertrandi 132 — bicolor 70 — insignis 90 — melanogaster 88, 90 Ploceus ocularis tenuirostris subsp. nov. 83 plumatus, Prionops 117 Pluvialis dominica 120-121, 123, 157 Podica senegalensis 148-149 Podiceps cristatus 108, 134-136 poensis, Bubo 48, 51 poensis, Laniarius 87, 89-90 poensis, Phyllastrephus 90 Pogoniulus bilineatus 69 — leucomystax 132 Polemaetus bellicosus 66 poliocephalus, Phyllastrephus 90 Poliolais lopesi 90 Poliolimnas cinereus 119 Poliospiza burtoni 91 poliothorax, Alethe 88, 90 Polyplectron 98 Porphyrio porphyrio 119 Porzana pusilla 2-5, 119 — tabuensis 119 Prinia leucopogon 69 — subflava 59, 128 Prionops plumatus 117 Probosciger aterrimus 154 Procellaria oceanica 115 Prunella collaris 39-40 Prunella collaris fennelli subsp. nov. 40 Psalidoprocne fuliginosa 87-88, 90 Pseudoalcippe abyssinicus 90 Pseudogyps africanus 65 Pterocles bicinctus 58 — gutturalis 58 X1V Pucrasia 97 senegalensis, Streptopelia 43, 137 Puffinus anglorum 116 senegalensis, Zosterops 88, 90 — assimilis 111-112 Serinus capistratus 70 — obscurus 111 serpentarius, Sagittarius 67 — puffinus [11 shelleyi, Nesocharis 90 pulchra, Sarothrura 131 solitarius, Cuculus 140-141 pusilla, Porzana 2-5, 119 Speirops lugubris 90 Sphenorhynchus abdimii 105 quadribrachys, Alcedo 67-69 spilonotus, Circus 95-96 Quelea quelea 67 spinicollis, Threskiornis 74 querquedula, Anas 76 splendens, Corvus 9-11 Spreo albicapillus 162-163 Rallina fasciata 120 Spreo albicapillus horrensis subsp. nov. — tricolor 120 162 Rallus philippensis 119 stagnatilis, Tringa 122 rapax, Aquila 66 stenura, Gallinago 143 regia, Platalea 75 Stephanibyx coronatus 67 reichenovii, Cryptospiza 90 Stiltia isabella 146 reichenowi, Cinnyris 87-88, 90 Streptopelia capensis 43 Rheinartia 98 — capicola 137 Rhinopomastus’ aterrimus anomalus — decipiens 43 subsp. nov. 81 — lugens 43 Rhinopomastus cyanomela 82 — semitorquata 42-43, 137 Rhinoptilus chalcopterus 58 — senegalensis 43, 137 — cinctus 57 strophiata, Ficedula 46 Rhipidura 45—46 Struthio camelus 67 Rhipidura fuliginosa 46 stygia, Lonchura 160-161 — hypoxantha 46 subflava, Prinia 59, 128 rhodopyga, Estrilda 100, 102 Sula leucogaster 14-16 Rhyticeros plicatus 156 — sula 14-16 Rollulus 97 superciliosa, Anas 77 roratus, Larius 154 superciliosus, Centropus 59 rubricata, Lagonosticta 70, 101 Sylvia atricapilla 132 rufa, Anhinga 131 Symaticus 97-98 rufa, Sarothrura 131 rufescens, Pelecanus 66 tabuensis, Porzana 119 ruficollis, Calidris 140 Taeniopygia castanotis 169 ruficollis, Erolia 145 tenuirostris, Calidris 121-122, 143-144 rufilata, Cisticola 83 tenuirostris, Kakatoe 154 rufiventris, Butorides 55 tenuirostris, Ploceus ocularis 83 rufocinnamomea, Mirafra 67 tephrolaema, Andropadus 133 rupestris, Columba 44 tephrolaema, Arizelocichla 88-90 ruppelli, Gyps 6 Terathopius ecaudatus 52, 66 rustica, Hirundo 59 Terpsiphone viridis 46-47 Tesia 113 Sagittarius serpentarius 67 testacea, Erolia 144 sannio, Garrulax 19 Tetraogallus 97 Sarothrura affinis 131 Teraophasis 97 — boehmi 131 Thalassidroma fregetta 115 — elegans 131 — leucogaster 115 — lynesi 131 Threskiornis spinicollis 74 Sarothrura pulchra 131 Tiaris canora 164-169 — rufa 131 — olivacea 176 Schoenicola brevirostris 69 timoriensis, Megalurus 157 scirpaceus, Acrocephalus 172 tinniens, Cisticola 126, 128 scoticus, Lagopus 19 tinnunculus, Falco 108 Seicercus herberti 90 Tockus flavirostris 108 semitorquata, Alcedo 67-69 — pallidirostris 108 semitorquata, Streptopelia 42-43, 137 Torgos tracheliotus 65 senegalensis, Ephippiorhynchus 67 tracheliotus, Torgos 56 senegalensis, Podica 148-149 Tragopan 97 Treron calva 137 Trichoglossus haematod 154 tricolor, Rallina 120 -Trigonoceps occipitalis 52, 65 Tringa glareola 123-124, 157 — nebularia 123, 145 — ochropus 122, 124, 157 — stagnatilis 122 -Trochocercus albiventris 90 — cyanomelas 69 troglodytes, Estrilda 99-100, 102-103 -tropica, Fregetta 115 tullbergi, Campethera 88, 90 Turdus libonyanus 87-90 — merula 28 — olivaceus 69 — viscivorus 19 Turtur afer 137 — chalcospilos 137 tyro, Dacelo 155 Uraeginthus 101, 103 XV Uraeginthus bengalus 165 Urolais epichlora 88, 90 ursulae, Chalcomitra 90 valisineria, Aythya 151 variegatus, Merops 108 Vidua 103 Vidua macroura 21-25 Viridibucco coryphaea 88, 90 viridis, Terpsiphone 46-47 viscivorus, Turdus 19 vittatum, Heterotrogon 88-90 vosseleri, Bubo 47-52 walleri, Onychognathus 90 woodfordi, Ciccaba 61 woosnami, Cisticola 125 Xenus cinereus 145 Zonerodius heliosylus 74 Zosterops senegalensis 88, 90 The Caxton & Holmesdale Press Sevenoaks =~ BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by JOHN J. YEALLAND a : ae jo : . ote fe M10¢ 4 — J PURFiAAS. q Nes moh ye Volume 84 January No. | 1964 t } a T 1 ie . (Rb hoe plement oa et called 1 eee ae er Ea aI i | OMALIADY 1 ABOU re pa ies : 1964 1 Vol. 84 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB FO, Volume 84 oe se Number | Published: 10th January, 1964 The six hundred and twelfth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on 17th December, 1963. Chairman: Major-General C. B. Wainwright Members present, 44; Guests, 26; total 70. This, the best attended meeting of the year, was addressed by Mr. James Fisher and Mr. Peter Scott. Mr. Fisher outlined statistics, based on the Pleistocene fossil record, concerning avifaunal survival during this time. Then periods of glaciation were a major factor, but when Man came upon the global scene from the sixteenth century onwards, the rate of extermination of species increased dramatically and expectation of survival of a large part of the existing avifauna very much reduced. Mr. Peter Scott showed coloured illustrations of a number of species at present threatened with extinction, as well as a few of birds that are slowly increasing in numbers, some as a result of more efficient pro- tection and some by being bred in captivity. The Hawaiian Goose, having been propagated at the Wildfowl Trust’s grounds in Gloucestershire and elsewhere, is the classic example of this latter method of conservation, for fifty of the geese so bred have been returned to the Hawaiian Islands and released on the island of Maui. Other species that thrive and breed in captivity might be kept and later Vol. 84 2 Bulletin B.O.C. re-introduced to their native land as and when they can be assured of a reasonable chance of survival there. The preservation of habitat, control of introduced competitors and predators, protection from Man himself, as well as fostering a sense of interest and responsibility among the peoples of the world, are some of the problems facing all who strive to preserve what is left of the world’s fauna. The European and African races of Baillon’s Crake, Porzana pusilla by C. W. BENSON Received 7th November, 1963 Porzana pusilla obscura Neumann of eastern and southern Africa and Madagascar is generally considered distinct from P. p. intermedia (Her- mann) of central and southern Europe. According to Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1952, 1962) obscura differs from intermedia in being generally darker, especially darker grey below, and in having a shorter bill. They give the wing of obscura as 75-93, as against 89-102 mm. in intermedia. Intermedia is said to migrate south to Angola and Somaliland. In 1962, thanks to a grant from the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund made at the instance of Dr. D. Amadon, I was able to study the material of the two forms in the American Museum of Natural History. I sub- sequently studied that in the following further museums, and am especially grateful for assistance to the following individuals whose names are appended: Chicago Natural History Museum (Major M. A. Traylor); United States National Museum (Drs. A. Wetmore and P. S. Humphrey); British Museum (J. D. Macdonald and I. C. T. Galbraith); South Africa Museum (Dr. J. M. Winterbottom); Transvaal Museum (O. P. M. Prozesky) ; National Museum, Bulawayo (M. P. Stuart Irwin). P. A. Clancey also kindly lent three specimens from the Durban Museum. In colour I can find no constant difference between European and more southern specimens. Regardless of sex, adults vary considerably in the intensity of grey on the under side, and many European specimens are no less dark below than those from further south. On the upper side there is no marked variation, either geographical or individual, and immature specimens, largely white below, are similar to adults. Major Traylor, who compared with me in Chicago eight European specimens with eight African, agreed that they were inseparable on colour. So, too, did C. M. N. White, who examined with me over 60 specimens in the British Museum. I had already come to a similar conclusion after comparing seven European with 22 African and Madagascan specimens in the American Museum of Natural History. Witherby et al (1944) give sexual differences in intermedia, in particular the female having more white on the throat. But some apparently adult specimens of both inter- media and obscura sexed as females virtually lack any white, and others sexed as males have it well developed. Bulletin B.O.C. 3 Vol. 84 Measurements (in mm.) of wing and culmen (from base )are as follows: Number 100 x culmen of Wing Culmen ————_ specimens wing Europe 45 84-95 (90.0) 17-20.5 (18.7) 20.8 Africa (1) 25 80-90 (84.4) 17-21 (18.4) preps Pa 57 76-93 (84.2) 17-20.5 (18.4) Africa, total 82 76-93 (84.2) 17-21 (18.4) 21.9 Madagascar (1) 7 80-87 (83.4) 18—20 (18.5) s (2) 19 82-94 (85.3) 18.5-21 (19.9) Madagascar, total 26 80-94 (84.8) 18-21 (19.5) 23.0 Included with the European series are one from Algeria and one from lower Egypt (whence Meinertzhagen, 1930 records intermedia breeding). Excluded is an outstandingly large specimen in the British Museum from Malta, wing 100, culmen 21 mm. (1) signifies specimens collected between Ist May and 30th September, theoretically unlikely to be palaearctic migrants. (2) signifies specimens collected between Ist October and 30th April, or undated, and could a priori be palaearctic migrants. All African specimens are from south of 10° N. The figures for the second African and Madagascan series, supposedly containing some palaearctic migrants, show no striking difference from those in the first two such series. On average the African and Madagascan specimens have shorter wings, but there is considerable overlap, and in my opinion obscura is not worth recognising as distinct from intermedia. Although Mackworth-Praed and Grant state that the bill is shorter in obscura than in intermedia, my figures do not support this, and in com- parison with the wing-length it is proportionately longer, especially in the Madagascan series. The specimen with the longest wing (90 mm.) in the first African series, in the American Museum of Natural History, was collected by Archer at Tug Wajaleh, ex-British Somaliland, 18th September, 1920 (see also Archer and Godman, 1937). It is the only Somali record of which I am aware, and it must be on the basis of this specimen that Mackworth-Praed and Grant record intermedia. But I am not convinced that it is a palae- arctic migrant. The date seems early, and I have seen two European specimens from Ahlsdorf collected on 17th September and another from there on 24th September, while a specimen from Dover is dated as late as 9th October (I have incidentally seen two Italian specimens collected as early as March, and ten Spanish specimens collected in this month, the earliest being from Valencia on the 7th). Mackworth-Praed and Grant also record intermedia from Angola, but of eight specimens, all in the British Museum, collected by Ansorge at Catumbella, none has wing more than 87 mm., and all are dated August. Understandably, Traylor (1963) only lists obscura. In the second African series there are only two specimens with wings over 89 mm. One, wing 93 mm., was collected on 23rd Decem- Vol. 84 4 Bulletin B.O.C. ber, thus well within the period when palaearctic migrants might be present, but as far south as Excelsior, Orange Free State. The other, wing © 92 mm., was obtained even further south at Paarl, western Cape Province. Furthermore it laid an egg in early September, a few days after being captured. There are two Madagascan specimens with wing over 89 mm., one 91, and one 94 mm. Neither bears any date or precise locality. The latter is probably an exceptionally large, locally bred individual, analogous to the Maltese specimen with wing 100 mm. To summarise, I find no con- vincing evidence from the material which I have examined of the occur- rence of palaearctic birds in tropical Africa or further south. On the other hand Morel and Roux (1962) record specimens of intermedia from Senegal (19th November, Ist January). These specimens may very well be palae- arctic migrants, especially as Bannerman (1931, 1951) does not mention obscura (or intermedia). Benson (in press) produces evidence that two other crakes, Crex egregia and Porzana marginalis are migratory in southern Africa, only normally present from about December to Apri!. Dated specimens of P. pusilla from Africa south of 8° S. fall into months as follows: January, 9; February, 2; March, 1; April, 1; May, nil; June, 3; July, 3; August, 12; September, 5; October, 10; November, 11; December, 6. In addition, Rudebeck (1955) records a specimen for November from South West Africa. These figures indicate no particular peak, and in this region P. pusilla may be largely resident, with no more than local movements, in accordance with seasonal fluctuations of water-level. Extracting the figures for the Rhodesias and Nyasaland, where the presence of Crex egregia and P. marginalis coincides almost entirely with the rains, and there is a very well marked dry season from May to October, the result is: February, 1; March, 1; June, 2; July, 3; October, 2; November, 1; December, 2. Again, of the overall figure of ten specimens for August, eight are from Catumbella, in arid south-western Angola, in the middle of the dry season. Sneyd Taylor, in a series of papers dealing with waterfowl and waders at Fort Beaufort, Cape Province (Ostrich, 1946-55), gives dates of occurrence for every month except April and May, while Courtenay-Latimer (1962) regards it as a rare resident. A further point is that while Benson gives records of C. egregia and P. marginalis taken at sea or at buildings at night, and presumably on migration, no such African records have been traced for P. pusilla. P. pusilla has been recorded as breeding in Abyssinia (Guichard, 1948). The female containing a fully developed egg to which he refers is in the British Museum, and has wing 83 mm. only. It is the only Abyssinian specimen examined. South of Abyssinia, except that I collected a male with enlarged testes at Loudon, Mzimba District, Nyasaland, 20th March, 1938, there is apparently still no definite breeding record nerth of the Zambezi. The record quoted by White and Winterbottom (1949) of breeding in Barotseland in February and March has still to be cor- roborated. With reference to the records from Senegal by Morel and Roux (1962), Dr. Morel kindly informs me that the male (19th November) has wing 89mm., and the female (1st January) wing 91mm. These measurements are well within the range for European specimens, and considerably larger than the average of African. Bulletin B.O.C. 5 Vol. 84 References : Archer, G. F. and Godman, E. M. (1937). The birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden, vol. 2. London. Bannerman, D. A. (1931, 1951). The birds of tropical West Africa, vols. 2 and 8. London. Benson, C. Ww. (in press). Some intra-African migratory birds. Puku, Occasional Papers of the Department of Game and Fisheries, Northern Rhodesia, 2. Courtenay-Latimer, M. (1962). Birds seen at the Gonubie Bird Sanctuary. Ostrich 33 (3): 38-40. Guichard, K. M. (1948). Notes on Sarothrura ayresi and three birds new to Abyssinia. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 68: 102-104. Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. (1952). Birds of eastern and north eastern Africa, vol. 1. London. — (1962). Birds of the southern third of Africa, vol. 1. London. Meinertzhagen, R. (1930). Nicoll’s Birds of Egypt, vol. 2. London. Morel, G. and Roux, F. (1962). Données nouvelles sur l’avifaune du Sénégal. Oiseau, 32: 28-56. Rudebeck, G. (1955). South African animal life. Aves 1. Uppsala. Traylor, M. A. (1963). Check-list of Angolan birds. Publ. cult. comp. Cia Diamant. Angola, 61. White, C. M. N. and Winterbottom, J. M. (1949) A check list of the birds of Northern Rhodesia. Lusaka. Witherby, H. F. et al. (1944). The Handbook of British birds, vol. 5. London. The species of Cercococcyx in Mwinilunga, Northern Rhodesia by C. W. BENSON Received 13th August, 1963 Benson (1958) records four specimens of Cercococcyx mechowi Cabanis from the Lisombo Stream, northern Mwinilunga District. At the time of collecting he thought that they must be C. olivinus Sassi, which has been collected as close as Katapena, in the Katanga (Chapin, 1939). But having no other material of either species available he donated one specimen to the British Museum, and was informed that it was mechowi. The remarkably long wing-lengths (148-157 mm.) of these specimens, and of another (155 mm.) collected at Salujinga (10° 58’ S., 24° 07’ E.) on 25th August, 1962, recently caused me to investigate the matter further. Thanks to Mrs. B. P. Hall and Mr. M. P. Stuart Irwin I have had the loan of eight specimens of mechowi and seven of olivinus from the British Museum, and of four Mwinilunga specimens together with one of C. montanus Chapin from the National Museum, Bulawayo. There is no doubt that all five Mwinilunga specimens are not mechowi, but olivinus. Chapin (1928: 2) mentions colour-differences between the two species on the under side which seem better marked and more constant than those which he gives for the upper side. In the key at the end of his paper, and again (1939), he only gives the latter. The blackish bars on the under side are fewer and narrower in olivinus, and the under tail- coverts lack the markedly buffy wash present in mechowi. The difference in the proportions of the wing and tail, given by Chapin (1928, 1939) is borne out quite well by my own measurements. To these I am able to add those of the material in the American Museum of Natural History, taken while working there in June, 1962, thanks to a grant from the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund, very kindly arranged by Dr. D. Amadon. Vol. 84 6 Bulletin B.O.C. It would be tedious to show these measurements (in mm.) for each specimen individually, but the following summary (averages in brackets) may be of value :— Cercococcyx mechowi Wing Tail 100 x wing tail 173g =: 128-143 (136.9) 168-194 (180.5) 15:3 699 132-140 (135.8) 170-195 (181.2) 74.9 lo 135 181 74.6 Wing-tail ratios for 19 individual specimens :— 73 (three), 74 (five), 75, 76 (two), 77, 78 (two), 79 (two), 80 (three). Cercococcyx olivinus 183g 137-155 (146.1) 149-189 (169.6) 86.1 399 142-148 (145.0) 153-173 (163.0) 89.0 lo 139 156 89.8 Wing-tail ratios for 21 individual specimens :— 78 (two), 80, 81 (two), 82, 83, 84, 85, 88, 89, 90 (three), 91 (three), 92, 93 (two), 95. [Note that southern specimens of olivinus tend to have longer wings, eight from Mwinilunga and Ndalla Tando and Camabatela, Angola measuring 145-155 (150.4), 14 from Lukolela (1° 07’ S.) and from north of the equator 137-150 (142.9)}. The ranges of montanus and olivinus approach one another closely in the eastern Congo and Uganda. In Uganda montanus is known from Ruwenzori above 5,000 feet, and there is a male of ol/ivinus in the American Museum of Natural History, with wing 150, tail 166 mm., from the Bugoma Forest, between Hoima and the east side of Lake Albert. There remains for discussion the relationship of montanus to olivinus and mechowi. According to Chapin (1928) the voices of the latter two are quite distinct. His description of the call of montanus tallies quite well with my own impressions gained at Amani, Tanganyika and in Nyasaland (Benson, 1948). Benson (1958) remarks on the close similarity of the voice of Mwinilunga birds to montanus, and goes so far as to suggest that mechowi and montanus are conspecific (of course he really intended this to apply to olivinus and montanus). It is rather surprising that Chapin does not comment on any similarity between the voice of olivinus and montanus, especially as his description of that of olivinus seems applicable to Mwini- lunga birds. Chapin (1928 : 9) gives the wing-tail ratio in eastern Congo and Ruwen- zori specimens of montanus as 69-76%, and in two from Angoniland and the Uluguru Mts. as 79, 81%. The figures given by Benson & Benson (1948) result in a ratio of 80.3%. These ratios lend no strong support for closer relationship with either olivinus or mechowi, but in view of their close similarity in voice olivinus and montanus can at least be regarded as forming a superspecies. Where their ranges approach one another there is evidently altitudinal zonation. I am grateful to Mr. C. M. N. White for studying with me the material recently loaned. He agrees with my decision to regard olivinus and montanus as forming a superspecies. Bulletin B.O.C. i Vol. 84 References : Benson, C. W. (1948). Geographical voice-variation in African birds. /bis, 90: 48-71. Benson, S W. (1958). Birds from the Mwinilunga District, Northern Rhodesia. Jbis, 100: 281-285. Benson, C. W. and Benson, F. M. (1948). Notes from southern Nyasaland, mainly from the lower Shire Valley at 200ft. altitude. Ostrich, 19: 1-16: Chapin, J. P. (1928). The African cuckoos of the genus Cercococcyx. Amer. Mus. Novit., 313 Chapin, J. P. (1939). The birds of the Belgian Congo. Part 2. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. ist. 19. Comments on colour varieties in the Golden Plover by BRYAN L. SAGE Received 21st October, 1963 In the course of studies on albinism and melanism in birds I have col- lected records relating to five species in the family Charadriidae. A total of 24 of these records refer to the Golden Plover Charadrius apricarius Linnaeus and these fall into the following categories—melanism 1, un- classified 1, albinism 22. MELANISM The single record in this category is of an almost entirely black bird with some yellowish mottling on the back, seen in the vicinity of St. Columb, Cornwall, on 24th January, 1933 (C. J. Stevens in Jitt.). UNCLASSIFIED A bird in which the general body plumage was a pale lemon-yellow with the normal dark markings reduced to a very pale brown; bill and legs normal in colour, was seen near Tarset, Northumberland, on 23rd November, 1957 (G. W. Temperley in /itt.). The description suggests that this may have been an example of dilution, but it is impossible to say definitely that the reduction of the pigments had been uniform throughout. The other alternative is that the bird was a non-eumelanic schizochroic variety in which the great reduction of the black pigment resulted in an impression of overall paleness. ALBINISM The 22 records in this category can be divided into two groups, viz: (1) Albinism affecting the body plumage only, or the body and wings. There are only six records in this group and in view of the apparent infrequency of this form of albinism in the Golden Plover it seems worth while listing these. (a) A specimen obtained near Forest Gate, Essex, in April 1871 by Mr. J. Glessing had all the feathers cream and white (Glegg 1929). (b) A partially white example purchased in Leadenhall Market was exhibited to the British Ornithologists’ Club on 10th December, 1913. It had numerous white feathers in the plumage, and all the markings on the back and wings were white instead of golden (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 33: 87). (c) A buff-coloured bird with white wings was seen near St. Keverne, Cornwall, in December 1932 (C. J. Stevens in /itt.). (d) An albino was present at Skegness, Lincolnshire, on 12th November, 1955, and was reported by J. K. Burton (R. Cornwallis in /itt.). Vol. 84 8 Bulletin B.O.C. (e) A completely white bird with some brownish-yellow markings on the wings was seen at Birsay, Orkney Islands, on 2nd September, 1956 (P. J. B. Slater in Jitt.). (f) One with the head, neck, flanks, rump and tail-coverts pure white, remainder of the plumage normal, was seen at Weymouth, Dorset, on 30th December, 1958 (A. J. Hold in Jitt.). (2) Albinism affecting only the wings. Sixteen records come into this group, which is an interestingly high proportion. In four of these records the birds are described as having ‘‘white wings’’ and no further details are given. In nine other cases the white was stated to be confined to the primaries only. One is mentioned as having a white patch on the upper surface of each wing; another had white on the primaries and probably also on the secondaries of each wing; and one had white on the primaries and greater wing-coverts. The latter example is shown in Plate 1. The wings were found at a Peregrine eyrie in Scotland in May 1963, and the albinism was exactly Wing of Golden Plover, Scotland, May 1963, showing white markings on the primaries and greater wing-coverts. The markings were identical on both wings. symmetrical in each wing. The 6th—-8th primaries of each were white except for the tips, and three of the greater wing-coverts were white for the basal half. DISCUSSION It is interesting to note that when albinism does occur in this species it affects the wings far more frequently than any other part of the plumage, and often results in a strikingly symmetrical patterning. Melanism would appear to be of very rare occurrence. In two previous papers (Sage 1958, 1959) I described a colour aberration that has been recorded in a fairly stable form in five species of the genus Larus. This aberration takes the form of an oblong white patch located on Bulletin B.O.C. 9 Vol. 84 the primary wing-coverts, but sometimes extending onto the primaries. A comparison of Plate 1 with the illustrations given in the papers just mentioned reveals a certain measure of similarity. Whether or not any significance can be attached to this is problematical, but the basic re- semblance of the markings and the similar /ocus are worth noting. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In addition to the correspondents mentioned in the text I am grateful to Mr. Eric Gorton of the Bolton Museum for the loan of the Golden Plover wings from the Peregrine eyrie, and to Mr. C. J. O. Harrison of the British Museum (Natural History) for discussion on various points. References : Glegg, W. E. 1929. A History of the Birds of Essex. London. Sage, Bryan L. 1958. On a rare colour aberration in certain species of the genus Larus Linnaeus. Bull. B.O.C. 78: 71-78. Sage, Bryan L. 1959. Additional data on a rare colour aberration in certain species of the genus Larus Linnaeus. ibid 79: 29-31. House Crow’s nest in a house by K. Z. HUSAIN Received 3rd August, 1963 The Indian House Crow (Corvus s. splendens) is one of the commonest birds of East Pakistan and one whose close association with man is well known. Although it spends practically the whole of the day, as well as of the year, near and around houses, it is known to nest only in trees. I recently saw a pair of these House Crows building inside a house, which, as far as I can see (Baker, 1922; Fletcher & Inglis, 1936; Whistler, 1949; Ali, 1955; and others) has not yet been recorded in literature. The nest was in fact built in my house which occupies the first floor of the two-storied southern (front) block of a quadrangular residential Hall of the University of Dacca. There is a fairly big lawn in front with only two Bottle-palm (Royal-palm) trees close to the gate and two buildings at a distance. There are several big trees about 100 yards away and many House Crows nest in them. The pair in question built their nest in the verandah of my house. The verandah is about 45 feet long, 8 feet wide and 13 feet high. The roof is supported in the front by seven 2-feet wide pillars at a distance of five feet from one another; the verandah has a 3 feet high wall rising from the floor, and also a 3 feet wide wall descending from the roof. An unused 3 feet long metal bracket, which once conducted electric wires, projects from the wall of the house and into the verandah. The bracket is located at 13 feet above the floor, and there are some broken wires connected to it. The House Crows brought in some sticks and built their nest; thus, it can be said that the nest was built well within the house. The nest must have been built between the 23rd and 29th April, 1963, when I and my family were away. An egg was laid on the 30th April or Ist May. The egg hatched on the 21st May, but unfortunately the nestling died on the 14th June. This unsuccessful attempt by the House Crows at nesting in a house, the circumstances which presumably led to the nestling’s death, and a few other activities of these crows during the period under review seem to me to be of significance, and are therefore briefly reported below. (1) The House Crows in question laid only one egg. This seems to be significant, because, according to existing literature, they lay at least four, Vol. 84 10 Bulletin B.O.C. the maximum number being as many as seven. Fletcher & Inglis (op. cit.)) mention that very rarely they may lay two eggs. (2) Only the female seemed to incubate the egg, though Ali (op. cit.) says that both sexes share incubation. (Incidentally, the male of this pair was recognisable by two broken tail-feathers, as well as by activities to be mentioned below.) During incubation, the male remained relatively silent: hardly came to the nest, but often came and sat on the palm tree in front of the house. (3) The female appeared to be very afraid of human presence, and would not go to the nest as long as anybody was in the verandah. Once in the nest, she would not feel disturbed, but would immediately fly away if anybody looked directly at it. (4) As soon as the egg hatched, the male suddenly became very alert, aggressive and noisy. He would raise quite a hue and cry at anybody passing through the verandah. If threatened, he would fly away most reluctantly and sit on the tree. There, he would raise his bill as high as he could and then strike the leaves with great force, repeating this several times and tearing the leaves into pieces. The female would also perform this but less aggressively. (5) Both the parents participated in feeding the nestling, but the male appeared to do so only occasionally. His main duty was to sit on the tree and guard the nest almost constantly. It never happened that anyone passed through the verandah without being ‘charged’ by him, but the slightest movement of hands would drive him far away. Neither of the parents would go to the nest to feed the nestling as long as anybody was in the verandah. (6) For the first week or so, the female sat over the nestling for the whole night and quite often during the day, just as she sat over the egg during incubation, but from the second week she did not do so, and both the parents passed the nights sitting on the roof of the building in front of my house. 7 Bulletin B.O.C. 11 Vol. 84 (7) On the 14th morning, while loitering in the verandah, I was surprised at not being ‘attacked’ by the parents, who were sitting silently on the tree. I naturally suspected something unusual] and, on checking the nest, found the nestling dead. As I tried to bring it down, the parents rushed to the verandah, protested for a while, and then became silent. A little later, they came to the nest, looked around silently, and then went away never to return, although they are still living around my house. In conclusion, I cannot claim that I know the exact reasons for the nestling’s death, but there is no doubt that there had been a lot of inter- ference and the parents could not properly feed and look after it, which may well have caused its death. I have a feeling that the nesting would have been a success but for our presence in the house. On this assumption, I suggest that, although the House Crows are closely associated with human dwellings, they do not build in houses because they have not overcome the fear or shyness of actual human presence close to their nests or nesting site. This may well be a reason why they build high up in trees far beyond human interference. Other birds of similar habit, the House Sparrows for example, do not have such fear and can successfully complete their nesting in human dwellings. The failure on the part of the House Crows under discussion is, therefore, due to natural selection which does not seem to favour such sporadic and out of the way venture by them. References: Ali, S. 1955. The Book of Indian Birds. Sth edn. Baker, E. C. S., 1922. The Fauna of British India. Birds, Vol. 1. Fletcher, T. B. and Inglis, C. M., 1936. Birds of an Indian Garden. 2nd edn. Whistler, H. (Revised by N. B. Kinnear) 19 19 Popular Handbook of Indian Birds. 4th edn. A peculiar mutant sunbird by MELVIN A. TRAYLOR Received 18th October, 1963 During October and November 1961 I had the opportunity of collecting in the Kalabo District of Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia. Here one of the most common sunbirds was the Marico Sunbird, Nectarinia mariquensis (Smith) and we succeeded in obtaining a series of 12 adult males. Among these was one from Sikongo that at first glance appeared to be completely melanistic. However, it is actually normal in pigment, but has the structural part of the feather so changed that there is no iridescent colour. Normal mariquensis is iridescent green on the back, lesser and median coverts, head, and upper breast, with upper tail-coverts and a thin band on the breast shading to bluish-violet. Below the iridescent violet on the breast is a red breast band. Each feather of this band has a broad red tip with a narrow violet iridescent band below it. Belly, wings and tail are black. The mutant male is wholly black with the exception of the red breast band which is normal in colour (see fig.). The areas, which in normally coloured birds are green, are glossy black, and the only sign of colour is on the upper tail-coverts and breast where there is a faint wash of purple. These are the areas that are iridescent bluish-violet normally. Since the Vol. 84 2 Bulletin B.O.C. red breast band, the only area which is dependent on pigment alone for colour, is normal, the black appearance of the mutant must be due to structural change. One of the most recent, and certainly the most lucid, descriptions of the mechanism causing iridescence in birds is that of Greenewalt (1960). Although the detailed structure that he describes is that of hummingbirds (Trochilidae), the general principle of reflection and extinction of colours is equally valid for other families. Iridescence is caused by the reflection of incident light from the front and back surface of a film of such thickness that the crests of the light Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of a normal (A) and mutant (B) sunbird, Nectarinia mariquensis. The bright areas of the normal bird are iridescent green, but in the mutant bird these areas are glossy black. The red pectoral band, which depends on pigment alone, is unchanged in the mutant bird. waves reflected from the rear surface reinforce the crests of the waves reflected from the front surface. Since the phase of light waves from the rear surface of the film is reversed, the film mnst be an odd number of quarter wave lengths (1/4, 3/4, 5/4, etc.) in optical thickness. Physical considerations show that the thickness of the reflecting film is 1/4 wave length in bird feathers, and this was demonstrated by Greenewalt in a remarkable series of electron microscope photographs of a hummingbird barbule. To continue the physical principle: when the thickness of the film approaches an even number of quarter wave lengths (0, 2/4, 4/4, etc.), Bulletin B.O.C. 13 Vol. 84 the crests of the light waves reflected from the rear surface will coincide with the troughs reflected from the front surface, and the light will be cancelled out, the film appearing black. In hummingbirds, the reflectirg films appear as small, oval platelets about 2.5 microns long by | micron wide. These platelets are thickly clustered on the surface of the barbule giving the appearance of a tiled floor. In the gorget feathers of the hummingbird they are arranged in three layers intensifying the brilliant reflectance. The individual platelets are one-half wave length in optical thickness, but behave as two super- imposed films of 1/4 wave length each to give the required reflectance. The exact structure in sunbirds has not been investigated in the same detail as in hummingbirds, but it must be essentially the same, for the same physical principles apply to both. In the mutant sunbird from Kalabo, the gross appearance of the feathers, except for the lack of metallic green colour, is the same as in normal birds. A normal dorsal feather has the proximal two-thirds blackish and of a soft texture, and the distal third iridescent green with a hard shiny surface. A dorsal feather from the mutant bird is the same on the proximal two-thirds and has the same hard, shiny surface on the distal third, but is black instead of green. This surface similarity holds for all the feathers, including the red pectoral feathers which have a thin glossy band below the red pigment. Examination under an optical microscope at 430X reveals no apparent differences. Since the surface structure of the feathers of the mutant bird is to all appearances normal, the difference must lie in the thickness of the re- flecting platelets (assuming that the mechanism is the same as in humming- birds). A doubling of the thickness of the platelet would result in the extinction of the reflected light, without in any way changing the surface appearance. A reduction in the thickness of the platelets to a small fraction of a wave length would accomplish the same thing. As these changes would be of the order of 0.15 to 0.25 microns, less than the wave length of visible light, they could not be observed by the most powerful optical microscope. Although there is no direct evidence, the most probable cause of the black appearance of the sunbird from Sikongo is a mutation which has caused either a doubling or a great reduction in the thickness of the re- flecting mechanism of the barbules. This would leave the surface appear- ance unchanged, while eliminating the green iridescence. Such a mutation would probably involve only a single locus of a chromosome. Although there is no reason to believe that this mutation should be less common than those producing albinism or melanism, this is the only record that | have found. I would like to acknowledge the generous grant from the National Science Foundation, G 13221, which made my collecting trip possible, and the kindness of C. W. Benson who seconded to me his gifted collector Jali Makawa, who actually collected the specimen. References : Greenewalt, C. H. 1960. Hummingbirds. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York, xxi + 250 p.p. Vol. 84 14 Bulletin B.O.C. Geographical distribution of the Mallophaga (Insecta) by THERESA CLAY Received 19th July, 1963 The distribution of the Mallophaga is essentially a host distribution, but as the group becomes better known, instances are being found of what appear to be geographical distribution of species. The following discussion applies only to relationships between Mallophaga parasitic on birds belonging to the same host order. A species of Mallophaga parasitic on Arctic! Circle Tropic of | Conce ON 2S a: MERCATOR’S PROJECTION | | | | 1 | | t UI | | F | | : | | i AS | torctic | Circle st = peo | ‘feteeonl Basetsssceen| Pesecebecce | yo Mieceeeeee Seeeeenteeee Neate es H fret = , 4 5 so i | F A ~ ata | ae j | TM iN Ve LL ‘s Be) eke 3 : 60 120" foo’ Net oe TT" 20" Meridian of O°Greenwich 20 C) i 120 140° Long: i l = a ag caeen KEY Triangles = Pectinopygus garbei Circles = Pectinopygus sulae A = Sula leucogaster @ = Sula leucogaster A = Sula sula © = Sula sula Squares = Pectinopygus annulatus @ = Sula leucogaster L) = Sula sula one species of bird may be the same or similar to that on a not closely related bird living in the same geographical area instead of, as is usual, being nearer to those species parasitic on the most nearly related hosts wherever these occur. A possible example of this (see Clay, 1961: 53) is the presence of a species of Rhynonirmus on Bartramia longicauda (sub- family Tringinae), Rhynonirmus being a mallophagan genus elsewhere restricted to the subfamily Scolopacinae. The species of Rhynonirmus found on Bartramia is similar to that on Philohela (Scolopacinae)—the breeding ranges of the two birds overlap. Such distributions may be explained by one of the following hypotheses : 1. The species parasitic on Bartramia was secondarily acquired from Philohela, became established on the new host and subsequently diverged through isolation and adaption to the environment of its new host. : Bulletin B.O.C. 15 Vol. 84 2. The genus Rhynonirmus was originally found throughout the Charadriidae and has become extinct on all species except Bartramia and those belonging to the Scolopacinae. 3. The phylogenetic position of Bartramia is with the Scolopacinae not with the Tringinae (see Timmermann, 1957: 87). 4. In some cases, although not that of Bartramia, the louse which appears to have an anomalous distribution may be on the wrong host due to contamination during collecting or temporary natural straggling. It has been shown (Clay, 1962: 200) how it is sometimes possible to check whether specimens taken from a certain host belong to an established population on that host or are temporary stragglers. The distribution of two of the species of wing lice (Pectinopygus) on the gannets (Sulidae) appears to be geographical and is of different kind to that of the Bartramia parasites and rather more difficult to explain. The members of the Sulidae are parasitised by a number of species of Pectinopygus of which one distinctive species (P. bassani [Fabricius]) is restricted to Morus; a second species (P. annulatus {Piaget}) is found on Sula nebouxi, Sula dactylatra, Sula leucogaster and possibly Sula sula, with perhaps related forms on Sula variegata and S. abbotti. The distribution of these species follows a normal pattern; a species group (P. annulatus) parasitising a number of related birds and a distinct but related species (P. bassani) on a distinct but related group of hosts (Morus.) In addition, on Sula sula and Sula leucogaster there are two rather similar species, Pectinopygus sulae (Rudow) and P. garbei (Pess6a & Guimaraes), which on the available material, show an unusual type of distribution. Figure 1 shows that Mallophaga collected from Su/a sula and Sula leucogaster in the Atlantic area belong to P. garbei and those from Sula sula in the rest of its range and from S. /eucogaster in the Indian Ocean belong to P. sulae. This is an unusual distribution pattern for species of Mallophaga and its explanation is difficult. The following possibilities are suggested : 1. These results are based on insufficient material and, in fact, both species occur on both hosts. In spite of the 28 records available this is possible and one of the reasons for publishing this note is to appeal for more material from all the species of Sula. 2. Originally both species occurred on both hosts and for some reason P. sulae died out in one area and P. garbei in the other. However, these two species do not show the character differences usually associated with sympatry and appear more likely to be host replace- ments of each other. It is also difficult to suggest what ecological or other factors might have led to the elimination of the one species in each of the areas concerned. 3. Originally P. sulae was restricted to one host and P. garbei to the other, and in one area P. sulae became extinct on one host which secondarily acquired P. garbei and the reverse process took place in the other. Again a rather complicated and unlikely explanation. 4. One of the hosts, say Su/a sula, was parasitised by a louse population of the su/ae-garbei type. The population of this bird living between the continent of America and Africa became isolated from the rest of the population by these land barriers, thus isolating their louse Vol. 84 16 Bulletin B.O.C. populations. As a result these diverged and ultimately became two well defined forms (see Clay, 1949: 283-284). If these were acquired secondarily by Sula leucogaster, then this host would have acquired one form of the louse (P. garbei) from Sula sula in the Atlantic area and the other (P. sul/ae) in other parts of its range. This is more likely to have happened before Sula sula took to the un-gannet-like habit of nesting in trees and bushes which would have made contact between the two hosts less probable. It would appear that Sula leucogaster is frequently parasitised by P. annulatus (see fig. 1) and it is possible that where this species is absent the su/ae group can become established. It is perhaps significant that in the Atlantic area where garbei is commonly found on S. leucogaster, there are no records of annulatus. The following statements by Murphy (1936) support the suggestion that Africa and the American continent would have formed effective barriers to the gannet populations: ‘‘there can be no question about the fact that the Brown Booby (S. /eucogaster) finds in this strip [Isthmus of Panama] an effective barrier against natural distribution from either oceanic region to the other (p. 854)’’ ‘*. . . boobies in general shy off continental coasts and . . . rarely if ever cross extensive bodies of land’’ (p. 863). More material of Mallophaga from all species of Sula may help to elucidate these problems of distribution. HOSTS AND LOCALITIES Host Locality No. of hosts Pectinopygus garbei (Pess6a & Guimaraes, 1935). Sula leucogaster (Boddaert) Puerto Rico 2 Coast of Brazil 4 Ascension Is. 1 Gulf of Guinea 2 Sula sula (Linn.) Little Cayman, Jamaica 5 Puerto Rico 1 Trinidad Is., S. Atlantic 3 Pectinopygus sulae (Rudow, 1869) Sula leucogaster (Boddaert) Maldive Is., Indian Ocean 1 Java 1 Sula sula (Linn.) Cocos Is., Indian Ocean 1 Indian Ocean 1 Rennel Is., Coral Sea 1 South Diamond Islet, Coral Sea 1 Hawaii 1 Galapagos 2 at. 159% long. 175" 1 Lat. 15° 9’, long. 175° 50 W ig References : Clay, T. 1949. Some problems in the evolution of a group of ectoparasites. Evolution, 3: 279-299 Clay, T. 1961. Three new species of Mallophaga (Insecta). Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Entom., 11: 45-58. Clay, T. 1962. A key to the species of Actornithophilus with notes and descriptions of new species. Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Entom., 11: 189-244. Murphy, R. C. 1936. Oceanic birds of South America. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Timmermann, G. 1957. Studien zu einer vergleichenden Parasitologie der Charadrii- fo rmes. pt. 1: Mallophaga. Parasitologische Schriftenreihe, Jena, 8: 1-204. Bulletin B.O.C. 17 Vol. 84 The distribution, within the eggshell, of the pigments | producing egg coloration by C. J. O. HARRISON Received 21st May, 1963 INTRODUCTION This paper consists of a short description of the normal distribution of pigments in and on the eggshell, and the way in which they govern the apparent external coloration of it. Most of this was discovered by Von Nathusius in the late nineteenth century. His work was largely overlooked by later writers although it has recently been brought together, translated, and editied by C. Tyler (pers. comm.). In view of the published information by Schénwetter (1927), Hobson (1947), Pring (1958-62) and Friedmann (1948), which appears to indicate some degree of confusion regarding egg pigmentation, it seemed advisable to set out this description of pigment distribution. The information given below is based on data gained by microscopic examination of radial sections of eggshell, and by the grinding away of surface layers. The facts given explain the coloration of the great majority of birds’ eggs. There are exceptions, but it is proposed to make a more detailed study of these, and they are not described here. SHELL STRUCTURE The shell of a bird’s egg is generally regarded as consisting of three layers. The innermost layer rests on the shell membrane and is well supplied with air-spaces. The shell is formed on a base consisting of a mass of separate nodules deposited on the shell membrane with a network of spaces between them. The remainder of the shell is built up with these nodules as a base, the air-spaces persisting and being visible in radial section as a series of small holes in the shell structure immediately above the membrane. In some eggs, particularly those of the Galliformes and Falconiformes these nodules appear as a series of rounded projections from the inner surface of the shell, giving this layer the name by which it is generally known, the Mammillary Layer. Immediately above this is the main thickness of the shell. This, like the mammillary layer, consists of a hard crystalline material laid down on a basis of protein fibres. Owing to the hardness of the shell, portions of it were, in the past, normally decalcified before microscopic examination was possible, and the crystalline structure, mainly calcium carbonate, was lost. As a result this portion of the shell appeared as a fibrous mass, and was given the inappropriate name of the Spongy Layer. The outermost _ layer of the shell is known as the Cuticle. This is normally regarded as a _ thin transparent outer coating, but recent work by Tyler (in press, and pers. comm.) has shown that this layer may vary considerably in thickness, and in some families it is considerably thicker and far more complex in structure than was formerly believed. Vol. 84 18 Bulletin B.O.C. PIGMENTATION 1. PERVASIVE OR GROUND PIGMENT The mammillary and spongy layers may be one of two colours, either white or blue. There does not seem to be any definite evidence of a white pigment being present, and the white colour appears to be the result of reflection and refraction of light from internal surfaces in the crystalline structure. Where there are many such surfaces the material of the shell is very white, and broken surfaces have a rather granular appearance. Where there are few the material is more translucent and less white, while a broken surface will appear glassy. In general the spongy layer tends to appear whiter, and the mammillary layer less white and more translucent. In some families the spongy layer may be partly translucent, particularly towards the outer surface where there may be a transparent zone either immediately under, or perhaps as a part of, the cuticular layer. The apparent whiteness of the shell structure in the eggs of many species appears to coincide with the distribution of the protein matrix fibres as given by Romanoff and Romanoff (1949). Where such fibres are most numerous as, for example, in the inner part of the spongy layer, the shell appears whiter in radial section, and it is possible that these fibres may help to create the structural interference that results in the white appear- ance. Where blue occurs as a shell colour it is normally present with uniform distribution throughout the thickness of the shell. Its mode of distribution is very even, without obvious variation, and its occurrence is due to the presence of a blue-green pigment, Biliverdin, (Lemberg 1934) this being the pigment which Sorby (1875) called Odcyan. Where translucent or transparent zones are present in a blue shell they appear darker blue than the rest of the shell owing to the absence of white light reflected from internal surfaces. Within birds’ eggs as a whole it is possible to find a complete gradation from deep blue to pure white. In the White-browed Jay-thrush, Garrulax sannio, the difference is individual, different birds laying either white or blue eggs; and in some other passerine species where egg colour is variable, patterned shell may show a ground colour which is either white or blue in different individuals; while white eggs may occur abnormally in species which normally lay blue eggs. 2. PATTERN PIGMENT The patterns on eggshells appear to be produced by a single pigment which may appear as three different colours, red, brown, or black, or intermediate shades of these. The pigment in normally applied to the surface of the egg in separate masses which form spots or blotches on it. In some species such as the Quail, Coturnix coturnix, it is purely super- ficial, but in the majority of birds with patterned eggshells it is applied at intervals during the period of shell formation. If shells of the latter type are examined in radial section the pigment will be seen to occur as dark layers parallel to the surface of the shell, and may be at any depth within the thickness of the spongy layer although tending to be more frequent towards the outside. Such pigment layers may occur one above the other. Bulletin B.O.C. 19 Vol. 84 The shell itself is frequently translucent, and colour may show through it. In freshly Jaid white eggs of smaller birds it is sometimes possible to see the colour of the yolk showing through the shell. Where spots of pigment are present within the thickness of the shell they are frequently apparent on the outside of it, although this depends to some extent on their depth within the shell. Their appearance is modified by the thickness of the white or blue spongy layer overlaying them, and they will appear paler and slightly different in colour, being grey, purple, lilac, pink, fawn, or similar shades. Their appearance may also vary according to the thickness and depth of colour of the pigment layer which is present. In some cases this pigment may be present over the whole surface or throughout the shell, either as minute specks or generally diffused. The shell may then appear wholly grey, red, brown, or some paler shade of these. 3. SUPERFICIAL PIGMENT In many eggs there is a yellowish pigment present in or under the cuticular layer. This colour is usually associated with a thin transparent cuticular layer and modifies the appearance of underlying pigments. Where buff pigment occurs it is also only apparent as a superficial pigment layer. There seems insufficient evidence to show whether these buff and yellow pigments represent two different superficial pigments or whether they are forms of the same pigment. Some authorities appear to regard both the superficial and the pattern pigments as forms of a single red-brown pigment (Romanoff and Romanoff, op. cit.). In some eggs the superficial pigment appears to extend a little way into the spongy layer, but in view of Tyler’s findings (in press) concerning the structure of the cuticular layer in the waterfowl it seems inadvisable to make assumptions as to where the cuticular layer ends and the spongy layer begins. As a result of the presence of these superficial pigments, white eggs may appear cream, yellow, or buff, while blue shells may appear some shade of green or olive. Removal of the cuticular layer by acid or abrasion will reveal the colour of the spongy layer. Most green eggshells, with one or two exceptions, are blue with a superficial yellowish layer. Such a layer will also modify the appearance of the pattern pigments to some extent, making them appear darker. FINAL COMMENTS From the above information it can be seen that the colour of the majority of eggshells is due to the presence of a very limited number of pigments. There may be a blue colour throughout the shell thickness; red, brown, or _ black markings may either be superficial or scattered through the thickness of the spongy layer; and a superficial yellow or buff layer may be present. The different colouring of eggshells is the result of the way in which the pigments present are arranged. A few examples will illustrate this. The _ yellow-and-black patterned eggs of the Red Grouse, Lagopus scoticus, have a white shell with a superficial layer of black pigment patches covered by a yellow cuticular layer. The red-spotted blue eggs of the Mistle Thrush, Turdus viscivorus, have a blue shell with patches of red- brown pigment distributed throughout the thickness of the spongy layer. The buff eggs, with reddish spots, of the Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, Vol. 84 20 Bulletin B.O.C. have a white shell with patches of reddish pigment distributed throughout the spongy layer and a superficial buff layer. The greenish, black-spotted eggs of the Carrion Crow, Corvus corone, have a blue shell with black pigment patches distributed throughout the thickness of the spongy layer, and a superficial yellowish layer. The original descriptions of the eggs of some rare species have been based on eggs taken from the oviduct of a dead bird, and such eggs occur in collections. It should be remembered that an oviduct egg usually lacks a cuticular layer, and the colour shown by the shell is usually that of the spongy layer. In such circumstances buff eggs will appear white and green or olive eggs will appear blue. The above descriptions give some indication of the way in which pigment distribution contributes to the final coloration of the eggshell. Much of this information is self-evident, and this account supplements earlier descriptions mainly with regard to the extent to which the blue colour and pattern pigments have been found to occur within the structure of the shell. References: Friedmann, H. 1948. The parasitic cuckoos of Africa. Washington Acad. Sci. Monogr. No. 1. Hobson, W. 1947. Variation in the eggs of British birds. Pt. 3. Ool. Rec. 21; 1-3. Lemberg, R. 1934. Bile pigments. VI Biliverdin, uteroverdin, and odcyan. Biochem, J. 28; 978-987. Pring, C. J. 1958-62. Notes in Bull. Jourdain Soc. No. 52; 30-34. Romanoff, A. L. and Romanoff, A. J. 1949. The avian egg. New York. Sch6nwetter, M. 1927. Pigmentation of bird’s eggs. Ool. Rec. 7: 67-8. Sorby, H. C. 1875. Colouring matter of the shells of birds’ eggs. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1875: 351-365. Tyler, C. A study of the egg shells of the Anatidae. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (In press). wits rat inet ol *boYole 51 Joft FAR zrouudimiim> BD ol6s: ey betsiigoY piok sMrenbe and af beeetnbbr oft od a Boos Sean tl 147.4 ,nohaoT und y Tisp2971 mobic y “te a d cy ie $ slew bs saqa-sidu0 Fy yas nh ort 10 shia sao nO bacyt RE OMe OT moianygit: banorttien: 21 2oieqe * Suit Jest elite Deon senso OrELBe ors. ¥! ywiotteadue bsbuloni of bluaie brs goed. ti Bath 4-318 esrian oBhinsi & .2unog oti? Yo rae! : mone ad bivcda tavnsrsisA Jqirmerty) ond si Denilrebay F | taqeq -_ won €7 fete ae nee ante aarouborng moat A Br ong eman eri’ ralgars Sie sft tioc) Mt bila ov&SIDaT Bluoile 5 ie 2 Earp emesis) ies 10m ge. 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AVAL aT. dese On HOSA Ie 4 (OS ‘oft ol aldayag ..2?. yqao 12¢ 19 (sonaybe ni CY) 3 nohbndl sont. teen? . bao FOUIGANTZN FAO » Gals pt of bsvstrbbe od blnode solisbrogesnies ihr Lan roe. bak é On 32" hoowsitni'': nose af as ‘ Ab, HOF SOVITSAM CMA C2AGVVUC SADA} tgs, AGRE shore ANY. viguuded 139i ounel self gro" iT) COLOR ative) tedotoD prodeiiges tel vam | sod reso] NEA Pe ep es on en amen wale Rye a nln me — ay te Sass: ~~ bs “2TANOIONTIMAO PAVTUMA set vel befall ichwantia nabiod MA weatl SHehestatohl 2 cours) of 964 hy eit vis wares stdin atredeyer’ ve SCHAMw SC VeINn AN AY adT) Ay, 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. 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. noy., 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 thirty 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 5s. 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 Mr. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 40s. (payable in advance) or per copy 5s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, P. Tate, 4 Broad Street Place, London, E.C.2 CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Dr. J. G. Harrison, ‘‘Merriewood’’, St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1964 2ist January, 18th February, 17th March, 28th April (A.G.M.), 19th May, 15th September, October (with B.O.U.), 17th November, 15th December. a i Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 104 London Road, Sevenoaks Kent. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by JOHN J. YEALLAND Volume 84 February No. 2 1964 i on i vines seaeatee Ua a araaoDhe fot Desoriyitin”,'- SRaaeiate anh ‘wit Type serra Shee pepitai at ie es ; As Bea i dials be: poe os ae i He lather. changorvnction Sats: seth ea Raa: spugonable a a gil whe? Viaty noalr Fit Seka“ en rk one Wheater tilt Crs Ate ghee: BAS | Bull iG, BD ati LORY a dhe cay ‘feat tf tiga aoa his Mk syne _ add fi if > iba . aha OR MEnAS OF ig: 9h Ragu Me “pbigayate 5 ise ve eon i i te ig Asia beet, ao ne be paribus m4 at ius Dake Phy ke: W bay’ sal Fret eit roy lTe are ae Bir nigel ere ny, a RR ey | ie aa es. ‘Arment sate bby sp P. he dlp. og ele AOE A a mihi erie Fi ie Cheha Tike it 4 j ms, } M mh apf th Ey Tr ve oi “ea, ‘sae a ey ¥ a hg ie ASS Ne ay m ‘ne: mn i, ee i easy ie done i a sy Wine, f oh ff : era Ge eae us ny f i o BS ayy 20 pane: Bb. Nt ih senting OR ‘ib on pat) rape eset EI Biss Sie Apee Pie Bye ayieth hy, ae ire op? Pyne Ny ae: Rusiihet a i baw wi : | P Maude 1964 . 21 Vol. 84 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 84 Number 2 € * . ( a pe, Published: 7th February, 1964 \t . ) a* Stu ; " ee ea The six hundred and thirteenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on the 21st January, 1964. Chairman: Mr. C. W. Mackworth-Praed Members present, 20; guests, 5. Dr. R. K. Murton of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries spoke on the Wood Pigeon, on control of its numbers and on experiments made in capturing pigeons by means of foods treated with a narcotic. The pay)er was discussed by several members and Dr. Murton replied. Mouits and colour change in the Pin-tailed Whydah, Vidua macroura by C. J. O. HARRISON Received 21st May, 1963 A summary of the moults and plumages of the Pin-tailed Whydah, Vidua macroura, was included by Friedmann (1960) in his study of the parasitic weaverbirds. He considered that there was a complete post- nuptial moult into the eclipse plumage and that the nuptial plumage was acquired by a partial body moult involving the head, the sides of the breast, scapulars and lesser coverts; while the remainder of the breeding plumage, with the exception of the remiges which grow at this time, was thought to be acquired by the wearing away of the buff edges, leaving the black portions of the feathers to produce the black part of the plumage. He also quoted the findings of Brown and Rollo (1940) concerning the way in which the buff edges of the feathers dropped off in a short period prior to breeding, in a manner which suggested that something more than normal wear was involved. Vol. 84 2 Bulletin B.O.C. In a recent casual examination of some specimens it was observed that in the eclipse plumage the outer third on either side of the feather was warm reddish-buff with a narrow zone of black between. The loss of this buff area would leave a feather which was only a third of the normal width, and similar feathers on adult males in breeding plumage were examined to see if this was so. It was found that the black feathers on males in breeding plumage appear to be similar in width to those on males in eclipse plumage. Taken in conjunction with the earlier statements concerning moult, this would appear to suggest that there had been a spread of black eumelanin in these feathers. This seemed unlikely and a careful examination was therefore made of the large series of skins of this species in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History). - SUCCESSION OF PLUMAGE STAGES It was found that the skins of males could be grouped into six stages, which were arranged and assigned an alphabetical letter in sequence. Birds in full eclipse plumage were at A and B, and those in full black-and- white breeding plumage at E. The stages were as follows :— A. These were birds in fresh eclipse plumage. The feathers of the dorsal surface, remiges and rectrices were blackish with broad reddish- buff edges Fig. A B. These birds were also in eclipse plumage. The plumage showed varying degrees of wear, in some cases quite considerable and resulting in an extensive loss of buff edges, the feathers tending to have a slightly ragged tapering outline. Fig. B There was a little fading, the buff edges of the feathers tending to become paler and less reddish, while the darker parts tended to appear browner. This loss of buff edges was especially noticeable on the tertials, remiges and rectrices. Bulletin B.O.C. 23 Vol. 84 C. These were birds in a transitional plumage state. The most obvious indication of the partial moult into breeding plumage was the presence of partially grown elongated rectrices. In addition, head and breast showed a variable amount of moult into black or white breeding plumage. White feathers with small buff tips were present on the rump and tail- coverts in place of the streaked black-and-buff feathers of the eclipse plumage which have no white on them. At this stage the feathers of the dorsal surface were a mixture of old and new. Fig. E shows two adjacent tertials from a bird at this stage, the rectrices of which were about two inches long. One of the feathers shown is a worn eclipse one in which Fig. E the buff edges are almost completely lost; the other is an obviously new feather with a buff border. An examination of these birds at this stage revealed that there is a general replacement of old worn feathers by new ones which resemble those of the eclipse period in being black with a buff edge. In these new feathers, however, the black central portion has a blue-green gloss to it and the buff edges are narrower, and, on the contour feathers, are confined to two narrow crescentic zones on either side of the tip. Fig. C As far as can be seen, this stage appears to involve a complete moult, _ including remiges and rectrices. D. These were birds which showed the full breeding plumage, but on which evidence of buff feather edges still persisted. On the contour feathers these were confined to small traces of buff fringes on scattered feathers of the lower mantle, while on the tertials, remiges and rectrices, the buff borders persisted but were reduced by wear to very narrow zones fringing the edges of the feathers. They showed a tendency to fade to a pale creamy colour. Fig. D Vol. 84 24 Bulletin B.O.C. E. These were birds in full breeding plumage in which almost all signs of buff edges had disappeared, although a few showed pale fringes on the tips of the tertials and the edges of the rectrices. F. These were birds in a transitional stage, moulting from breeding plumage to eclipse plumage. Characteristic individuals showed loss of long remiges, and a mixture of wholly black feathers and new feathers with broad reddish-buff edges on the dorsal tracts. LOSS OF BUFF EDGES Reference has been made to the apparent rapidity with which the buff edges are lost on feathers which are mainly black. It is known that the presence of melanin pigments in a feather give it greater mechanical strength and resistance to abrasion. The presence of black eumelanin appears to make a feather stronger than does the presence of brown phaeomelanin. In a study of schizochroism (Harrison, in press) it was found that, in the absence of eumelanin, buff-coloured feathers containing only brown phaeomelanins were prone to rapid fading, and to a heavy loss of structure by abrasion. The difference in wear between the black and the brown portions of feathers in V. macroura would appear to be due to this difference in strength. This would not, however, explain why the buff edges should be so rapidly and completely lost. Some of the feathers from the mantle of individuals of this species were examined under the microscope to see if there was any evidence of a special zone of structural weakness occurring on the barb of the feather at the junction of the change in pigmentation. No such structural variation was found. It is apparent that a single barb will have a strongly resistant eumelanic proximal portion and a less resistant phaeomelanic distal portion. If abrasion occurs the distal portion will tend to yield to pressure. If the whole feather were of a similar type of pigmentation this tendency to yield would be equal throughout the structure, but in the case of feathers such as those under consideration the distal portion will tend to bend while the proximal portion will show greater rigidity. There will therefore be a tendency for a sharp bend to occur at the point where the change of pigmentation takes place, and at this point the barb will be subject to the greatest pressure and therefore tend to fracture, causing the phaeomelanic distal portion to break away. In this way there will be a tendency for the entire buff edge to be lost, due to the difference in strength of the two portions. Where the buff edge is more extensive and is present on a greater length of the barb, there will be less likelihood of a sudden pressure at one point if the tip of the feather is abraded, and in addition the presence of over- lapping feathers extending over the buff area may tend to modify the effect. This might explain why this sudden and complete loss of buff edges is less apparent in plumages such as the eclipse plumage of the male. CONCLUSIONS From the evidence of the skins examined it would appear that the Pin- tailed Whydah, has two complete moults annually, and that at each moult feathers with buff edges appear over most of the dorsal surface. With the exception of the head and breast, the black appearance of the breeding plumage is produced by the loss of the buff edges of feathers resulting Bulletin B.O.C. 25 Vol. 84 from a complete pre-nuptial moult. In a collection of skins it is possible to find a series which appears to show reduction of buff edges in a gradual succession from the eclipse to the full breeding plumage, and this has tended to conceal the existence of a complete moult between the eclipse and the breeding plumage. The figures are diagrammatic sketches, not necessarily to scale, intended to show only the extent of the black and the buff (diagonally shaded) colouring. References : Brown, a A. Jr. and Rollo, M., 1940. Light and molt in weaver finches. Auk, 57: 485-498, Friedmann, H., 1960. The parasitic weaverbirds. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 223. Harrison, C. J.O. Fawn and grey variant plumages. Bird Study, in press. Mottled plumage in the genus Corvus by BRYAN L. SAGE Received 27th July, 1963 C. J. O. Harrison (1963) has recently dealt with the subject of mottled plumage in various species of the genus Corvus, and concludes that this condition is not genetic in origin as originally suggested by Dr. James M. Harrison (1948) and the writer (Sage 1956), but is caused instead by periods of unbalanced diet affecting the rhythm of melanin deposition. Despite his lengthy treatment of the subject I am quite unable to see that he has produced any evidence definitely disproving the genetical theory. Whilst agreeing that the majority of discussion on the subject must per- force be largely theoretical, it may be said that the explanation of the condition as originally proposed is perfectly in accord with simple and orthodox genetics. Since the publication of my last paper on this subject (Sage 1958) I have done further research on the matter with the result that some of my earlier views are somewhat modified. Furthermore, I feel that C.J.O.H. has included in his discussion several types of plumage variation {i.e. brown plumage, white wing-barring, and fault bars or ‘‘hunger traces’’) which I consider are not in fact analogous, thereby confusing rather than clarifying the situation. BROWN PLUMAGE TYPES A mounted specimen of the Raven Corvus corax in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History) is described by C. J. O. Harrison (pp. 43-44) as being a dilute partial albino, having the feathers of the lower belly, forehead and throat loose and fluffy in texture, and the pigmented portions of the plumage greyish-brown. The fluffy texture of the plumage of this specimen, which | have myself seen, is presumably due to some defect in the interlocking mechanism of the barbules, the identical factor which gives rise to the ‘‘hairy’’ variety of the Moorhen Gallinula chloropus. \t may be noted that in the Moorhen this condition is frequently, but by no means invariably associated with depigmentation of the plumage to a greater or lesser degree. | have in my possession a specimen of the Rook Corvus frugilegus given to me by the late Alfred Hazelwood of the Vol. 84 26 Bulletin B.O.C. Bolton Museum. In this bird the entire plumage, with the exception of the wings and tail, is medium-brown in colour and fluffy in texture; the wings and tail are almost normal but the feathers are whitish terminally to a varying degree. I consider the fluffy or “‘hairy’’ plumage condition to be genetically determined. As a further example of the former condition I would include the Carrion Crow Corvus corone that I originally described (Sage 1956a) as an example of the mottled type of plumage; the wing of this bird was uniformly brownish. It is a well known fact, as I stressed in 1956, that a defective diet can produce in captive corvids (and probably other species as well) a uni- formly brown or partially depigmented plumage. The condition occurs in young birds and also in adults, in the latter case most usually at the period of moult. At a later date the plumage reverts to the normal colour. During the process of moulting a bird is under considerable physiological strain and it may need only a very slight deficiency in diet at this time to upset the process of pigmentation of the growing feathers. An adult Rook that I shot in October 1961 near Hertford had the plumage entirely normal with the exception of the head and neck, the feathers of which were two differing shades of brown resulting in a mottled appearance. The head plumage is the last to be moulted in the change from summer to winter plumage in this species, and | infer that in this instance the moult had progressed normally until the final stage, at which point some physio- logical factor caused the abnormally pigmented feathering. Other records of adult corvids in this type of plumage exist. It may also be noted that in some years, e.g. 1951 and 1954, both brown and mottled examples have been found together in the Ashwell rookeries, and the former have also occurred in years (e.g. 1952) when no mottled mutants were present. I shall return to the significance of this point later on. It remains only to say that I do not consider either the ‘‘hairy’’ type of plumage or the partially or completely depigmented brown type to have any connection whatsoever with the mottled plumage sens. strict of the Rook. The fact that a combination of these conditions may sometimes occur in one individual does not affect this point at all. WHITE WING-BARRING The second type of plumage variation included by C.J.O.H. in his overall discussion is that of white wing-barring in the Carrion Crow and Jackdaw Corvus monedula, as recorded by Dr. James M. Harrison (1957a & b) and the writer (Sage 1956c). I agree with J.M.H. that this is probably a condition of comparatively recent origin compared with the mottled plumage of the Rook which has been known for a great many years, and also that it is remarkably stable in pattern. The white wing-barring in the Carrion Crow is now certainly widespread as I have received a good many reports from quite different localities. Furthermore, my own studies have produced pretty clear evidence that this condition can persist unchanged through the various moults into adult plumage. At the time of writing there are at least nine adult Carrion Crows in my own district that exhibit this type of plumage pattern. It seems fairly evident that this condition is genetically determined: if it were due to a period of unbalanced diet it would be extremely unlikely to persist into adult plumage. Additionally, I find it hard to imagine that Bulletin B.O.C. 27 Vol. 84 Carrion Crows in a number of widely scattered localities not only suffer from a defective diet, but as a result also exhibit an exactly similar pattern of plumage variation. There appears to be an almost complete lack of any record of white wing-barring being produced in conditions of captivity as a result of faulty diet. The only exception, as mentioned by Dr. James M. Harrison (1962) is that Fritz, Hooper, Halpin and Moore (1946) have shown that a deficiency of lysine can produce symmetrical white wing banding in bronze-wing turkey poults. It does not follow, however, that this is the explanation of the variant plumage in the Carrion Crow and Jackdaw. In the broods of young Carrion Crows where white wing-barring has been noticed, there have been some normal birds present also. Pre- sumably all have been similarly fed, so that if the wing-barring is caused by a defective diet it would be necessary to postulate a selective suscepti- bility to this factor; this is surely highly improbable. C. J. O. Harrison when discussing this particular aspect says ‘‘The former species (i.e. Carrion Crow) seems particularly prone to such defects, especially in urban or suburban areas where the principle feeding places are often rubbish tips, and the diet is likely to be abnormal or deficient.’’ The known facts, however, do not support this contention. In the first place in those areas where corvids habitually feed on rubbish tips, the habit can hardly be described as abnormal. Secondly, it so hap- pens that all the records in my own area of white wing-barring refer to birds that are entirely rural in their habitat, and the same is true of quite a large proportion of records that I have received from other areas. Dr. J. M. Harrison (1957b) suggested that this plumage aberration may be due to inbreeding in a population that has increased due to a lack of predation or other control. This may well be the case, as there are numbers of aberrant Carrion Crows in the vicinity of Hilfield Park Reservoir, Hert- fordshire, which have almost certainly originated in this manner. In 1960 and 1961 a pair of this species reared three and two young respectively, all with white wing-barring. In 1962 two pairs bred at the reservoir; one pair in the same tree as in the two previous years produced two young with white wing bars; the second pair (one of which was barred and was probably one of the birds reared in 1961) nested some 300 yards distant, and two of their three young were barred on the wings. All these birds are still about. There is no question of the population density in this area being so great as to make it difficult for the birds to obtain normal food. C.J.O.H. places what I consider to be too much faith in the evidence pro- vided by nutritional disorders in captive birds. The white banded wing type reported in the turkey by Fritz et al is probably morphologically similar to the white wing-barring in the Carrion Crow and Jackdaw, but the evidence I have given above shows, in my opinion, that the factors responsible cannot be the same. FAULT BARS AND DIET The next point requiring discussion is that concerning fault bars or *“*hunger traces’’. So far as they are concerned there appears to be no evidence of consistent correlation with mottling or barring of the feathers. In the past five years or so I have examined several hundred young Rooks and somewhat lesser numbers of young Crows. In the great majority of cases at least a few fault bars were found, sometimes on one or two Vol. 84 28 Bulletin B.O.C. feathers only. In other cases virtually all of the wing and/or tail feathers exhibited them. Out of a total of 430 young Rooks examined, 32 had a nar- row pale band(s) associated with the fault bar(s), in some instances this bar was no more than fractionally paler than the rest of the feather. On the other hand there were some 57 individuals which had narrow bands of less heavily pigmented areas on the feathers of the wings and/or tail which were totally unrelated to the presence of fault bars. Practically every one of the remaining 341 birds had narrow transverse bars on some feathers of the wings and/or tail, occasionally also on the body plumage. In the majority of cases the inhibition of pigmentation was so slight that the bars could only be detected with great difficulty. There is nothing new in this, Glegg (1944) called them latent or subordinate markings and found them on every one of 935 specimens that he examined. It seems quite unnecessary to invoke any explanation for this phenomenon other than that the bars are caused by the lower metabolic rate or decreased blood pressure during the hours of darkness, as suggested by Riddle (1908). The above evidence, based on a large random sample, of the lack of correlation in the siting of fault bars or ‘‘hunger traces’’ and the pale bars caused by reduced pigmentation clearly negatives the comment made by C. J. O. Harrison on page 45 of his paper, where he comments on “.. . the apparent relationship between such bars and hunger traces.’’ This relationship is not apparent to me. It hardly seems necessary to add that I do not consider the often strikingly pale and broad transverse barring or tips to the feathers found in the mottled variety of the Rook (in extreme cases on the entire body plumage) to be analogous with the type of pale bars discussed above. It may also be added that the latter may often be found, along with fault bars or ‘‘hunger traces’’, on individuals of the mottled type. Further evidence quoted by C.J.O.H. as analogous to the Rook problem are the experiments of Rollin (1959) who reared Blackbirds Turdus merula in captivity on a thoroughly abnormal diet, the basic component of which was dog biscuits, and found that new feather growth was greyish or whitish. I regard this comparison as ludicrous in the extreme as a diet so markedly abnormal could hardly fail to have some effect, but I have yet to see or hear of any evidence proving that wild birds have to subsist for long periods on an extremely abnormal diet. Furthermore, the markings on Rollin’s birds had little resemblance to those found on the variant Rooks discussed here. Although these dietetic experiments under avi- cultural conditions are interesting, I feel that their relation to natural populations is somewhat doubtful and interpretations of this nature should be subject to caution. As mentioned earlier, aviculturists have often found that various species of Corvidae will assume a brown type of plumage if their diet is deficient. It is probably reasonably safe to assume that this factor is also responsible for the brown-plumaged Rooks, Crows, and Jackdaws sometimes seen in the wild, but this has never been definitely proved. At one time I gave serious consideration to the theory that abnormal feeding conditions were the cause of mottled plumage in the Rook. It has been suggested that very dry springs, as in 1959 when young Rooks of this type were present in the Ashwell rookery on the Herts/Cambs border, may make it difficult for the adults to obtain proper food for the young. I Bulletin B.O.C. 29 Vol. 84 therefore listed all the years when mottled Rooks had been found any- where in the British Isles and checked them with the meteorological reports; I was unable to find any consistent correlation. I see no reason to suppose that where an important item in the diet of Rooks, e.g. Lumbricidae, are hard to obtain, that a satisfactory alternative cannot be found. Indeed, a specific instance of this is mentioned by Owen (1959). On page 48 of his paper C.J.O.H. refers to ‘‘The individual bird which con- sistently fails to rear or feed its young properly, year after year, is known to aviculturists.’’ Do such cases always have an effect on the pigmentation of the plumage, and has anyone definitely proved that this occurs in wild corvids? I think not. The young of the Rook hatch asynchronously, with the result that when food is scarce the smallest young die of starvation. Let us accept for the moment that the mottled type of plumage in the Rook is in fact due to a diet deficiency. At the Ashwell rookery careful records have been kept over a long period, and the incidence of such birds has rarely been higher than | %. As this is based on the number of mottled birds found amongst the birds that are shot, the actual incidence is prob- ably even lower. In view of the strong tribal feeding habits of this species it seems illogical to suggest that a food deficiency would affect only an extremely small proportion of the population. Why, also, should this supposed shortage of food occur with such frequency at the Ashwell rookery, which is situated in a highly fertile area, and not at other rookeries? To take the matter further, let us also accept that the brown plumage type found in wild corvids is, as mentioned earlier, analogous with that found in captive birds. In some years both this and the mottled type are found simultaneously at the Ashwell rookery. Are we therefore to believe that a food shortage results in the occurrence of two entirely different types of plumage variation? This, to my mind, is completely unacceptable. It might also be mentioned that although corvids are fairly often kept under avicultural conditions, there appears to be no case on record of a mottled type being bred in captivity. Finally, if the factors responsible for the mottled plumage condition are in fact those stated by C.J.O.H., then surely the condition would be much more frequent and widely distributed than is the case. On the other hand if the causative factor is a rare recessive gene(s), then its persistence in one relatively isolated group of rookeries, with occasional outbreaks at other localities is quite logical. It is probable that gene flow between widely separated rookeries is rather restricted. As far back as Millet (1828) it was suggested that this condition was an inherited character. SUMMARY The subject of mottled plumage in the Rook is discussed, and it is suggested that this condition is not analogous with other types of variation such as abnormal brown pigmentation, white wing-barring as found in the Carrion Crow and Jackdaw, and fault bars or ‘‘hunger traces’. It is considered that mottled plumage is not caused by an unbalanced diet as suggested by C. J. O. Harrison (1963), and that no evidence disproving the original theory of a genetical basis for this condition has been produced, Vol. 84 30 Bulletin B.O.C. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to Dr. James M. Harrison and Dr. Jeffery G. Harrison for reading the draft of this paper and for making a number of helpful suggestions. References: Fritz, J. C., Hooper, J. H., Halpin, J. L., and Moore, H. F. (1946). Failure of Feather Pigmentation in Bronze Poults due to Lysine Deficiency. Jnl. of Nutrition 31: 387-396. Glegg, W. E. (1944). An enquiry into the scope and significance of certain latent or subordinate markings on the feathers of birds on the British List. /bis 86: 511-516. Harrison, C. J. O. (1963). Mottled plumage in the genus Corvus, its causation and reletionship to fundamental barring. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 83: 41-50. Harrison, J. M. (1948). Exhibition of a variety of the Rook. ibid 69: 117-118. — (1957a). The ‘‘white wing-barring’’ and other variants in the Carrion Crow and Rook. ibid 77: 84-85. — (1957b). Significant pattern variations in European Corvidae. ibid 77: 131-133. — (1962). Albinism and melanism in birds (as illustrated by the Mallard) and their possible significance. ibid. 82: 101-109. Millet, P. A. (1828). Faune de Maine et Loire. pp. 353-355 Owen, D. F. (1959). The breeding season and clutch-size of the Rook Corvus frugilegus Ibis 101 : 235-239. Riddle, O. (1908). The genesis of fault-bars in feathers and the cause of alternation of light and dark fundamental bars. Biol. Bull. Marine Biol. Lab. Woods Hole. 14: 328-370. Rollin, N. (1959). White plumage in Blackbirds. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 79: 92-96. Sage, B. L. (19562). On the occurrence of ‘‘mottled’’ plumage in the Carrion Crow. ibid. 76: 13-14. — (1956b). A summary of the known geographical distribution of mutant ‘‘mottled’’ Rooks. ibid. 76: 25-28. — (1956c). Notes on an aberrant Carrion Crow, Corvus corone corone, Linnaeus. obtained in Hertfordshire. ibid. 76: 64-65. — (1958). Supplementary notes on the geographical distribution of the ‘‘mottled’’ variety of the Rook. ibid. 78: 74-75. Further comments on hybridisation between the European Wigeon and Northern Shoveler by JAMES M. HARRISON Received 5th November, 1963 In 1959 the writer was able, through the generosity of Captain C. R. Peacock, to comment upon the characters presented by crossing a male European Wigeon (Anas penelope Linnaeus) and a female Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata Linnaeus), an instance of a cross in which the exact parentage and age of the individual was known (Harrison, 1959).+* Again thanks to Captain Peacock I have been able to investigate the sibling of the above mentioned specimen, which presents a marked variation in facial pattern, though in other respects very similar, while additionally I have been favoured with a third specimen presenting characteristics so closely approximating to those of the instance reported in 1959 (Joc. cit.) and its sibling as to suggest that the same parent species were involved. The resemblances in fact between the first example and the last one mentioned, for which I am indebted to The Wildfowl Trust, are such that there would appear to be no reasonable doubt that the individual is also a European Wigeon x Northern Shoveler hybrid. Dealing with the sibling individual first; this bird was hatched in the spring of 1957 and was presented to me in October 1962. It was kept alive Vol. 84 3] Bulletin B.O.C. *s]dodse [P19] P| *suouuloods des | fe "I 314 ‘sjoodse [vsiop ‘suowirseds owes II ‘S!4 ‘C961 ‘“WI6T Arenigeaz © ‘IYsI UO “SUIIGIS ‘6s6l “YIOT ~YouRw ‘Inpe §£ ‘anuay “SUIIQIS “E961 “YIS] ALI “NPR f Ye] UO ‘s}oodse [PIQUDA ‘SpLIgAY JOJPAOYS UIIYWION X UOISIAA URIdOINA | “SI4 Vol. 84 52 Bulletin B.O.C. until 18th May, 1963, when it was decided to undertake certain investi- gations concurrently with similar investigations of an adult drake of each parent species. For the two control birds I am indebted to Mr. W. Mouland for the Wigeon, and the Wildfowl Trust for the Shoveler. Since the exact parentage was known, it was considered of importance to establish, if possible, the genetic state for the two parent species, as well as for that of the hybrid and to this end, after appropriate pre-medication to arrest mitosis, the birds were chloroformed and material from the gonads and bone marrow was immediately taken and submitted to Dr. B. M. Slizynski of the Institute of Animal Genetics, Edinburgh, ® for investigation, and who very kindly undertook this side of the research. The birds were then prepared as cabinet specimens, the pectoral girdles, a femur from each and the respiratory bullae of all three being also saved as comparative material. It should also be noted that this bird proved on dissection to be an anatomical male, there was no pathology found although the right testis was slightly crenated. In my 1959 communication (/oc. cit.) a very detailed description of the plumage characters of the first of these hybrids was given and certain details are repeated herein for a ready comparison with the other speci- mens. As can be seen from the accompanying plates, these three birds show a very marked similarity, and this communication is intended to stress the individual variation that such a cross can show. It is fortunate that the widest variation is between the two siblings of known parentage, and that the other individual of which the parents are not known, in its characters closely resembles the first of the three recorded hybrids. It should be noted at this stage that the second of the two siblings developed the ‘‘bimaculated’’ facial pattern when it first assumed its full plumage, and this it has maintained subsequently up to the time of investigation, as distinct from the ‘‘bridled’’ facial pattern of the other two individuals. This paper is to be read as a continuation of, and very relevant to that of 1959. On their broad morphological characters it can be seen in the plates that the upper and lower aspects the three birds all show the same general pattern, and that they are to some extent intermediate. This state is perhaps best demonstrated by the wing-coverts which grade from greyish to grey and white to largely white. In the plates the two siblings of known parentage are the left and centre birds, the bird of unknown parentage is on the right. While the body plumage, wings and tail, indicate an inter- mediate state between the two parent species, it is in the heads and necks that the most striking characters are seen, for these, as has been stressed in previous communications, are in no way intermediate between the two parent species, but show characters relating to another species. They may almost be interpreted as clinal, from the bimaculated to the bridled state, both of which it is contended are fundamentally basic and found in various other species in the Anatidae, and as substantiating my previous comment (1959) (Joc. cit.) that “‘there would seem little doubt that bridling and bimaculation are to be regarded as an expression of a unit character, always having the same location both when occurring spontaneously as well as when resulting from interspecific hybridisation’’. Bulletin B.O.C. The individual variation as between these three hybrids is shown in the following table: UPPER PARTS: Back adjacent to neck. Mantle. Lower back. Back and rump. Upper tail- coverts. Rectrices. UNDER PARTS Breast. 36 ad. May 18th 1963 (Left) Dark vinaceous, at centre greyer. Fine pale sepia vermicu- lations. Nearest Van Dyke Brown (Ridgeway 1886, PI. iti., 5) finely and obscurely vermiculated Isabella colour (/oc. cit. Pl. iii, 23). Appears somewhat brownish and centres of feathers darkish sepia. Brownish-sepia. Blackish, edged white and also some pale brownish ash. Central and inner- most sepia, outer pairs very pale sepia edged very pale ashy-brown. A well defined breast shield, mainly bay to chestnut but with some very dark vina- ceous reflections particularly lower third and on sides, no obvious spots or bars except laterally where fine barring. 33 6 ad. March 26th 1959 (Centre) Vol. 84 3 February 19th 1963 (killed by other ducks) (Right) Distinctly greyer with Ground colour ash vermiculations slightly with well marked heavier and more dis- pale sepia vermi- tinct. culations. Nearest Mouse Grey Near to bird of (loc. cit. Pl. ii., 11) finely and obscurely vermiculated ashy- grey. In mid-line almost uniform. Distinctly greyish, centres of feathers 26.3.59. but some admixture of pale brownish wash. Almost uniform at lower edge; greyish- less dark sepia, edges brown with fine ashy. Sepia feathers edged whitish. Upper mostly grey finely vermiculated black : lower black edged white, also some pale brownish- ash. Central pair sepia vermiculations above (much damaged). ? (much damaged). Uppermost grey very finely ve1- miculated black, lower black edged very pale brownish- ash. Central pair sepia narrowly edged white; rest paler and rest palest sepia broadly edged white and finely vermicu- lated pale grey next to quills on both vanes. A well defined breast shield of pale bay; narrowly edged ashy-brown. Much damaged. A well defined breast shield of palest bay shows some vinaceous reflecting vinaceous, reflections at lower third and lower edge of breast shield al- most typical vina- ceous of Wigeon. Colours richer laterally. Breast shows vestigial spotting. particularly at free edge below. Whole area freely and irregularly spotted and barred. Laterally colours stronger. Vol. 84 Belly. Vent. Under tail- coverts. Rectrices. FLANKS: g ad. May 18th 1963 (Left) Whitish suffused pale pinkish-bay, lower belly ditto with fine but with slight and very faint pale greyish vermiculations. This is particularly evident adjacent to the edge of the breast shield from where it extends broadly on both sides merging into the chestnut- bay of the flanks, which doubtless represents a very dilute derivation of the strong chestnut- bay underparts of A, clypeata. 34 3g ad. March 26th 1959 (Centre) White, lower belly shows faint greyish vermiculations. White finely vermicu- White faintly ver- lated pale greyish. Black. Pale sepia. Rich chestnut-bay, the posterior 2/3 vermiculated pale sepia and becoming greyer posteriorly. At root of tail whitish, some feathers finely edged black or vermiculated black. WING: (upper surface) Coverts. Slate-grey (/oc. cit. Pl. ti., 5) though slightly more blue, paler on greater coverts, very pale at speculum where edged white. Greater coverts dark drab broadly edged dark sepia, narrowly edged whitish bay. miculated greyish, stronger next to tail- coverts. Black, tips of longest vermiculated greyish. Central pale sepia, rest whitish-sepia. Pale bay in places whitish, posteriorly greyish, vermiculated pale sepia. At root of tail white, some feathers finely edged black. Same as previous specimen but more white. Towards speculum drab to grey, barred blackish subterminally and terminally blackish and pale bay narrowly edged whitish. Bulletin B.O.C. 3 February 19th 1963 (killed by other ducks) (Right) White with tendency to spotting with palest-bay suffusion adjacent to breast- shield and at edges of flanks. Lower belly spotted pale sepia. Whitish blotched pale sepia. Black. Pale sepia. Anteriorly and adjacent to belly bay. Posterior 3/4 grey slightly tinged pale bay finely ver- miculated palest sepia. At root of tail white finely vermiculated palest sepia, pos- teriorly white, some feathers finely spotted dark sepia. Lesser coverts slate- grey, median and greater coverts more white, towards specu- lum very pale drab, subterminally blackish, terminally pale bay edged white. : : Bulletin B.O.C. Speculum. Scapulars. Primaries. Secondaries. Fore edge. 36 ad. May 18th 1963 (Left) Dull greenish reflecting slightly bronze, at lower edge blackish, edged narrowly white anteriorly. Sepia edged strongish bay, longest dull 35 3 ad. March 26th 1959 (Centre) Brighter metallic green, slight bronze refiections at edges of feathers, at lower edge blackish, edged finely white anteriorly. Some bluish-grey lighter than in sibling. bluish-grey, on medial Longest black on vanes bay to whitish. Sepia, outer vanes darker. Sepia, outer vanes darker. Mottled greyish-drab and whitish. WING: (under surface) Coverts. Axillaries. Fore edge. Secondaries. Pale drab and white, slight pale bay tinge. White. As above (see upper surface. Whitish sepia to pale grey. Whitish sepia to pale grey. HEAD AND NECK: Blackish, at mid-point Blackish, at mid-point Forehead. Crown. Nape. Back of neck. flecked white. Black to nape, above eyes and running outer vanes narrowly edged white, inner vanes sepia. Inner- most paler and broadly edged palest sepia and whitish. Sepia, outer vanes darker. Sepia, outer vanes darker. Mottled greyish-drab and whitish. Drab and white, slightly tinged bay. White. As above (see upper surface.) Whitish sepia to pale grey. Whitish sepia to pale grey. whitish tending to- wards a band. Blackish dully reflecting purplish back to nape reflecting edges of feathers dull metallic green. Brighter metallic green. Metallic green, darkish markings where joining body. edged very narrowly with bay. Purplish black tinged bay, extending well down on to back of neck, Metallic gieen, darkish markings where joining body. Vol. 84 3 February 19th 1963 (killed by other ducks) (Right) Metallic green, at lower edge blackish, narrowly eaged whitish anteriorly. Some dull bluish-grey, rest blackish or sepia: very narrowly edged white. Sepia, outer vanes darker. Sepia, outer vanes darker. Mottled drab and whitish. Drab and white minimal pale bay tinge at fore-edge of wing. White. As above (see upper surface). Whitish sepia to pale grey. Whitish sepia to pale grey. Narrowly blackish at base of bill, rest of forenead white flecked lightly blac kish. Purplish black feather edges faintly margined pale bay. Pale bay transversely and longitudinally marked purplish- black. Pale bay flecked and striated greenish- black. Vol. 84 36 Bulletin B.O.C. g ad. May 18th 3 ad. March 26th 3 February 19th 1963 1959 1963 (killed by other ducks) (Left) (Centre) (Right) Lores. A broad white cres- A broad white cres- A broad whitish cres- cent at borders cent. at borders cent runs upwards to Cheeks. minutely flecked minutely flecked join white of forehead black. Rest of cheek black, upper end of and white super- blackish. A broad crescent extends ciliary stripes. A ‘*bridle’’ giving rise above mid-point of — broad ‘‘bridle’’ and to a ‘‘bimaculated’’ eyes. A narrow behind this a pale effect; in front of eye ‘‘bridle’’. Rest of bayish-white ‘*bi- blackish: below, cheek and extending maculation’’, flecked behind and above down to front of blackish: this merges eye darkish bay neck white. into pale bay sides of flecked blackish. neck and white of ‘*Bimaculated’’ spot front of neck. bay, flecked blackish. Sides of neck. Dull dark metallic White behind Strong metallic green, green. ‘*bridle’’ to root of behind eye and over neck: obliquely above ear-coverts medium and extending as a dark bay. Near root wedge-shaped mark- of neck some bay ing at edge of white, colour at bases of dusky, in centre feathers. metallic green and adjacent to body, bay coloured flecked dusky. Chin. Dark sepia chin spot. Chin and chin patch Pale bay flecked dusky dusky bay. Throat. Sepia tinged bay, Throat and front of | White heavily flecked striated whitish be- neck white tinged bay dusky. coming duskier lower and freely flecked down. dusky-bay. Root of neck. A large trianguiar White slightly flecked Rest of neck ditto. white spot, striated dusky. at root of neck a blackish at edges and large white triangular some irregular black- marking, with slight ish transverse stri- blackish bars, lower ations. edge dusky. SOFT PARTS: Iris. Brown. Brown. Brown. Bill. Slate grey, nail Slate grey, nail Slate grey, nail blackish. blackish. blackish. Tarsi, toes and Dull brownish ochre, Dull brownish ochre, Dull brownish ochre, webs. joints, webs and nails joints, webs and nails joints, webs and nails dusky. dusky. dusky. Anatomical sex. 3 3 3 MEASUREMENTS IN MM.: Wing. 262 255 262 Bill. Length from feather margin. 49 45.5 48 Width at nostrils. 18 17.5 15 Width at widest point. 19 19 20 Tarsus. 39.5 39 38.5 Middle toe with claw. 2 49.5 33.5 Tail 95 96 damaged. Bulletin B.O.C. 37 Vol. 84 The structure of the respiratory tracts of ducks and the taxonomic significance of such is dealt with in a paper by Johnsgard (1959/60)? as reflecting aspects of great importance in determining relationships. With this in view I submitted the bullae of the two sibling individuals to Dr. J. V. Beer for his opinion: on these and the specimen of 19th February, 1963, his comments (in /itt. 10. vii. 63) are as follows: ‘‘The structure of the bullae in the three hybrids are remarkably similar, showing no more difference than one might expect from individual variation’’. Dr. Beer goes on to add that this supports the view that the Wildfowl Trust speci- men is of the same parentage, viz. A. penelope x A. clypeata as the two sibling birds in which the parentage is definitely known. Presented with the tracheae only, he could not have worked out the parentage. In form the specimens show more characterisrics of A. penelope than A. clypeata. In addition to this data on the bullae, the skeletal measurements of the sibling of 18th May and of the two parent species are to be noted. MEASUREMENTS IN MM. (taken from articulated pectoral girdles). Hybrid 18.5.63. A, penelope. A. clypeata. Sternum. Crista. 96 95 89.5 Upper width. 41 41 36.5 Width at lower end. 47 55.5 42.5 Coracoid. 48 49 43 Scapula. 68 71 57.5 Furcula. 41 45 39 Femur 44.5 45 39.5 Discussion: Elucidation of hybrid individuals is invariably of great interest and, without any doubt whatsoever, when the parentage is definitely known the interpretation is greatly aided. Information as to the resulting mor- phology of interspecific hybrids crossed reciprocally is as yet scanty but at any rate it is now known that such individuals in reciprocal crosses between Aythya fuligula and A. ferina the progeny are not similar, (J. M. Harrison, J. G. Harrison, E. H. Gilham in course of preparation). In the present instance it is very significant that there is such a close similarity shown between three hybrids, two of which are siblings and of known parentage, and the third, an individual of unknown parentage, which on general morphological characters so closely matches the other two, that one would have no hesitation in making an identification of the parent species involved: this identification being further supported by an examination of the respiratory bullae. All these three individuals show a Wigeon dominance, their overall appearances suggesting Wigeon rather than Shoveler. Here again Dr. Beer commenting on the bullae writes **The specimens have the general form of Anas and show more characteris- tics of penelope than clypeata’’. This penelope dominance is also apparent in the skeletal measurements for those of the hybrid are mostly materially larger than those of c/ypeata, in fact nearly equalling those of penelope. Whether this marked Wigeon dominance can be interpreted as indicative of that species antecedent evolution or not it is, of course, impossible to Say; all one can say, however, is that the bill of c/ypeata would appear to show a greater degree of adaptive specialisation which would be con- sistent with that species having a later evolutionary development. Vol. 84 38 Bulletin B.O.C. The possible phylogenetic significance and bearing on affinity of the characters of bimaculation and bridling have been fully discussed in other communications, so need not be repeated here, except perhaps to stress that in the writer’s opinion they are degrees of the same character which find their most frequent expression in certain species contained in the genus Anas: they are to be regarded as ‘‘signal’’ or specific unit characters. A summary of instances of some of these characters is given in the Bulletin British Ornithologists’ Club, September 1963 (Harrison J. M. and J. G. 1963).* In this paper no fewer than 11 cases are given of characters presenting resemblances towards closely related species. These cases of course refer to such characters occurring in individuals in which, to the best of one’s knowledge and belief, no question of interspecific hybridi- sation has occurred, and it is, of course, inconceivable that such striking recurring variations of a fixed pattern can occur in any haphazard manner. Dr. Slizynski, to whom I referred this specific point, has kindly com- mented as follows: ‘‘They must result from genes carried latently within a species group, which from some factor or mechanism at present obscure has become phenotypically visible and appears sporadically in individuals in some closely related species in which they are normally latent or suppressed’’, and that bimaculation and bridling are only different manifestations of the same recessive character. The presence of a white neck ring (as shown by the bird on the left) is also seen to be involved in the same complex. A similar white neck ring as a transient character is also recorded in some Northern Shoveler (Harrison and Harrison, 1959)* and in a hybrid Red Shoveler x Northern Shoveler (Harrison and Harrison, 1963)°. Summary: This paper describes three examples of a cross between a male European Wigeon and a female Northern Shoveler. Two of the examples are of known parentage and age and are siblings; the third is a presumed hybrid of the same parentage and the same direction of the cross. Certain individual variation shown by the three individuals is described, and comments upon a comparative study of the respiratory bullae are offered. The significance of certain osteological measurements is stressed. The bearing of the characters shown by the three specimens in relation to certain other homologous recurring characters in other species of the Anatidae is discussed. Acknowledgements: I would like to express my grateful thanks to the following; firstly to Captain C. R. Peacock to whom I am indebted for the two sibling hybrids; to Dr. G. V. T. Matthews, Scientific Director, and Mr. T. Johnstone, Curator, of The Wildfowl Trust, for the third hybrid, and the control Northern Shoveler. Also to Dr. J. V. Beer of The Wildfowl Trust for permitting me to quote his comments on the tracheal bullae of the speci- mens, and to Mr. W. Mouland who presented me with the control drake Wigeon. My sincere thanks are also due to Dr. Jeffery Harrison for valuable suggestions and comments, and to Dr. Pamela Harrison for the photo- graphs herein reproduced. Bulletin B.O.C. 39 Vol. 84 References : Harrison, James M., 1959. Comments on a Wigeon x Northern Shoveler Hybrid. Bull. B.O.C., 79, 8, 142-151. Johnsgard, Paul A., 1959/60. Tracheal Anatomy of the Anatidae and its Taxonomic Significance. The Wildfowl Trust. Twelfth Annual Report. 1959-60. pp. 58-69. Harrison, James M., and Jeffery G., 1963. A Gadwal]l with a white neck ring and a review of plumage variants in wildfowl. Bull. B.O.C., 83, 6, 101-108. — 1959. Evolutionary Significance of certain plumage sequences in Northern Shoveler. Bull. B.O.C. 79, 135-142. — 1963. Comments on a hybrid Red Shoveler x Northern Shoveler. Bu//. B.O.C., 83, 21-25. Slizynski, B. M. (in press). Cytological observations on a hybrid: Anas clypeata x Anas penelope. On Fringilla cinnamomea Lichtenstein, 1842 by P. A. CLANCEY Received 14th October, 1963 Lichtenstein, Verz. Samml. Sdug. Vog. Kaffernl., 1842, p.16, described a bunting obtained in South Africa by his correspondent Ludwig Krebs as ‘‘Fringilla cinnamomea Licht. Fr. (Pyrgita); Notaeo rufo, nigro striolato, gastraeo helvolo, tectricibus alae et remigum secund. margine cinnamomeis. Cauda profunde emarginata rectricibus intermediis margine externo cinnamomeis. Longit. 5 poll.’’ The Type of this form is still in the collection of the Zoological Museum, Berlin. In dealing with the type- localities of new bird forms described, mainly by Lichtenstein, on the basis of skins obtained by Krebs, Stresemann, vide Ann. Mus. Roy. Congo Belg., Tervuren, new series in 4°, Zool., 1, 1954, p. 81, has shown that the Type of Fringillaria capensis cinnamomea (= Fringilla cinnamomea) was taken by Krebs on the Likwa (= Vaal) River in the year 1838. Mackworth-Praed and Grant, Birds of the Southern Third of Africa, vol. ii, 1963, p. 712, attribute Fringillaria capensis cinnamomea to Stresemann, 1954, and declare that it is a nomen nudum, placing it in the synonymy of Fringillaria capensis media Sharpe, 1904, apparently having overlooked Lichtenstein’s prior and full description of the form in his Verzeichnis. Emberiza capensis cinnamomea (Lichtenstein), 1842; Vaal R., south- western Transvaal, is the earlier and correct name for the subspecies of the Cape Bunting at present known as E. c. media (Fringillaria media Sharpe, Jbis, 1904, p. 354: Deelfontein, near De Aar, central Cape Province, South Africa), which name must now be placed in its synonymy. I should like to take this opportunity of thanking Professor Dr. Erwin Stresemann for his kind assistance in connection with this enquiry. A new race of the Alpine Accentor, Prunella collaris, from Formosa by H. G. DEIGNAN Received 20th November, 1963 The Alpine Accentor of the highlands of Formosa is rare in collections | and has, in the literature, consistently been referred to the subspecies nipalensis of the eastern Himalaya. Two adult males in Washington, collected by members and/or associates of the United States Naval Vol. 84 40 Bulletin B.O.C. Medical Research Unit No. Two, show that, not surprisingly, the For- mosan population is a distinct one; it may be named Prunella collaris fennelli, subsp. nov. Type: United States National Museum No. 472210, adult male, col- lected at 6,400 feet on the East-West Highway, at a point 20 miles east of Wu-sheh, Nan-tou Hsien, Formosa, on 16th April 1959, by Chester M. Fennell; original number BF 606. Description: Similar to Pr. c. nipalensis, but separable by having the ground colour of head, neck, and breast deeper in tone and more greyish, less brownish; by having the red-brown that washes the flanks and sides of the belly deeper in tone, chestnut rather than ferruginous; and by having the upper tail-coverts deep ferruginous, rather than brown with little or no ferruginous wash. Distribution: The central highlands of Formosa. Remarks; The two Formosan specimens have been compared with ten of nipalensis, and with 28 of talifuensis, described from north-western Yunnan. This last differs from both nipalensis and fennelli in having the ground colour of head, neck, and breast paler and more greyish, and in having the ferruginous (not chestnut) of the flanks more restricted (scarcely invading the sides of the belly). Acknowledgements: For the loan of comparative material, I am in- debted to the authorities of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, of the Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, Connecticut, of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and of the Chicago Natural History Museum. A further note on an aberrant Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava flava Linnaeus obtained in British Cameroons by WILLIAM SERLE Received 25th November, 1963 Mr. C. J. O. Harrison in a recent paper (Bull. B.O.C. 83, 1963: 95) speculates on the possibility that the abnormal colour shown by a Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava flava collected in British Cameroons (Bull. B.O.C. 79, 1959: 2) might have been a temporary change due to nutrition rather than a permanent mutation. Mr. Harrison’s surmise is well founded. The wagtail, which is in fresh plumage, was collected on the foreshore at Victoria, British Cameroons, at a place where an open drain from an oil palm mill emptied on to the shore. The effluent from the mill contained much red palm oil which overspread the foreshore at this point. If a Yellow Wagtail can utilise carotene, there was certainly plenty available here, and the bird could hardly fail to ingest some in the course of feeding. The circumstantial evidence is fairly strong that the colour change in the specimen is due to a dietary excess of carotenoid derived from the Oil Palm, Elaeis guineensis. oY / nas rA CoD tye A a 4 ; ( d le + - PF) - a ol : ‘7; , “-_ \. ‘en 6 2 r 7 « ° 4 ~ » - . am wer ethieeitees a BLA F io) 6913 : c< ate = ™ . ; a a. * ‘ > ao $d bluoriz 2 ons T .1.WAV .nobno,) alist 2 inig0F sobrot } : rrr aly iin} . a a > S oe 7 Vea ant boog 2 fl Pe ~ O58 oes 4 BESS Uotret or 50 e' | i f) fic 27 , ryeee creer, yt Peet i « ra oF mime oF « . 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Bae ohih vidi f AP airy shadibh Bloode ee « ‘ awe ee es oe «Hh thai ‘ Sing jose “ae € ” A i} UE i” AY x 7% {tc bhoewollo} 5A : ~; - o F » : rio . ~ 4y ve f » é - , rhe 4 HUF: d Bfl 7] i yr? } t5 { giis | 7 JEL ite 74} i te ‘ ~ a T yT & bk St vernirter * » rie ¥i * S448 jt st ™ | ° 7 , tS Pm | iwft tg it BS tear ‘ J A . é er oa , sey Pict . ’ 7 rey O98 ‘yee eH Ls Lowe + ? p TOLL 1: LiLE MIMD IRAD boi j : avr ft £2 . : te ~~ LPF LS a Bon ral i SSRI ae 2 ft) > ex bi = - ryt St} Teri rr ZING > Mi-odi to noitsieib | feet} teri a load « MOTE IT se: < ae ie a : ‘ - Ps ¥ Py aij * Oiics 4 ba . * - arptamenet > a om ‘ i P i VRIES db ‘ UMS Jk 2mm! s op A ee ‘ 5 rectc yi ' pee | a, 3 FZ VitIG. Dairioi ~VW33sbt thy : > A - . “a or ; ‘ ded " ¢ _ a és Lees eo - ‘ .¢ ¢,/ rH! Pur tak § { . BU Ly ys mY. ¥ ° > . “ eof : Oot s 4 . 7) Pei ) Ci 90 UIW 30M G - ‘ ~~» wre > . - ae «s “a « veorw ef » . yey Caer afy Poa Ag - 7 Sh eee yee RO aF LPR dh | : qi. yet’ Apert Pal, - Pear uyvaned « siiuast duae Ss sear leice 2 wt +) PED4 : - me 4 a oe * J e oA GRA Le 1A ~ , fr te % ork ' , y be * qQ pest vj - s ha } «Sue ee ¢ ‘ an tae 4 Ast k J ? . i» oe of S wipg .* “An ° 4 j a [ - se ote - 7 WUOST TORN: Os 4 Sug oF} x3 m) 2) iu} 266 a , ‘we . » : . j > rey emo . vis . : v crit és. 470i VE Vy 2315s § 2 5 ayyTt LAY ¥)} eyr* : “ : : a ST VROTL Aa ma a¢ , , py 4 7 - i 2 Are an x, ‘ “oor - . < Mats genite VE ‘ oT? y - ‘ ts 4} - i wit ~~ * : : , ‘ - oT >4e< ory} e 4% » - anes 4 . thie oS | TOR. : ! sa BOB - : - J G Jens {DS i ee ee | - y « ; touact . Asohh ; pte dive evn - oa sah £IDAT AG > 7 ” . _ _- - . ’ - ‘ ‘ 4 ‘a ee Py Ae ri Pty , , + oon inte en frre Tritt eee we lar StrePh Wits afi wo OT OUHTON AST Sn ’ = ’ ~ - , 7 , - + ® ep? . ie oon % r . raw. — M4 - 7” oy aw ‘ £%.. a ke..3 3) af 4 bs and \e raed AP ; tT i ot + t - mrs: , AuAve . CLF i é wel iv 4 a. \ : . ¢ —. ae — _ 2, 4 Le wr A Po _~* . ~ So BI, )) te) A) UF, HSS OME OTL Isis Hel , - - . “ ws ~ - - “ep ~* a / rl : tee?) ae ‘J - * | mn ~ ’ > . : t ry a ! J . ~ e - _ ae SS ; . er . = - gt — . ‘> eT a we wis ' 2. r o Ae oan 4 avr brig ot eee Oe ee 8 A Pi A re ih : ) Dodi 7 ‘4 A . . 4 Se JeeH ewe Jed bso) noboaol $0t wer aisbeomioH A notag of ro? 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. 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 thirty 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 5s. 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 Mr. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 40s. (payable in advance) or per copy 5s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, P. Tate, 4 Broad Street Place, London, E.C.2 CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Dr. J. G. Harrison, ‘‘Merriewood’’, St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1964 18th February, 17th March, 28th April (A.G.M.), 19th May, 15th Septem- ber, October (with B.O.U.), 17th November, 15th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 104 London Road, Sevenoaks Kent. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by JOHN J. YEALLAND ~ 7% MARII64 PURCHAS.” Volume 84 March No. 3 1964 bintie. Belicc, vin Sette Rega S Hae, i py isi Hae : ~y We opens is iontinwe: the pakek the af tisdet Saibaecuenty ner of the derues Solegtifie cami Ae “pares ai ded tencsetanls References: a igate text Failawrd vee De ae Oe ES i) * | Sa Cigeer peak, Csr iret Sotetociog at rise ane, cs : et A , DATE G SR Oe PROT . o“Dietea Poe A ye 49¢ 4 at BG YP “ ae + aes ar phan 2% mt ka begat. me Broo dnbst be reba mr ‘ ed Alte re. Des me A wis: 4s OUT ea ee sroepas e 4 Fenkousae babe : nat : Ae ey ney FEIN + x? ’) a) otalg. Bia, ae iv ; a hee igen Cree eG PTT aS Re ee : rise : ‘ sie te Pepe Le rae be ee: Yue " » wayne will Te Jaen nes de e >. 9, 4 4s Ags ene ; 5 SRT? yey \ 2 Se a wwe 3 J tea M i BNP TE fe, “ che ete hays i ; tna ER ee OE Pe Pea a eS a Ai » tee os ten, x ve 7 ‘ er cor ertc’. Raat: Bey Re eee | ae ; aes a4 i. .™ pri SRC ED Misht eat SCI din iia ava tt els. te thie beans pone rf. f ig eo or ae ' dant coi wie BPONDENS if gia tig aieitosied 7 Beast ot Boks ma 3 he ‘etl j # -_ f en ze uth a ataeee eh spell 8A. S Leo: Tee nee verb LS | et ae a BE ue Oey bSegeeaeaibll y Site Sou .. Ltt: Hah Ls . : one : nat 1964 41 Vol. 84 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 84 Number 3 Published: 2nd March, 1964 The six hundred and fourteenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on the 18th February, 1964. Chairman: Mr. R. S. R. Fitter Members present, 18; guests, 6. Mr. Colin Osman spoke on the racing pigeon, its management and methods of training in this country. Some observations on pigeons in Addis Ababa by L. R. PITWELL AND DEREK GOODWIN Received 2nd December, 1963 INTRODUCTION For the past year Mr. Pitwell, who works at the University College of Addis Ababa, has been corresponding with me (D.G.) about the pigeons in and around Addis Ababa. Many of his observations seem not to have been previously recorded, and to be worth publishing. The actual field observations on the birds were all made by Pitwell: Goodwin is respon- sible for comparisons with behaviour of other pigeon species (or the same species elsewhere), speculations and references. The general distribution of the species in the area is not discussed, as this has been dealt with previously by Guichard (1950). A point that should be emphasised is that Addis Ababa is a town where feral populations of Columba livia have not yet established themselves. Should they do so in the future the effect on other species would be of - interest. Vol. 84 42 Bulletin B.O.C. : NOTES ON SPECIES Columba albitorques Riippell. White-collared Pigeon Very common in and near Addis Ababa although within the city area possibly less numerous than Columba guinea and Streptopelia semitorquata. — Always near buildings, cliffs or gullies where it breeds and roosts. In the course of a recent journey from Addis Ababa to the Shoan Plateau between Entoto and the Blue Nile this species was seen only near suitable — rock formations or in villages whereas C. guinea was seen everywhere. Nests on sheltered ledges of buildings. Freely enters buildings and nests inside them when given the opportunity. From the readiness with which it does this there can be no doubt that in natural cliff sites it will nest well inside caves or dark cavities, as does C. livia. Has been observed nesting or incubating from September to January. Feeds on the ground within the town, in market places, the university campus grounds and other open spaces as well as in fields. Besides grain and other seeds it readily takes bread and similar artificial foods, at least — many individuals do so. At feeding and resting places often forms large — mixed flocks with C. guinea. These flocks may fly together and not separate — when, for example, something has scared them all into flight. This only happens where large numbers of both species have gathered together at a good feeding ground or some densely populated cliff. Otherwise both species are usually in pairs, small mono-specific groups, or sometimes single birds. A most striking feature about this species is that in flight it makes, with each flap of the wings, a whistling, creaking sound rather like a creaking door hinge. No other local pigeon makes such a noise which is character- istic of C. albitorques and heard whenever it flies. It can also fly vertically up the face of a cliff or hover in front of a crowded or small ledge on which it wishes to alight. These forms of flight have not been seen in C. guinea although C. livia can fly vertically and hover in a manner similar to but perhaps less highly developed than that of C. albitorques. The display flight of the White-collared Pigeon consists of gliding followed by an upward swoop; it is not accompanied by loud wing-claps such as charac- terise the display flights of most other pigeons. Columba guinea Linn. Speckled Pigeon Probably the most numerous species in Addis Ababa. In mixed flocks at village markets it usually slightly outnumbers C. albitorques Nests on sheltered ledges on the outsides of buildings. The sites chosen are similar to some used by C. albitorques but C. guinea never nests inside a building, in an attic, or on an internal cornice or similar place as C. albitorques often does nor has it been seen to fly under arches or to enter buildings. It sometimes nests in sites previously used by C. albitorques but there is no evidence of either species forcibly displacing the other from a nesting site. Seen on nests in March and April and display flights and copulation seen also in September and October among birds that were probably nesting or about to do so. Seen feeding both in open country and in market places. In the latter many individuals eat bread as well as grain and other seeds. Does not perch on small projections, narrow ledges or wires running near buildings as C. albitorques readily does. Bulletin B.O.C. 43 Vol. 84 Sometimes in flocks of twenty or more but these are often mere aggre- gations at feeding areas and the birds arrive and depart in pairs, small groups or singly. In display flight the wings are clapped with wide downward strokes similar to those of C. livia. Display, voice and the copulation ceremony similar to what has been previously described for captive specimens (Goodwin 1956). Columbia livia Gmelin. Rock, Feral and Domestic Pigeons Neither wild nor feral populations of this species occur in Addis Ababa. A few domestic pigeons occur in the neighbourhood of the former Guenet Luel Palace west stables. They are, presumably, fed by people and have not been seen further afield than the main palace, the adjacent stables and the garages. They have never even been seen to cross the paddock to the north stables only 200 metres away. Streptopelia decipiens (Hartlaub and Finsch) Mourning Collared Dove Abundant in the wooded residential districts of Addis Ababa but not common in the more treeless parts. Part of the population is absent from June to August, presumably having migrated to lower, drier areas, but returns before the rains end. Only observed nesting and perching in trees. Often seen singly. It seems unlikely that Cheesman (1935) could have overlooked this species and, if not, then it must be a relative newcomer to the area since he did not record it. Between 1945 and 1948 Guichard (1950) found it abundant. Streptopelia semitorquata (Riippell) Red-eyed Dove Not as numerous as the previous species but quite common and its loud, distinctive advertising coo is often heard. It is rarest from June to August when many individuals have, presumably, gone elsewhere. Also found primarily in wooded areas but habitually perches on bridges on the Addis Ababa—Nekempti road. All nests seen have been in trees. Streptopelia lugens (Riippell) Dusky Turtle Dove We consider it regrettable that many reference books use the very misleading name ‘‘Pink-breasted Dove’’ for this species, the only African Streptopelia, except S. reichenowi, which has not a pink breast. In life it looks predominantly dark bluish with black neck patches and con- Spicuous orange-brown markings on the inner secondaries. Present in Addis Ababa but commoner outside the city where it is found in clumps of trees close to villages. Not seen from June to August when it may migrate. This species and S. semitorquata have both often been observed feeding on the ground under cover of bushes and trees, pre- sumably on seeds, and also taking young leaves from a succulent shrub. No other species has been identified by L. R. P. in Addis Ababa although ~ Columba arquatrix, Streptopelia capicola, and S. senegalensis have been seen in nearby areas, Vol. 84 44 Bulletin B.O.C. DISCUSSION The presence of numerous individuals of three Streptopelia species is hardly surprising in view of the abundance of doves of this genus through- out most of Africa and the fact that Addis Ababa is rich in trees and shrubs. Except in the small central shopping area, there are trees everywhere. More surprising is the co-existence in large numbers of two Columba species of rather similar size and habits; the widespread C. guinea, which occurs throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara except in forest regions, and the endemic C. albitorques which is entirely confined to Eritrea and central Ethiopia. This latter species would appear to be as highly adapted to cliff and cave dwelling as is the Rock Pigeon C. /ivia. In Addis Ababa it clearly fills the ecological niche commonly taken in towns elsewhere by feral populations of C. Jivia. If strayed domestic pigeons become well-established in Ethiopian towns they might constitute a serious, if long-term, threat to the continued existence of the White- collared Pigeon. The apparent disinclination of C. guinea, in Addis Ababa, to nest inside buildings suggests that some degree of ecological separation may have evolved here. Elsewhere C. guinea has been recorded nesting inside roofs and outbuildings (Jackson 1938). It may, however, only reflect preferences where nest sites are abundant, as there appear to be many more suitable nest sites in Addis Ababa than are occupied. When feeding at market places the two species take the same foods and must be in competition and it would be interesting to know whether they take different foods when in the fields. Since both are ground-feeding, primarily seed-eating species which differ only slightly in size, there may well be competition here also. The overlap in food and nesting requirements between the two certainly seem likely to be much greater than between the Wood Pigeon C. palum- bus and feral pigeon C. livia in London (Goodwin 1960) where the former species is largely a tree feeder and only artificial foods and a few tem- porarily superabundant natural foods are taken in quantity by both. At the moment, C. albitorques and C. guinea appear able to co-exist successfully in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia. If this is so then, presumably, their requirements must differ or else, in spite of their apparent abundance, they are being kept down by predation below the numerical level at which competition between them would operate. We may, on the other hand, be witnessing a phase in the process of inter- specific competition, which will end in the replacement of C. albitorques by C. guinea. I, (D.G.) can recall only two other cases of the co-existence of two related Columba species of (so far as is known) similar feeding habits. In north-eastern Tibet, the Snow Pigeon C. /euconota Vigors and the Eastern Rock Pigeon C. rupestris Pallas, roost and breed at different altitudes but feed in the same fields in the cultivated areas (Schafer 1938). They are known to take the same cultivated grains but it is not recorded to what extent the wild foods taken by them differ. In Ulan Bator, in Mongolia, one has an even more surprising situation (Grummt 1961). Here, both the Eastern Rock Pigeon and feral domestic pigeons co-exist in numbers and show no apparent difference in ecology. The situation in Ulan Bator may be a very temporary one, however, in view of the recent growth of that city. Bulletin B.O.C. 45 Vol. 84 References : Cheeseman, R. E. and Sclater, W. I. (1935). On a Collection of Birds from North- western Abyssinia. /bis, 13th ser., 5: 2: 297-329. Goodwin, D. (1956). Observations on the voice and some displays of certain Pigeons. Avicultural Magazine 62: 17-33 and 62-70. — (1960). Comparative ecology of pigeons in inner London. British Birds 53: 5: 212. Grummt, W. (196i). Ornithologische Beobachtungen in der Mongolei. Beitrdge zur Vogelkunde 7: 5: 349-360. Guichard, K. M. (1950). A Summary of the Birds of Addis Ababa Region, Ethiopia. Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society, 19: 5 (89) p. 154 et. seq. Jackson, J. F. (1938). The Birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. Vol. 1: p. 449. Schafer, E. (1938). Ornithologische Ergebnisse zweier Forschungsreisen nach Tibet. Journal fur Ornithologie. Sonderheft (special volume) published 2nd May 1938. Taxonomic position of the genus Culicicapa Swinhoe (Muscicapidae) by SHANE A. PARKER Received 10th December, 1963 Culicicapa contains two predominantly yellow-green and bright yellow flycatchers, C. ceylonensis (Indo-Malaya, China) and C. helianthea (Philippines and Celebes). Vaurie, (1953) in a paper dealing with the Muscicapini, concludes that Culicicapa might prove referable to the Rhipidurini upon further study. The purpose of this note is to show that there are adequate grounds for including Culicicapa in the latter tribe. Vaurie (p.531) shows that Culicicapa differs from all muscicapine genera in the arrangement and number of the rictal setae. This feature of Culi- cicapa is repeated in all species of Rhipidura. As regards habits, Vaurie considers Culicicapa to be far more restless and gregarious than the rest of the Muscicapini. Salim Ali (1949) describes the ceaseless acrobatics and foraging of C. ceylonensis. Smythies (1953) also notes tail-fanning in this species. According to Heinroth (in Strese- mann 1940) C. helianthea is similar in its actions to its congener. Though differing from the true flycatchers in the mode of feeding, the species of ae aoe es > —_ / 2 : Arrangement of rictal setae (1) Muscicapa (2) Rhipidura (3) Culicicapa a. Dorsal view b. Ventral view Vol. 84 46 Bulletin B.O.C. Culicicapa match those of Rhipidura in this respect; their actions are similar to those recorded by Whistler (1949) for R. aureola, a typical fantail. The similarity between Culicicapa and Rhipidura is emphasized by the colour and pattern of their eggshells, a point which does not seem to have been referred to previously. Apart from the immaculate pale blue or white eggs of such species as Ficedula hypoleuca, F. albicollis and F. strophiata, the eggs of the Muscicapini are whitish, greenish or bluish in ground colour, spotted, blotched or clouded with red-brown, umber and grey generally over the entire shell. The eggs of the Rhipidurini on the other hand are highly distinctive. Save those of R. hypoxantha, which have a solid cap of pinkish-brown at the large end, the eggs of all species of Rhipidura are pale or rich cream in ground colour, with a ring around the large end or the equator of brownish and greyish spots and blotches. Markings are often present over the rest of the shell, as in R. fuliginosa, but are never as heavy or concentrated as in the ring. The eggs of Culicicapa ceylonensis, of which there is a long series in the collections of the B.M. (N.H.), are identical in colour and position of markings with those of Rhipidura. To summarize: in the arrangement of the rictal setae, mode of feeding and colour of eggs, Culicicapa bears a closer resemblance to Rhipidura than to any of. the muscicapine genera, and because of this it seems appropriate to include it in the tribe Rhipidurini rather than in the Muscicapini. I should like to thank Mr. J. D. Macdonald of the Bird Section of the B.M.(N.H.) for reading through the ms. of this note. References : Ali Salim, 1949. Indian Hill Birds. Smythies, B. E., 1953. The Birds of Burma (revised edition). Stresemann, E., 1940. Die Végel von Celebes. Vaurie, C., 1953. A generic revision of the Muscicapini. Bull. A.M.N.H. 100: 453-538. Whistler, H., 1949. Popular Handbook of Indian Birds (new edition). Note on the Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis (Muller) m southern Africa by WALTER J. LAWSON Received llth December, 1963 In a paper on the southern African races of Terpsiphone viridis | showed (Lawson 1962) that three races must be admitted as occurring in southern Africa, these being 7.v. granti (Roberts), 1948: Duivenhoek River, Swellendam, Cape Province, the southern race; 7. v. violacea (Grant & Mackworth-Praed), 1940: Fort Hill, Nyasaland occurring throughout the southern and central Mocambique, northern and western Transvaal, Bechuanaland Protectorate, northern South-West Africa, southern Angola, Southern Rhodesia, Nyasaland and eastern Northern Rhodesia, and T. v. plumbeiceps Reichenow, 1898: Malanje, Angola, which ranges through northern Angola, western Northern Rhodesia and the south- eastern Congo. T. v. violacea and T. v. plumbeiceps were differentiated from one another chiefly by the former having white and the latter rufous under tail-coverts. Bulletin B.O.C. 47 Vol. 84 However, Dr. Finn Salomonsen expressed the opinion (Salomonsen 1962) that 7. v. violacea must be regarded as a synonym of T. v. plumbeiceps as, of the specimens of p/umbeiceps examined by him (Salomonsen 1949) from the type-locality, two had white under tail-coverts, four yellowish and one cinnamon. He therefore appended the name 7. v. plumbeiceps to the populations with white and yellowish under tail-coverts, using the name 7. v. subrufa Salomonsen, 1949: Kapulo, south-eastern Congo, for the populations with cinnamon under tail-coverts of northern Angola and south-eastern Congo. Chapin (1953) placed subrufa as a synonym of plumbeiceps. The correct allocation of the names available for these white or cinna- mon vented birds can only be determined by reference to the type-specimen of plumbeiceps, which race was based on specimens from a zone of inter- gradation between a race with white and one with cinnamon under tail- coverts. The colour of the under tail-coverts of the type-specimen of plumbeiceps would reveal from which population it was drawn, and con- sequently to which the name must be attached. Enquiries made of Herr G. Mauersberger of the Zoological Museum, Berlin, who kindly examined the type-specimen of T. v. plumbeiceps, which is housed in the collection in his care, revealed that it is a male, collected by von Mechow on the 9th October, 1879 near Malange, Angola, and that it has purely white under tail-coverts. As a result of this finding the name 7. v. plumbeiceps must be used for the populations called T. v. violacea in my 1962 paper with white under tail-coverts, and the name violacea must be placed in the synonymy of T. v. plumbeiceps. In addition the name T. v. subrufa must be used for the populations with yellowish or cinnamon under tail-coverts of northern Angola, the south-eastern Congo and western Northern Rhodesia, called T. y. plumbeiceps in my previous paper. References : Chapin, J. P. (1953). Birds of the Belgian Congo, pt. 3. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Lawson, W. J. (1962). On the distribution of the races of the Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis (Miller) in southern Africa. Bu/l. Brit. Orn. Club, 82, (2), 26-30. Salomonsen, F. (1949). Two new African Paradise-Flycatchers (Terpsiphone). Dansk Ornith. Foren. Tidsskr., 43, 84-87. — (1962). Note on the Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis (Miller) in southern Africa. Bull. Brit. Orn, Club. 82, (5), 96. The re-discoyery of an African owl Bubo vosseleri by R. E. MOREAU Received 31st December, 1963 This note has been made possible through the kind co-operation of Herr G. Mauersberger of the Berlin Museum, to whom all the information about the Berlin specimens is due, and of Mr. J. J. Yealland, Curator of Birds at the London Zoological Gardens. In J. Orn. 1908: 139 Reichenow described as Bubo vosseleri an owl received from Dr. Vosseler of the Biologisches Institut, Amani, which is at about 3,000 ft. in the East Usambara Mts. of north-eastern Tanganyika, as follows (my translation) : Vol. 84 48 Bulletin B.O.C. **Very like Bubo poensis, but distinguished by ochre-yellow face and by blackish brown spots on the sides of the upper breast; the shoulder-band, composed of white spots, is very distinct.’’ The date the type was obtained by Vosseler is not stated but on 15th October 1906 the Berlin Museum registered another, juvenile, bird, also from Amani, understood to belong to the same species. This juvenile differs much from the adult and has not been described. No ecological information at all is forthcoming about these specimens, and there is no evidence that any later specimen has reached a museum or that any first- hand information about the bird has been published. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the published description of the type (sex unknown), it seems worth while to publish the following details of both the type and the younger bird, kindly supplied by Herr Mauersberger :— ‘‘Head: crown and ‘ears’ orange brown heavily spotted with blackish brown. (In the centre of the crown is one white feather, perhaps a relic of juvenile plumage.) ““Upper parts: lighter and brighter than in poensis, the individual feathers being more orange brown, with a darker line. The lesser wing- coverts are very dark blackish brown, their orange bars being more and more reduced towards the carpal joint. The great wing-coverts of the secondaries are like the feathers of the mantle, of the primaries much darker brown, the light bars being very narrow and much duller. On the outer primaries the dark bars are extended towards the tip, the brown parts being much duller and less contrasting than on the secondaries and even on the inner primaries. The white shoulder patch is very conspicuous, being formed by the scapulars. Some of the outermost secondary coverts and some primary coverts are also tipped with white, but this is not con- spicuous enough to form anything like a wing bar. The rectrices are much like the inner primaries in colour and pattern. ‘‘The underparts are generally lighter and brighter than in poensis, the vane being silky white and the bars of the individual feathers being narrower, lighter, more orange brown with a darker line. Many feathers on the centre of the underparts show distal orange-brown patches, reaching proximally beyond the last bar, and in some feathers the last bar is broader and darker. On the sides of the upper breast most of the feathers have dark brown distal patches, which give the impression of spots, as originally described by Reichenow.’”’ According to Mauersberger, the young specimen in Berlin, which is just completing wing moult, is on the whole like the adult. ‘‘In general it is lighter than immature poensis. The head and neck are yellowish white with slight sepia-brown spots; the face yellowish orange buff, with a very conspicuous brownish black line around the face, beginning with the superciliary stripe, and less distinct, greyish brown, on the throat. ‘‘The underside, the wing coverts and the upper parts have the feathers white with two (on breast) or three (on back) narrow dark-brown bars that are edged with orange buff. On the mantle the bars are broader and lighter, the feathers showing more orange.’’ On 28th April 1962, some 55 years after the original specimen, a young Bulletin B.O.C. 49 Vol. oo BAN fno.ograpns: Lne Zouiogicai Society of London Bubo vosseleri at approximately six months old. owl was taken to Dr. G. Pringle, Director of the East African Institute of Malaria, at Amani, which he recognised as probably Bubo vosseleri. The finder, Mr. Gabriel Joseph, has stated that he found the bird, able only to flutter a few yards, in the high forest surrounding a neighbouring tea estate named Ndarema, that is, at an altitude of a little over 3,000 ft. After keeping it for a few weeks Dr. Pringle transferred the bird to the Vol. 84 50 Bulletin B.O.C. London Zoo, where it now is. In captivity this young bird has shown itself tame, confiding and consistently alert by day. This last may perhaps be a character of the species, if our record of 6.9.31, quoted below, really relates to this owl, because Dr. Pringle has been told of an owl of this type on the wing in an estate near Amani by day. But during his years of residence at Amani Dr. Pringle has heard a ‘‘loud, repeated, guttural but resonant grunt from the forest canopy’’ on only “‘two evenings about an hour before sunset’’. When examined on 13th September 1962 the new arrival in London agreed with the Berlin juvenile in having the whole back and underparts white with widely spaced narrow dark-brown bars, while, as seen in the Photograph: The Zoological Society of London Bubo vosseleri at approximately 13 years. photographs, the white tips of the greater coverts produced a very distinct wing-bar. The ‘‘ears’’, too, were white with buff tips; the strong dark-brown border of the orange-brown facial disc was reinforced by a blackish brown patch on the upper, inner, side of the eye. The eyes were deep warm brown, the pale blue eyelid naked, with long black lashes. The very strong black nasal bristles extended to the tip of the beak, which was pale bluish horn, becoming yellowish at the tip. The feet were very pale Bulletin B.O.C. 5] Vol. 84 bluish, the tarsi feathered tawny, barred with very dark brown. The under - wing-coverts were pale tawny, without marking. In April 1963 this bird, then a little over a year old, had lost its juvenile white plumage and the blue of its beak and feet had faded to off-white. It differed from the Berlin adult in having the white on the tips of the wing-coverts so prominent as to form a conspicuous wing-bar. By the end of November, when I examined the bird again with Mr. Yealland the white wing-bar had disappeared. The only white remaining in the plumage was a single much-worn pure white feather in the middle of the forehead (compare the description of the type in Berlin) and a couple of whitish scapulars. It is therefore evident that the type, on which the original description was based, is sub-adult. In what we now know to be the adult plumage vosseleri is very like poensis indeed. Comparison was facilitated by the fact that specimens of the two are caged alongside one another in the London Zoo. The series of poensis in the British Museum shows considerable variation and the Zoo specimen is a particularly richly coloured bird. The only significant difference shown by vosseleri is that the blotching on the breast is heavier and the bars on the underparts more widely spaced. It may be added that in most of the series of poensis skins in the British Museum two or three mainly white feathers appear in the inner wing coverts or the scapulars. According to measurements kindly supplied by Mauersberger, the type has wing 346 mm. in length and the younger bird 299. Neither is sexed, but the Amani birds are probably bigger than poensis, the measurements of which are given by Bannerman as 276-302 for males, 277-321 for females. On the whole, then, it appears that the name vosseleri may be retained provisionally for a subspecies of poensis on characters of size and pattern of underparts. It is a curious fact that Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1952, African Handbook (1) 1: 661), writing at a time when only the Berlin specimens were in existence, give a description of vosse/eri that omits any mention of the white bar on the shoulder, which is a feature of the type and was prominent in the original description; but it does not seem possible that they could have known that the white would be lost with age. Their sketch is misleading for it omits the heavy dark blotches which are so prominent on the breast. Mackworth-Praed & Grant go on to state that the bird is *‘only recorded as inhabiting thick forest in the Usambara Mts.’’, that its food is ‘‘squirrels, galagos, bats and insects’’ and that its call is ‘‘a higher pitched hoot than that of other eagle owls’’. In fact it seems that no definite information about this owl was available to these authors: the Statements about food and call were transcribed from what had been published about poensis and the statement about the forest habitat was based on reasonable inference. We still have no first-hand information about the biology of vosseleri in the wild. The only area from which it is known is still at about 3,000 ft. in the East Usambara Mts., a deeply dissected plateau covered with heavy forest within sight of the Indian Ocean, in north-eastern Tanganyika. This is separated by some 800 miles from the nearest known poensis, in | the north-eastern Congo (Ituri). The area where vosseleri has been found | in the East Usambaras is reached from below by some typically lowland | species and from above by some that are typically montane. Hence we still Vol. 84 52 Bulletin B.O.C. do not know to which category this owl belongs. By analogy with Bubo poensis, vosseleri might be expected to be lowland. So far the bird in London is not known to have called. When it does so, it is hoped that the noise can be tape-recorded and that opportunities will occur for playing it back in suitable East African localities, to see whether a response can be elicited. I should think that, apart from other forested areas in the Usam- baras good places to try would be in the Ulugurus and in the Ngurus (where I understand that Mr. J. G. Williams saw an owl he thought might be of this species). In all the time my wife and I spent at Amani from 1928 to 1946 we were never sure that we saw this owl. However, with the new specimen before us we think there is not much doubt that a big young owl whose head we could just see in a hole high up in a forest tree on 20th December 1930 was vosseleri, for according to my note its head was “‘very white, eye-ring black, bill bluish’’. Again, on 6th September 1931 I find a note that we saw a big brownish owl with black on the face fly across a road through deep forest at mid-day, but we do not seem to have heard the sort of deep notes one would associate with a Bubo except during one period, March—May 1929. The occurrence of Neophron percnopterus in Northern Rhodesia by R. J. DOWSETT AND A. J. TREE Received 17th December, 1963 The Egyptian Vulture, Neophron percnopterus (Linn.) is of extremely local distribution in eastern and southern Africa, being confined largely to very arid areas. It is of interest therefore to record that individuals were identified in the Western and Eastern provinces of Northern Rhodesia in May and June of 1963. Although both are sight records, they are well authenticated and appear to be the first records of this species from the territory. On 9th May 1963, Tree observed a bird of this species—in almost full adult plumage—at Ngosa Farm on the Kafue River in Western Province (12.18’S 27.28’E). Very close views were obtained and it was noted that the tail seemed to be in moult, the outer feathers being white with the rest a mixture of light grey-brown and white. The bird appeared from the north and was watched in flight for some two or three minutes before it circled and headed off to the north-west. Tree was struck especially by the way it carried its wings when gliding, at an angle, not unlike the Bateleur Eagle, Terathopius ecaudatus. Then, on 3rd June 1963, Dowsett observed a bird in full adult plumage at Chapita Dam (13.55’S 32.18’E) in the Eastern Province. The bird was watched circling for five minutes in company with eight White-headed Vultures, Trigonoceps occipitalis. Its build and shape were much like a Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus, except that it had a noticeably wedge-shaped tail. The black on the primaries and secondaries contrasted strongly with the almost white body feathers and with the rest of the wing, and the bird could be picked out in flight, even at some distance, with ease. Its black primaries, wedge-shaped tail and lack of black on the mantle distinguished it from the Palm-nut Vulture, Gypohierax angolensis. Bulletin B.O.C. 53 Vol. 84 It is perhaps worth noting that on 12th February 1960, Tree had observed what may have been a near-adult bird of this species in company with various migratory raptors near Mpika in the Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia. However it is felt the identity of this bird was not established beyond all doubt. Apart from this, there is no indication that this bird has otherwise occurred in the territory at any time in the past. For southern Africa Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1962) give the distribution as ‘‘throughout, except Belgian Congo, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland’’. However, there is in fact no evidence that it has ever occurred in Southern Rhodesia (Smithers et a/. 1957) nor in Bechuanaland. Furthermore, it seems possible the species no longer occurs in South-West Africa, although further investigation is needed (Benson and Irwin, in press). Andersson, in Gurney (1872) recorded it as not uncommon in Damaraland and Namaqualand. However, Macdonald (1957) makes no mention of it and there seem to be only two records within the last forty years, namely a specimen collected by Bradfield at Quickborn in 1923 and a sight record from Otjiwarongo in 1938 (Hoesch and Niethammer, 1940). From Angola there is only a single, old record of a specimen from southern Mocamedes (Traylor, 1963). Elsewhere in southern Africa it is now nowhere common. McLachlan and Liversidge (1957) report that the species is now rare in Cape Province, and Voous (1960) suggests it is nearing extinction in southern Africa as a whole. Irwin (1963) has rejected its reported occurrence in coastal Portu- guese East Africa as being highly improbable. In East Africa, there are recent acceptable sight records from the Ngorongoro crater, northern Tanganyika. Benson and White (1960) give a record by Vesey-FitzGerald (actual date 20th January 1959) and Benson (Benson and Irwin, in press) saw several in the area on 10th September 1961. On 30th October 1958 a nest of this species containing a single fledgeling was found at Kwakuchinja in the Mbulu district of Tanganyika (Thomas, 1960). Apart from these, however, there appear to be no records from East Africa south of Kenya, although Williams (1963) suggests it does occur in small numbers in Tanganyika. In much of Africa north of the equator it would appear to be locally not uncommon. It is also worth recording that Curry-Lindahl saw four N. percnopterus in the Kagera National Park, Ruanda-Urundi, on 28th January 1952 (Curry-Lindahl, 1961). This record was not mentioned by Benson and Irwin (in press) as the authors did not, at the time, have access to Curry- Lindahl’s paper (C. W. Benson, pers. comm.) As N. percnopterus would appear to be considerably more common in east Africa, north of Tanganyika, than in southern Africa, and especially in view of the recent records from Tanganyika itself, the Northern Rho- desian birds seem in all probability to have been wanderers from east Africa. Whether or not many Egyptian Vultures winter in tropical Africa (Yoous, 1960) is at present merely a matter for conjecture. Acknowledgements : We are most grateful to Mr. C. W. Benson for bringing various refer- ences to our notice, and for his advice and comments on the draft of this paper. Vol. 84 54 Bulletin B.O.C. References: Benson, C. W. and M. P. Stuart Irwin (in press). Some comments on the Atlas of European Birds from the Ethiopian aspect. Ardea. Benson, C. W. and C. M. N. White (1960). Discontinuous distributions, (Aves). Proc. First Fed. Sci. Conv. 1960. Curry-Lindahl, K. (1961). Exploration du Pare National Albert et du Parc National de la Kagera. Fasc. 1. Contribution a l’Etude des Vertebres Terrestres en Afrique Tropicale. Gurney, J. H. (ed) (1872). Andersson’s Birds of Damaraland. London. Hoesch, A. and G. Niethammer (1940). Die Vogelwelt Deutsch-sudwest-airikas. J. Orn. 88. Irwin, M. P. Stuart (1963). Systematic and distributional notes on South African birds. Durban Mus. Novit. 7: 17. Macdonald, J. D. (1957). Contribution to the ornithology of South-West Africa. London. Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and C. H. B. Grant (1962). Birds of the Southern Third of Africa. Volume 1. London. McLachan, G. R. and R. Liversidge (1957). Roberts’ Birds of South Africa. Cape Town. Smithers, R. H. N., M. P. Stuart Irwin and M. L. Paterson (1957). A check list of the birds of Southern Rhodesia. Cambridge, England. Thomas, D. K. (1960). Birds-Notes on Breeding in Tanganyika. Tanganyika Notes and Records. Traylor, Melvin A. (1963). Check List of Angolan Birds. Publicacoes culturais No. 61. Lisbon. Voous, K. H. (1960). Atlas of European Birds. London. Williams, J. G. (1963). A Field Guide to the Birds of East and Central Africa. London. Further breeding records from Northern Rhodesia (No. 4) by C. W. BENSON AND CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received 15th November, 1963 The same considerations apply in this paper as referred to in the introduction to No. 3 (Benson & Pitman, 1963). Egretta intermedia brachyrhynchos (Brehm) G. Wedekind found a mixed colony of about 50 nests of this species, 50 of Phalacrocorax africanus and 25 of Anhinga anhinga, on the Kafue River at 14° 18’S., 27° 14’ E., 8th April, 1963. The nests of the three species were completely intermingled, some being only four feet above water- level; others as much as 12 feet. One egg taken from a C/3 of the egrets measures 51 x 36 mm., and was fresh. But some clutches (mostly C/3) judging from their staining were well incubated, and there were some young in down, even perhaps as much as three weeks old. Pitman in his Faunal Survey of Northern Rhodesia (1934: 177) in fact records nesting in the Lukanga Swamp at the end of March. A C/2 fresh was collected for him on 27th March, 1932, measuring 52.3 x 39.0 and 54.0 x 38.4 mm. G. F. T. Child found a colony of 12 nests in a partially submerged Acacia tree, on the Northern Rhodesia side of the Kariba Lake, near Binga at about 17° 37’ S., 27° 16’ E., on 30th October, 1959. There were one or two young per nest, in varied stages of development. For the only other positive record of this species breeding locally (by R. I. G. Attwell), see Benson & Pitman (1963). Bulletin B.O.C. 55 Vol. 84 Butorides rufiventris (Sundevall) W. F. Bruce-Miller observed nest-building in a dense reed-bed at a dam on his farm in the Choma District at 16° 39’ S., 27° OL’ E., 20th January, 1963. On the 29th 13 birds were flushed from a compact area about 10 x 20 yards, in which there were at least four nests, one of which contained four eggs; another one. To avoid disturbance no further obser- vations were made. E. L. Button observed a single nest in the Itawa Swamp containing young almost fiedged, late March, 1945. For other recently recorded breeding localities, see Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 78, 1958: 165 and Benson & Pitman (1963). At the locality Ngoma, Attwell and J. B. Shenton have reported egg-laying as early as March, in colonies numbering up to 30 pairs, clutch-size up to three. Anastomus lamelligerus lamelligerus Temminck D. Vesey-FitzGerald, while flying over the Kafue Flats on 15th October, 1962, on locust investigations, at about 15° 37’ S., 27° 20’ E. observed a colony extending over several acres. The nests containing eggs were clustered in groups, and were piles of dry herbage in an open, flooded area. Previous records for Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, summarised by Benson et al. (in press), indicate egg-laying from January to July only. The explanation of this late date may be the exceptionally high floods on the Kafue Flats in 1962, large areas remaining inundated throughout the dry season which in a normal year would be dry by September. Bostrychia hagedash brevirostris (Reichenow) J. M. C. Uys inspected the four following solitary nests on the Kafue River around 14° 55’ S., 25° 52’ E. on 17th December, 1962, contents as follows :— (1) Two nestlings and one infertile egg. Nestlings about 14 inches long, covered in grey-black down, blacker on crown, remiges starting to emerge. (2) Fresh nest, still empty. (3) Two eggs, parent sitting tightly. (4) Two eggs, one chipping open. Uys found another nest containing eggs (number not recorded) on the Kafue at 14° 42’ S., 26° 15’ E. on 6th April, 1963. All five nests were five to eight feet above the water-level, in Syzygium trees (one in a Diospyros mespiliformis) overhanging the east bank of the river, sited so that only in the late afternoon could any rays of the sun reach them. They were frail platforms of diameter about 12 inches, made of Syzygium twigs, sparsely lined with Oryza grass. Many dozens of nests found by C.R.S.P. in Uganda have invariably been placed in shade, often in really deep shade. P. S. Wright has described a similar nest from the Kafue at 15° S., 26° E., on 11th February, 1963, 10 feet above the water. It contained three nestlings in black down, with remiges starting to emerge, showing bronzy jreflections as in adults. There were still three nestlings on the 24th, but, / only two on the 26th and one on 2nd March (note the remarks by Skead 1/1951 on mortality among nestlings). They had irides dark brown, not Vol. 84 56 Bulletin B.O.C. white as in adults. When being fed they kept up a continuous ‘‘chirr, chirr, chirr,...’’. Each awaited its turn to be fed, and there was no evidence of competition. Other recent breeding records are from the Zambezi at Livingstone, in trees overhanging the river, as follows :— C/3 (one fresh, two about three days set), 26th November, 1961 (V. J. Barnett); two feathered young, still in nest, 26th April, 1962 (E. A. Zaloumis). The nests were respectively 20 and eight feet above water-level. Assuming that the figures of incubation and nestling periods (26 and 33 days respectively) in Skead (1951) are locally applicable, and using not only the above data but also those in the Check List and in Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 81, 1961: 157, egg-laying apparently occurs in every month from August to March inclusive. The season may be much more extensive than Skead found in the Cape Province. Dendrocygna bicolor (Vieillot) Coll. oviduct egg, Mongu, 5th May, 1962 (Zaloumis). Egg ivory-white, smooth, 53.8 x 40.9 mm. Accipiter melanoleucus melanoleucus Smith Coll. one fresh egg (typical) from a C/3, Lusaka, 15th September, 1962 (R. H. Smeaton and R. V. Wood). Nest in riparian forest, seen by C. W. B. on 2nd October, when one of the parents was incubating. Gallinula angulata Sundevall This species seems strictly seasonal in its breeding, Benson ef¢ al. (in press) giving 84 egg-laying records (67 from Southern Rhodesia), all for December to May, with a peak of 27 for January and 32 for February. It may also be seasonal, breeding only in the rains, in South-West Africa and in Huila, southern Angola. Andersson (in Gurney, 1872) records it as nesting abundantly at Ondonga in February and March. Traylor (1963) gives no breeding records. But thanks to a grant from the Frank M. Chapman Memorial Fund, made at the instance of Dr. D. Amadon, C.W.B. was able to study the material of this and various other species collected by Ansorge in Angola, in the American Museum of Natural History. Of two specimens from Dongwenna, 28th March, 1906, Ansorge nos. 493/4, 493 is an adult male, 494 a young bird still completely in black down. The label of the latter is endorsed that it is the young of 493, *‘swimming actively behind its parent and the only young one accom- panying its parent’’. The tip of the bill was ‘‘snow white’’, as is still apparent, for the apical 3 to 4 mm. The shield was ‘‘burnt sienna with a narrow pale purplish band around forehead’’. A female collected between Bissapa and Que on 11th January, 1906, has the label endorsed ‘‘had a large egg, broken by the shot’’. A female from Tala Kilau, 30th March, 1906, is not fully grown, having wing 83 and culmen (exposed) 19 mm. only (27-31 mm. in adults). Fulica cristata Gmelin Coll. C/3 about half incubated, from a pan near Ndola, Ist May, 1963 (Button). Eggs pale greyish-white, original colour probably pale brown, : : Bulletin B.O.C. 5? Vol. 84 dissolved out by water; finely and sparsely spotted all over with blackish on underlying ashy; size 52.2 x 35.7, 53.4 x 36.2, 53.6 x 36.0 mm. This is only the second local breeding record of this species, which is uncommon in Northern Rhodesia. Button noticed no other pairs on this pan. A third record is from the Tondwa Plain, Mporokoso District, where on 26th June, 1963, L. D. C. Allen found four downy young with their parents. He was able to catch one of the young, considered less than one week old. Grus carunculatus (Gmelin) Dr. Lawrence H. Walkinshaw has drawn our attention to the degree of success in the rearing of young in this species. Twenty-eight records have now been accumulated for Northern Rhodesia of nests with eggs, of which 12 are of C/1 and 16 of C/2. Two of the C/1 refer to fresh eggs, but five at least may have been full clutches, since in three cases the egg was being incubated and in two others it was hatching. Nevertheless the proportion of C/2 clutches is well over 50%. Despite this, out of 58 records of young in various stages of development, in all cases still under parental care, only one is of two young, Attwell recording ‘‘two well grown but not yet capable of flight’’ on the Busanga Plain, Kafue National Park, 26th September, 1960. In the Check List there is a record of two young about fledged, but these were in no way connected (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 79, 1959: 18). Pace Benson (1960), who gives two records of C/2 hatching, there is no positive evidence that this really applied to both eggs. Apart from Attwell’s record and one other (by Fuller) mentioned below, the only record of two young is one by Carr, see the Check List (young just hatched). C. D. Simpson has recently reported two nests from the Kafue National Park. One contained C/2 on 17th August, 1963, but on the 26th only the one chick was found. Another held C/2 on 22nd August, 1963, on the 30th only the one chick was found. In both cases the chick was out of the nest but in the vicinity. West (1963: 68), considering six Southern Rhodesian clutches, found that in five C/2 (clutch-size not known in the other case) in three cases only the one egg hatched. In the other two cases only the one chick was seen, but it is not certain whether only the one had hatched. In all six cases there was only the one chick. The point that normally two eggs are laid but only the one chick is reared has not escaped the notice of the Ila people of the Namwala District, for Uys tells us that Grus carunculatus is regarded by them as a poor parent, unable to rear more than one young. Further corroboration comes from A. T. Fuller, the Manager of Lochinvar Ranch, who on one day in October, 1960 saw some 60 young under parental care, all singles, except for one pair just able to fly. Benson et al. (in press) give 45 records of egg-laying by months (in some cases back-calculated even from small young) for Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland (five records), from April to November (peak in May to August). The fuller information now available supports this, though Vesey-FitzGerald has recently reported a C/1 about to hatch, Abercorn, 2nd March, 1959. Rhinoptilus cinctus emini Zedlitz During 1963 J. M. Feely saw three lots of young with their parents, in Vol. 84 58 Bulletin B.O.C. the Luangwa Valley between 11° 50’ S. and 12° 10’ S., on bare ground in Mopane woodland, in the lights of a landrover at night:— 10th July, three one-third of adult size; 17th September, two half of adult size; 22nd September, three half of adult size. The first lot were probably from eggs laid in late May, the other two in early August. These are the first local breeding records. The records of three young seem unusual. Benson et al. (in press) give eight egg-laying records, all from Southern Rhodesia, in all of which the clutch-size was two. Possibly these young did not come from the same clutch, though on the other hand R. chalcopterus commonly lays C/3 (there is of course no question of the authenticity of Feely’s records). Pterocles gutturalis gutturalis Smith Coll. C/3 about two-thirds incubated, Lochinvar, 2nd June, 1963 (C.W.B.). The eggs, laid in a shallow scrape in open grassland, are ellip- tical and well glossed, pale brown, marked all over with bold spots and scrawls of light burnt umber on underlying very irregular spots of light violet-grey; size 45.0 x 33.0, 44.0 x 34.0, 45.0 cx 34.2 mm. Another clutch about to hatch, collected by Bruce-Miller on his farm near Choma on 25th July, 1963, also consisted of three eggs. For evidence that this species is migratory, see Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 81, 1961: 160. Fuller reports that since he assumed residence at Lochinvar in 1955, after the locally breeding birds have departed in October, regularly for about one week in early December flocks of up to 1,000 birds descend to drink for a few minutes at small pools formed by rain on land being planted with maize, at any time of the day, and then pass on south. The birds are very tame, allowing Fuller’s tractor to approach within 20 yards. Possibly they are on passage from as far away as the Rukwa Valley, whence Vesey-FitzGerald & Beesley (1960) report an influx in the dry season. Perhaps they (and the locally breeding birds) ‘‘winter’’ in drier country, in Bechuanaland or South-West Africa, but evidence from any- where south of the Zambezi of an influx from the north at the start of the rains, as far as we are aware, is not yet forthcoming. Pterocles bicinetus usheri Benson Coll. two chicks by hand, Luangwa Valley at 13° S., 18th August, 1963 (W. F. H. Ansell). The chicks were accompanied by both parents, and have been preserved in spirit. They were probably not more than two weeks old, and not yet fully feathered, though would have apparently resembled an adult female when all the feathers had been acquired. In the same locality Feely noted a pair with two chicks not more than one day old, 21st July, 1963. There are now nine Northern Rhodesian breeding records, reflecting egg-laying during June to August. Unlike P. gutturalis, this species probably does not have any long distance movements, for Feely has five records of individuals or pairs in the Luangwa Valley in February and March, and another of a pair in Brachystegia woodland (not a normal habitat) in plateau country to the east, 20 miJes north of Diwa Hill, in October. In the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum there is a specimen from Livingstone, collected in January, and two from Zimba, 17° 20’ S., 26° 12’ E., in February. Bulletin B.O.C. 59 Vol. 84 Centropus cupreicaudus cupreicaudus Reichenow C. S. Holliday collected a male on the Machili River at 17° S., 3rd September, 1963, at a nest with one fresh egg, smooth, white, slightly glossed, size 36 x 28 mm. Both the specimen and the egg are in the Rhodes- Livingstone Museum. The date is unusual, the data in Benson ef al. (in press) showing that Centropus spp. lay mainly in the rains, and only one record is given for laying as early as September, for C. superciliosus. The nest was merely a platform of Phragmites reeds and finer grass-stems, three feet above water in a reed-bed. No doubt a superstructure would have been developed in due course. C.W.B. has examined a pair of feathered nestlings from Chitau, Angola, 24th March, 1933, in the American Museum of Natural History. They have wing 115, 120; tail 48, 55; culmen (from base) 28, 28 mm. They only differ constantly from adults in the following respects:— crown dull bluish-black, lacking any violaceous gloss; primaries and secondaries with a little dark brown barring towards tips (chestnut of upper side, including dark brown of mantle, otherwise immaculate as in adults); tail blackish brown rather than brown. Hirundo albigularis subsp. Button observed a pair nesting in the eaves of a deserted barn at Fort Rosebery, 20th October, 1961. The nest contained three eggs. This is the first breeding record of this species from Northern Rhodesia. It is most likely referable to H. a. ambigua Bocage, an older name than H. a. microp- tera Hartert, nearest to which specimens from the Mweru Marsh have been attributed. An adult female collected by M. P. Stuart Irwin on Lochinvar Ranch, 30th May, 1963, has wing 133 mm., and so is nearest to H. a. albigularis Strickland. Hirundo rustica angolensis Bocage Feely observed a pair of adults accompanied by three fledged juveniles which roosted in a nest placed on a rafter over the porch of the rest house on the Nyika Plateau at 7,000 feet while he was there from 10th to 12th December, 1962. The young, watched from a distance of only two feet, still had well developed gape-wattles and short outer rectrices. This is the first breeding record from Northern Rhodesia, though there is one from Livingstonia, northern Nyasaland. This is a very uncommon species, of which there are no records further to those in the Check List, except for the present one. The record by Benson from Johnston Falls is of four individuals, the exact date 14th August, 1956. Amblyospiza albifrons albifrons (Vigors) Coll. feathered juvenile 3, Chunga, 15° 00’ S., 26° 00’ E., 14th February, 1963 (Wright). This specimen is not fully grown, having wing 72, tail 30, culmen (from base) 14 mm. only. It had probably fallen out of a nest. Anomalospiza imberbis imberbis (Cabanis) Coll. two feathered nestlings, wings 43, 45 mm., Chilanga, 2nd February, 1963, from a nest of Prinia subflava containing no eggs or young of its own (C.W.B.). Friedmann (1960) writes that the nestling of Anomalospiza is ., ne AR (964 oe ) Py, huge ae, % Vol. 84. 1.4! oq2 6 odd tein ime viet mnen omse ol} yitieupeedoe babsloni sd bluote Bere rola fi baiting sis 2ocuaa sAUtnolo2 ENE Shy to) Its! 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Ay sine itd Pia Ses Sets a ab ita td 3 Reset a ATT PR sti ‘it ihe 4 i ye) eee ee Wee e : ' *, Ova + ¥ Rae ‘ By ip : cid Ren ih ce ‘ e nae x On ne t yisy ait i Wy k 4 u | ee a L i AL, Ke a) a sal ean cath Soe 2 4 Bayt Haga, ‘ j . eet has y Nie Shige tay Tih xd veah th tie fodit a ery sis te WEEN eo eC Bae 4 sat Pee inhi a gerbera: ? a 5 1964 61 Vol. 84 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 84 Number 4 Published: 2nd April, 1964 The six hundred and fifteenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on the 17th March, 1964. Chairman: Major-General C. B. Wainwright Members present: 30; guests 10. Recordings of the calls of ten nightjars and five owls were played and commented upon by Captain C. R. S. Pitman. The excellence of the series and the efforts of Mr. Myles North and his collaborators who obtained them were much appreciated. Nine of the nightjars were species that breed in Africa and the tenth was Caprimulgus europaeus recorded in Denmark. The calls or songs were those uttered chiefly, though not exclusively, in the breeding season. For some years Mr. North has been studying the songs of nightjars in eastern, central and southern parts of Africa and it is thought that such characteristic sounds may be of importance in assessing the relationships between the various Caprimulgidae. Mr. North would be grateful for further assistance in obtaining recordings of the songs of any accurately identified African nightjars. An especially interesting feature of the African owl recordings was the duet type of calling between the sexes of Ciccaba woodfordi. It was very disappointing that Sir Landsborough Thomson was unable to attend this meeting where he was to have spoken on editing ‘‘A New Dictionary of Birds’’. Vol. 84 62 Bulletin B.O.C. On the races of the White-rumped Swift Apus caffer by R. K. BROOKE Received 14th December, 1963 Sclater (1924) recognized three races of Apus caffer— (1) nominate caffer (Lichtenstein, Yerz. Doubl. p. 58, 1823: Kaffirland) south of the Zambezi; (2) ansorgei (W. Sclater, Bull, B.O.C. XLII, p.63, 1922: Ndalla Tando, Angola) northern Angola and Portuguese Congo; (3) streubelii (Hartlaub, Journ. Ornith. 1861, p. 418: Keren, Ethiopia) Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. They were considered to differ in wing length and it has been suggested that ansorgei had a darker crown and a more bluish back (Chapin, 1939, Traylor, 1960). The accepted races were believed to be isolated by ex- tensive areas in which the species did not occur. The collecting of the last 40 years has shown that there is no major break in the distribution of the species and the much larger number of specimens now in museums permits a reconsideration of differences in wing length. The table gives the wing lengths collected by correspondence from the museums mentioned under ‘‘Acknowledgements’’, from Dr. W. Serle and the following publications :— Chapin (1939), Finsch (1870), Hoesch & Niethammer (1940), Ogilvie-Grant (1908), Stoneham (1926). It will be seen from the table that there is no well marked break in wing length but only an increase in length from north to south. The increase takes a leap forward in the northern Transvaal but the overlap is still very great. It should be noted that wing lengths of males and females have been amalgamated. There is a tendency for females to have wings shorter by a millimetre or so than males in the same area. Half millimetres have been taken to the nearest millimetre above. The old French ‘‘inches’’ in Finsch (1870) have been converted at a rate of 27.08 mm. to the inch. The Berlin specimens of Hoesch and Niethammer (1940) have been remeasured by Herr Mauersberger whose results which I have used in the table give a wing at least 3% longer. This variability of measurement is important since these specimens were among those cited by Traylor (1960) when extending the range of A. c. ansorgei well down into South-West Africa. © This variability of measurement also warrants a cautious taxonomic approach to populations which differ only slightly albeit significantly in average measurements. Following Amadon (1949) I conclude that Apus caffer should be treated binomially. The type is in Berlin and has a wing length of 151 mm. It was collected at Galgenbosch near Uitenhage in the eastern Cape Province on Ist March, 1822. The Uganda specimen with wing length of 147 mm. was collected on 7th June. The next largest Uganda bird has a wing length of 144 mm. Cumming (1952) has shown that most South African birds leave that country for the months of April to August. The suggestion is made that the unknown winter quarters of the southern populations include Uganda. Vol. 84 63 Bulletin B.O.C. “WL gC, WNUIxey :(epuesy) “wu pz] WOW SS ee ee . oS Fe SAL CT OC MOE ST Bl STI Ore eI SI WO 6 oS Ore a 4 ae TWLOL —— SS 3 ee ee ee Se . Ses So. & oS ee Ey ce MSE “Zz I SOUIAOIg adeD € I I purjoinseg FP SA'O t c I [BIeN I I I I [PeAsURI] BOLYY “MA'S I I onbiquiezopw I I BISOpOyY “S I I BISSPOYUY “N —<+t I I bo I Nae NO aN N — = — _ N N m=N T ery 4 rosuy I I O3U0D Jamo] ae BLIOSIN I € O8u0y “J eyiAuesue yf vAUuoy l epues/) ¢ uepng I I I Sees! Se | vido Se ee se a eS ee Se LS eee Seiee > Sore. To £ obi-6 V8. AT OSs roe SF 4 Obl. & tc Foe » vee “ye 4 | — sus] SUI uey} uey} sI0W SST _ =N Sean N Orne N N THR = ON NAR Vol. 84 64 Bulletin B.O.C: Acknowledgements : C. W. Benson for advice and the loan of his notes; R. M. MacGinty, my colleague, for guidance in statistics; Mrs. B. P. Hall, M. P. S. Irwin and Herr G. Mauersberger for answering questions on specimens in their care; the following curators provided me with measurements of specimens in their care: J. Bond (Philadelphia); M. Courtney-Latimer (East London); M. G. Guerreiro (Lourenco Marques); W. J. Lawson (Durban); R. Liversidge (Port Elizabeth); G. Mauersberger (Berlin); C. O’Brien (New York); K. C. Parkes (Pittsburgh); R. A. Paynter (Harvard); O. P. M. Prozesky (Pretoria); M. A. Traylor (Chicago); G. E. Watson (Washing- ton); J. G. Williams (Nairobi); J. M. Winterbottom (Cape Town). References : Amadon, D. (1949). The seventy-five per cent rule for subspecies. Condor 51: 250-258. Chapin, J. P. (1939). The Birds of the Belgian Congo IT: 452-454. Cumming, R. S. (1952). A review of the migratory tendencies of Apus caffer caffer Licht. the Cape White-rumped Swift. Ostrich XXIII: 2: 116-119. Finsch, O. (1870). On a collection of birds from North-Eastern Abyssinia and the Bogos Country. With notes by the collector, William Jesse, C.M.Z.S., zoologist to the Abyssinian expedition. Trans. Zool. Soc. VII: IV: 197-331. Hoesch, W. & Niethammer, G. (1940). Die Vogelwelt Deutsch-Sudwestafrikas. Sonder- heft Journ. f. Orn. p. 204. Ogilvie-Grant, W. R. (1908). On a collection of birds made by Mr. Douglas Car- ruthers during his journey from Uganda to the mouth of the Congo. Jbis 9: II: 6: 264-317. Sclater, W. L. (1924). Systema Avium Aethiopicarum I: 260. Stoneham, H. F. (1926). Field notes on a collection of birds from Uganda. Jbis XII: II: 26-91. Traylor, M. G. (1960). Pub. Cult. Comp. Diam. Ang. 51: 157. A new race of Estrilda atricapilla Verreaux by MELVIN A. TRAYLOR Received 29th November, 1963 Two races of Estrilda atricapilla have generally been recognized, nominate atricapilla ranging from Gabon and Cameroon to the lowlands of the eastern Congo and Kasai, and graueri ranging from the highlands of the eastern Congo to the Kenya highlands. However, Mackworth- Praed and Grant (1955, Hdbk. Birds E. and N.E. Afr., 2: 1028) extend graueri to the Congo lowlands, southwest to Kasai. Examination of series from the whole range of the species shows that there are actually two races now included in nominate atricapilla, birds from the eastern Congo lowlands agreeing with atricapilla in some characters and graueri in others. I propose to name this new race: Estrilda atricapilla avakubi subsp. nov. Type: adult ¢ from Avakubi, Ituri district, Congo, collected 8th Decem- ber 1909 by James P. Chapin; collector’s number 511. American Museum of Natural History number 162543. Diagnosis: Differs from atricapilla by being generally paler, particularly on the cheeks and throat which are whitish rather than grey; barring on the back more broadly spaced, the black bars being more prominent because of the paler grey background. Differs from graueri in the much Bulletin B.O.C. 65 Vol. 84 more broadly spaced dorsal barring, and in the brighter red rump and upper tail-coverts; slightly larger in wing length. Measurements of type: wing 48; tail 45; tarsus 15; bill 10. Range: Lowlands of the eastern Congo from Tshuapa and Ituri districts south to Kasai, and extreme northeast Angola. Remarks: The eastern race graueri resembles atricapilla of West Africa more nearly than it does the intervening avakubi. Both are finely barred above, but graueri is paler on cheeks and throat than atricapilla, and rump and upper tail-coverts are a darker red. There seems to be a real gap between the ranges of atricapilla and avakubi, for the species is not known from along the middle Congo River or in Moyen Congo. Variation in size is not great. Within atricapilla Gabon birds are smaller than those from Cameroon; avakubi is similar to the Cameroon popu- lations, and graueri is somewhat smaller. Comparative wing measurements are: 3d 9° atricapilla—Gabon (5) 45-47 (45.8) 45, 45, 47 Cameroon (7) 47-49 (47.7) (8) 46-47 (46.6) avakubi (4) 47-48 (47.5) 46, 47 graueri 45, 46 Some observations of bird behaviour made from an aircraft in the Serengeti National Park by M. I. M. TURNER Received 3rd December, 1964 The Tanganyika National Parks are among the foremost users of light aircraft in game management work in Africa, and the following notes are drawn from over 700 hours flying experience in the Serengeti National eens the years 1961-1963 while on normal Game and Administra- tive duties. Undoubtedly among the greatest hazards to aerial work over the game areas in Africa are the great birds of prey, and, here in the Serengeti with its estimated 1,000,000 head of ungulates, the concentration of vultures and eagles is very large. Six species of vulture exist in the Park as follows: Riippell’s Griffon (Gyps riippellii), White-backed Vulture (Pseudogyps africanus), Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotus), White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnop- terus) and Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus). These great birds, weighing 12-15 lbs., can be encountered at any altitude between ground level and as high as 12,000 ft., and are ever in attendance on the great migratory concentrations of wildebeeste and zebra throughout the Park. Vultures are poor fliers and rely in Africa almost entirely on ascending thermal currents to gain height to carry out their daily patrolling, ever searching for dead and dying animals. In the mountainous areas of the Ngorongoro highlands adjoining the South East boundary of the Serengeti, the high winds are used by vultures to the same effect. In the early morning or late evening most of the larger birds of prey are effectively grounded by the thinner, cooler air, In the dry weather and in open country, vultures Vol. 84 66 Bulletin B.O.C. are rarely aloft before 9 a.m. unless there is a strong wind, and it is inter- esting to see these birds resting on the great granite inselbergs in the treeless central plains areas in the morning, waiting for the rocks to heat up, causing thermals which will allow them to climb. Once aloft they would have to find food before 5 p.m. when the cooler air forces them to descend. In wet weather vultures are grounded for most of the day, but in dry weather, having once gained soaring height on a thermal they may cover many miles before descending. When flying, with practice one can easily spot vultures straight ahead up to three miles away. Great care should be taken when vultures are seen diving on a carcass diagonally across the path of the plane, as usually more are following from above and may be in the “‘dead”’ spot above the wing and therefore unseen. It is interesting to note that vultures will not avoid an aircraft until the last moment, and it is well never to count on them doing so. Flying up behind, and to one side of a soaring vulture, it is interesting to note the bird’s reaction. Usually a scraggy neck turns and a beady eye calmly surveys the aircraft—an inter- loper in their element! The “‘blind spots” in a normal high wing light air- craft are below the engine cowling and above the wings, and it is usually from these directions that one’s biggest danger comes. The author of this article had a vulture come up from below the port wing, was first seen at 10 ft. from the aircraft, and the bird passed between the strut and the fuselage at great speed. As well as vultures many species of the larger eagles inhabit the Seren- geti, one of the most common being the Bateleur Eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus). This soaring eagle with its distinctive black and chestnust upper parts, brown shoulders, very short tail and red face and feet is probably the finest aerobatic flyer of all the larger birds of prey, and generally easily avoids an aircraft before the pilot has taken any action himself. To see a Bateleur do a 90° turn, roll and dive in one movement is an unforgettable experience. Other powerful eagles commonly met up to 2,000 ft. are the Martial Eagle (Polemaétus bellicosus) and the Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax). One of the common palaearctic winter migrants to Africa is the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) and every year great flocks of these pass over most of East Africa on their way south. Great care should be taken when they are encountered in the air. At considerable heights, sometimes up to 12,000 ft., it is quite easy to fly unknowingly underneath a flock, and when dis- turbed the evasive action of these storks is, to say the least, disconcerting. Dropping their legs and closing their wings, they fall like stones, and to be directly underneath a flock with birds plummeting past the plane in every direction is an unforgettable experience. However, flocks can usually be spotted ahead by their colour and the flash of the sun on their wings. In 1960 a White Stork was collected at Seronera bearing the ring of the Russian Marking Station of Beloviezha where it had been ringed as a nestling in 1959. Another large bird often encountered at great heights, but easily avoided due to its slow flying, size and coloration, is the Pink-backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) forever flying between the great lakes system of the Rift Valley which borders the Serengeti. It is interesting to fly past a flock and to note the regular slow beat of their powerful wings and the head held well back like a Heron. Bulletin B.O.C. 67 Vol. 84 Much of the flying in the Serengeti is done at below 1,000 ft., and it is at these lower levels that the following species are commonly encountered. Yellow-throated Sandgrouse (Eremialector gutturalis) at times feed on the Central Plains area of the Park in large flocks and seem to have an extremely slow take off and evasive action. Crowned Lapwing (Stephanibyx coronatus) are often met with up to 500 ft., and it is sometimes disconcerting to see the Flappet Lark (Mirafra rufocinnamomea) suddenly appear in front of the aircraft, poised in the air at the top of his mating flight, to drop like a stone as one passes. In December and January great flocks of Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) can be seen feeding in the stands of wild sorghum grass on the Central Plains in the South Western area of the Serengeti. In the early morning, one sees a great wave of birds flying in a long line about 60 ft. above the ground, numbering sometimes hundreds of thousands, resem- bling smoke or light cloud in the sky. Up to 1,000 ft. great flocks of the large Mottled Swifts (Apus equatorialis) are often seen. Due to the speed of these birds no evasive action is possible and one merely sits tensely at the controls watching swifts disappearing under the engine cowling and wings at tremendous speed seeming practi- cally to turn themselves inside out in their efforts to avoid the aircraft, and such is their remarkable aerobatic ability that they rarely collide with it. At lower levels near cliff faces and inselbergs, large flocks of Little Swifts (Apus affinis) are often encountered up to 100 ft. above the ground. Finally it is not unusual to meet the Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpen- tarius) gliding in wide circles up to 500 ft. altitude, probably on mating display flight. Recently a D.C.3 collided with one of these birds at Seronera aerodrome, resulting in a shattered windshield and badly buckled cabin roof. The reaction of Ostrich (Struthio camelus) to low flying aircraft is interesting. Invariably they puff out their wings and display, meanwhile turning in every direction, as if trying to locate the noise. Breeding records of the larger birds of prey are easily noted from low flying light aircraft. The vultures and eagles usually nest in the top of the Acacia tortorlis and yellow fever trees which abound in most areas of the ‘Serengeti, and these nests, impossible to reach from the ground, are easily spotted from the air by the white droppings which cover the branches near the nest. A first record for the Park of the breeding of the Saddle- billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) was discovered in this way. In conclusion J would like to record my thanks to Mr. R. M. Watson, pilot of the Serengeti Research Project, in whose company many of these observations were made. My thanks also to the Director and Trustees of the Tanganyika National Park for permission to publish this article. Alcedo quadribrachys and A. semitorquata in the North-Western Province of Northern Rhodesia by C. W. BENSON Received 25th November, 1963 _ My assistant Jali Makawa accompanied G. Bell-Cross on a tour of the North-Western Province in October, 1963, collecting on behalf of the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum, and I am most grateful to Bell-Cross for the Vol. 84 68 Bulletin B.O.C. interest he took in these activities. Of particular interest are two male specimens of Alcedo quadribrachys guentheri Sharpe, obtained in dense evergreen forest bordering the Mwombezhi River at 12° 15’ S., 25° 34’ E., during 27th/29th October. This species has only previously been reported from Northern Rhodesia from western Balovale District (Benson, 1960). It is even more noteworthy that on 27th October, at exactly the same site | on the Mwombezhi, a female of A. s. semitorquata Swainson was obtained. A male of this latter species had already been collected on the East Lumwana River at 12° 16’ S., 25° 40’ E. (Only some six miles from the Mwombezhi locality), and another on the Ingoma Stream at 11° 45’ S., 24° 55’ E., both on 27th March, 1963. The Lumwana specimen is, inciden- tally, unusually pale below. Measurements in mm. of specimens from the North-Western Province are:— Locality Wing Culmen Alcedo quadribrachys from base 3 Balovale District 79 53 3} Mwombezhi 75 48 3 99 76 48 Q Balovale District 77 47 Alcedo semitorquata 3 East Lumwana 80 51 3 Ingoma 83 49 Q Mwombezhi 79 51 2 Ngalula, 13° 24’ S., 24° 51’ E. 80 49 Four specimens of semitorquata from the upper Katanga (localities in Schouteden, 1951), whose wing and culmen lengths I took when working in the Congo Museum, Tervuren in 1955, measure respectively as follows: 3, 83, 48; 3g, 84, 50; 9, 83, 47; 2, 86, 55 mm. Thus in or near the area of overlap (there is reason to suppose that it is explicable on a basis of off-season movements, semitorquata at least being in my experience sedentary), semitorquata has a longer wing-length than quadribrachys (79-86 as against 75-79 mm.), but there is no appreci- able difference in bill-length (47-55 as against 47-53 mm.). Verheyen (1953) gives the wing of three specimens of quadribrachys from the Upemba National Park as 75, 77, 79 mm. His figures for the culmen are evidently for the exposed part only, and are not comparable. Measurements in mm. of material of semitorquata from Northern Rhodesia (excepting the North-Western Province) and Southern Rhodesia in the National Museum, Bulawayo, lent by M. P. Stuart Irwin, are:— Wing Culmen from base 93d 79-82 (80.2) 45-52 (49.0) 429 80-83 (81.5) 45-51 (48.2) 200 83, 84 46, 48 A male from Chilanga, Northern Rhodesia, 19th November, has wing 74, culmen 36 mm. only, and is evidently not fully grown. It has dusky barring extending across the chest. A female from Gorongoza, Portuguese Bulletin B.O.C. 69 Vol. 84 East Africa, has wing 78, culmen 48 mm. Specimens from this territory and from eastern Tanganyika have relatively small wing-measurements, see the figures in Clancey (1951) and Benson (1952), and have been called A. s. tephria by the former author. There appears to be no marked varia- tion in wing-length in guadribrachys, comparing the figures given above with those in Bannerman (1933), the overall figures even for the western, nominate sub-species being 71-81 mm. Benson (1960) suggests that quadribrachys and semitorquata could not co-exist, their ecological requirements being so similar, but this seems to be no longer acceptable. Except that semitorquata extends into south- western Angola (Traylor, 1963), their case is analogous with examples of lower level gaps (as opposed to montane gaps) in distribution between western and eastern African representative forms given by Benson & Irwin (in press). In the case of western guadribrachys and eastern semi- torquata, however, there is no gap, at least in north-western Northern Rhodesia, and even some overlap. Evidence of an overlap may also be forthcoming in due course from the Katanga. But they may nevertheless be regarded as forming a superspecies, in which atthis should also be included. References: Bannerman, D. A. (1933). The birds of Tropical West Africa 3. London. Benson, C. W. (1952). Notes from Nyasaland. Ostrich 23: 144-159. — (1960). Recent records from north-western Northern Rhodesia. Bu//. Brit. Orn. Cl. -80: 106-112, 114-119. Benson, C. W. and Irwin, M. P. Stuart (in press). Some west/east distributional gaps in birds of evergreen forest in south-central Africa. Proc. Centr. Afr. Sci. & Med. Congr., Lusaka, 1963. Clancey, P. A. (1951). The characters of a new race of Alcedo semitorquata. Ostrich 22: 176-178. Schouteden, H. (1951). De vogels van Belgisch Congo en van Ruanda- Urundi 4. Tervuren. Traylor, M. A. (1963). Check-list of Angolan birds. Publ. cult. comp. Cia Diamant. Angola 61. Verheyen, R. (1953). Exploration du Parc National de I’ Upemba. Fasc. 19. Brussels. Some further records from the North-Western Province of Northern Rhodesia by C. W. BENSON and C. S. HOLLIDAY On the tour referred to in the immediately preceding paper, specimens were also obtained in the same site on the Mwombezhi River, between 23rd and 29th October, of the following:— Pogoniulus bilineatus mfumbiri (Ogilvie-Grant), Trochocercus cyanomelas vivax Neave, Cossypha bocagei chapini. Benson, Bradypterus cinnamomeus nyassae Shelley, Prinia 1. leucopogon (Cabanis) and Schoenicola brevirostris alexinae (Heuglin). A male in breeding condition of the last named was also obtained at Mt. Makulu, 15° 34’ S., 28° 16’ E., on 6th April. At Ngalula, 13° 24’ S., 24° 51’ E., visited from 7th to 21st October, Specimens were obtained of the following :— Accipiter m. melanoleucus Smith (2, wing 327 mm.), Aguila (Hieraaetus) dubia (Smith), Pachycoccyx audeberti validus (Reichenow), Turdus oliva- ceus stormsi Hartlaub, Apalis cinerea alticola Shelley, Dicrurus 1. ludwigii, | (Smith), Malaconotus nigrifrons manningi Shelley, Nectarinia olivacea Vol. 84 70 Bulletin B.O.C. lowei (Vincent), Ploceus bicolor kigomaensis (Grant & Praed) and Serinus c. capistratus (Finsch) (this last has also recently been obtained by D. Bromfield at Kitwe). M. P. Stuart Irwin has drawn our attention to two males and a female of Lagonosticta rubricata collected by C. W. B. at Salujinga, 10° 58’ S., 24° 07’ E., in March, 1963, in the National Museum, Bulawayo. Compared with other material therein, from elsewhere in the Rhodesias and Nyasa- land, the brown of the upper side is much darker, and the crown greyer, less pink. The Salujinga specimens appear to be near L. r. congica Sharpe, while the remainder are L. r. haematocephala Neumann, though a male and female from Ntambu, 12° 27’ S., 24° 59’ E., are intermediate. On birds new for New Guinea or with a larger range than previously known by A. HOOGERWERF Received 28th December, 1963 From January, 1959 till mid-June, 1961, and from February till the middle of September, 1962 the author worked at the Experimental Rice Estate ““Kumbe” at Kurik in south New Guinea, studying mammals and birds harmful to rice cultivation. The work was carried out by order of the Director of the Agricultural Research Station at Manokwari. Kurik’s rice growing area covering some 750 acres, is situated about six miles north of the mouth of the Kumbe River and some 25 miles north- west of Merauke as the crow flies. This artificially irrigated flat area consists of two polders, known as the North (500 acres) and the South polder (250 acres). This whole cultivated area is inundated by water from an irrigation tank created by the partial impoldering of an extensive swamp, surrounded by thin Eucalyptus forest known as the Gali Ephata marsh. Though large parts of this swamp become dry during the East monsoon, this never or very rarely happens to the whole area and it is almost impossible that it will happen with the deeper impoldered part. Marsh and tank are mostly covered with low marsh and water plants with some trees and tree-groups scattered all over the area. The surroundings of the Rice Estate consist almost exclusively of uninhabited savannahs, inundated for the greater part during the rainy season, dry or nearly dry during at least six months (June till November), except some lower enclaves holding water during all months. The desiccated savannahs covered with thin Eucalyptus-Melaleuca forests and “‘gempol”’ (Nauclea orientalis) on the more open places, which are covered with grass or a grasslike vegetation, are burnt down by the natives nearly every year, changing huge plains into black deserts and making the name fire- savannah very appropriate. During 1956 till 1961 there was an annual rainfall at Kurik of 1715, 1737, 1460, 1315, 1739 and 1381 mm., with maxima of 323 (February), 427 (December), 264 (March), 415 (February), 402 (March) and 390 mm. (January) and minima of 51 (August), 0 (September), 4 (August), 3 (Oc- tober), 11 (September) and 4 mm. (August) respectively. During 1960 and 1961 the lowest morning temperature (between 5 and 6 a.m.) registered in June till October, was 17-20° C. and the highest temperature was recorded in November till May, viz. 27° C. Bulletin B.O.C. 71 Vol. 84 Most ornithological observations were made at Kurik and surroundings, but much attention has also been paid to the vast savannahs near the mouth of the Maro River, known as the Paal Putih plain; the beaches and adjacent plains between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers and—though in a smaller degree—to the Kumbe River itself for many miles upstream. Several trips were made to territories far west of the Bian River, viz. to the small island Habe between Merauke and the Frederik Hendrik Island, to this latter island and to the Asmat and Mappi regions (150- 175 miles N.N.W. of Kurik). Towards the end of September, 1962 I sailed to Manokwari via Sorong where I stayed some weeks. I worked at Manokwari on the north-west point of Geelvink Bay from October, 1962 till the beginning of April, 1963. Visits were paid to some settlements along Geelvink Bay (Andai, Ransiki, Oransbari), to the Kebar Valley (about 60 miles south-west of Manokwari, and 500 m. above sea-level) and the Anggi Lakes (west of Ransiki, about 1,200 m. above the sea). In the surroundings of Manok- wari itself much attention was paid to the Forest Reserve “‘De Tafelberg”’ and to the well forested region between Manokwari and Andai, about 20 miles to the south. Though my work at Kurik’s ricefields brought me out of doors nearly every day, only a limited part of my time could be spent on watching and collecting birds not belonging to species affecting rice cultivation. During my stay at Manokwari ornithological and ecological studies were carried out and special attention focussed on the reserve and surroundings, mostly covered with primeval forest. Particulars given below refer only to species not as yet recorded as occurring in New Guinea (including the Australian part of the island), to birds of which occurrence was considered doubtful, or of which the known range did not include the present one. This knowledge was based on Mayr’s List of New Guinea Birds (10) and on literature which appeared after that list, though I might have overlooked some items, for which I apologize. Typescripts dealing with all birds observed and collected are in prepara- tion and some on the study of harmful birds are in print. The greater part of the collected material is in the Leyden Museum but all birds collected at Manokwari and the Vogelkop were seized by the Indonesians a day after my departure to Australia on April 9th, 1963 when West New Guinea was still under management of the UNTEA. In the present list I have followed the names and sequence used by Dr. Ernst Mayr’s work (/oc. cit.), which was a very valuable guide for me and an important stimulus to go on often under extremely difficult circum- stances. In some cases I have changed the names in accordance with more recent literature. 1. Oceanites oceanicus Kuhl Wilson’s Storm Petrel Of the Tubinares recorded on page 5 of Mayr’s list from the seas ad- joining the Papuan Region, but not yet found in the area discussed here, Wilson’s Storm Petrel was identified for the first time (a single bird) on llth November, 1959 when sailing from the Casuarinen coast to Agatz (about 137° E., 6° S.). On 25th September, 1962 the species was observed anew not far from the first locality viz. from the KPM vessel “‘Kasimbar’’ Vol. 84 72 Bulletin B.O.C.” when sailing between Frederik Hendrik Island and. Kaimana (about 136° E., 6° S.). In the late afternoon shortly before sunset, a number was observed—always two or three together—apparently looking for food while flying low over the sea. The small, chocolate coloured bird with the clear white lower back which I knew on account of earlier observations, precluded any doubt about the identity 2. Anhinga rufa (Lacépéde et Daudin) Darter or Snake Bird For this species which may be considered of rather common occurrence within our area, Mayr mentions the Fly River as the most westerly part of the range along the south coast. In the neighbourhood of Kurik, especially in the Gali Ephata swamp and upstream on the Kumbe River, it could be seen in every month, though there was much fluctuation in occurrence, apparently influenced by food supplies. The species was also seen in the Mappi district (November, December, 1959 and May, 1960) and on Frederik Hendrik Island (May, 1960). On 19th July, 1960, five and on 26th July, seven were seen together; on 16th August, 1962, 15-20, on 5th September about ten and on 11th September again five, all in the Gali Ephata area. On 25th December, 1959 and on 19th June, 1960 I found a bird unable to fly on account of moult. Very noisy individuals were heard in December. Though a collected specimen apparently belongs to the subspecies papua, it is by no means certain that all observed ones belonged to this form and not to the Australian race novae-hollandiae. The number of birds having light under parts outnumbered those showing black underneath; all those seen in August and September 1962 had light under parts! Because a young female collected and sexed by myself has some dark feathers on the whitish breast, some doubt arises as to whether it is indeed true that a light under body can be considered a character for all adult females of the Papuan race as assumed until now (Rand, 14). But in September 1936 females in laying condition were © obtained by Rand (15) in the Middle Fly River area so that it seems fairly certain that adult females are whitish underneath, though breeding of birds in juvenile plumage may not be excluded as is known in other species, e.g. in Sula rubripes (Hoogerwerf 7). The Indonesian subspecies of Anhinga rufa (melanogaster) is known to have the under parts black or blackish in both sexes. 3. Notophoyx novaehollandiae Latham White-faced Heron This is a species which was not known from the area under discussion here. Mayr records it for Wamal (Princess Marianne Strait) and from Mabaduan and Daru, far east of Merauke; Junge (9) mentions it also for the surroundings of Merauke where it was also seen in 1935. This heron is of regular appearance in the region between the Maro and Bian Rivers and further west to at least the Eilanden River. Though the White-faced Heron was never observed in such large flocks as was sometimes Noto- | phoyx picata, it could be seen each month in Kurik’s ricefields and sur- — roundings and along the coast. I also saw some near Kepi, Mappi region (December, 1959). The maximum number met with was about 15 (Sth May, 1961 in the ricefields) and six on 26th November, 1960 along the beach between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers, to which the species apparently has more preference than has the smaller N. picata. Vol. 84 73 Bulletin B.O.C. w4ooz | 000000°01:| 3TVIS VIIVelLSNy HLYON VIANIND-MAN VIIVELSNVY AD TYIEWIy AY¥OLINYSL NYSHLYON °o © GNvV71SI! vas YIMGN3H VueNsAVeV FP 8 ASS3YON b ~ wWYy303u85 140d GER A i 9 e) = Nfs § fo C7 gY e =m =/2 sany3si("{ By nav § WNdvWd ° ida pup W3NINO MAN | a Z1VSV S a: © ‘YiSny | MBAIy S \ Soe, & 1 -In9I0 = < V3NINOS Wvua> : >» M3N >) he VIONVTIOH AVG 7) 2 RY YNIAIZ39) +S3M — + Nvj7o DIAIDVd 4 IMVMAXONYRYS 7 ¢? Vol. 84 74 Bulletin B.O.C. ~ 4. Notophoyx pacifica (Latham) White-necked Heron Not previously recorded from New Guinea but we observed this striking bird on two occasions in Kurik’s ricefields. On 2nd May, 1961 no less than three together were foraging on a wet ricefield of the North polder and about a month later, on 11th June, there was one in similar surroundings in the South polder. Though we did our utmost to secure one, we failed because the birds were very wary and stayed only a short time. There is no other heron living in this part of the world which can be confused with this species, which precludes any doubt about the identity. 5. Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus) Cattle Egret During my stay in south New Guinea all species of Ardeidae known from New Guinea were observed except two: Bubulcus ibis and Zonerodius heliosylus, but they were recorded by me in north-west New Guinea. Representatives of the heron family were of extremely rare appearance during my stay at Manokwari. The first Cattle Egrets were observed in the morning of 5th December, 1962; there were twelve of them on some trees surrounding a small pasture along the road between the aerodrome Rendani and Andai, some miles south of Manokwari. In the afternoon when passing the same locality, all these birds were feeding near some grazing cattle. Because of leaving Manokwari for a service trip to Oransbari, I could not re-visit the place until towards the end of December and then there were no longer any Cattle Egrets. However, in the late afternoon of 16th March, 1963, about forty fast flying specimens were observed close to my house at the Agricultural Research Station, several miles outside Manokwari. They apparently returned from a neighbouring area of pastures where 15-20 were present during the ensuing days. Though the birds were very wary, I succeeded in shooting one on 19th March. At about | o’clock in the afternoon of 20th March, 25 Cattle Egrets were seen, flying over the Research Station’s gardens and on 3rd April there were 22. No further observations were made because I left New Guinea a week later. From the middle of March an increasing number showed distinct traces of a spring plumage, most clearly present on the occiput and foreneck. Mayr remarks: “twice recorded from the Papuan Region: Wageu (Stein) and Yamna (Doherty); both probably winter visitors from China or Japan.” In view of this statement it seems worth while to publish my observations of such a large number of these egrets, a species with which I am particularly familiar since I studied it in Indonesia together with many other heron-like birds for many consecutive years. 6. Threskiornis spinicollis (Jameson) Straw-necked Ibis — This is not mentioned in Mayr’s list but a couple of years ago some were — observed in the Australian part of this island by K. R. Slater (16) and by van den Assem (1) in the former Dutch part of New Guinea. In the first © case (1st August, 1957) five were seen in the Mekeo Sub-district in a disused ricefield at the edge of an extensive swamp area. One was obtained, and in the second case (June, 1957) a single specimen was seen “‘amidst a flock of white ibisses” within the area where we made our observations. I saw the species fairly regularly though observations during the rainy season were rare indeed. During December we have only one record; Bulletin B.O.C. 75 Vol. 84 during January and March not one and in February only in the period of the 2nd till the 10th (1959). Most frequently it could be seen in September (six times in 1960, three in 1962), In October (four times in 1959, three in 1960), in May (five times in 1962) and in November (once in 1959, twice in 1960). It rarely happened that solitary birds were met with (seven times during three years); as a rule I saw three to ten, but on five occasions there were 18 to 25 (September and October), twice 40—SO (October, November), once about 75 (6th September, 1962) and once 75-100 (3rd September, 1960). Observations in the ricefields were not at all rare but more often we saw the species within the Gali Ephata marsh and this is also the locality where we observed the largest numbers together. The birds could be found look- ing for food as often on dry ground as in swampy areas or in shallow water, but I failed to see one along the beach. From a flock of about 40, foraging in a dry marsh, no less than five (all females!) were secured with one single shot (Gali Ephata, 7th November, 1959). 7. Platalea regia Gould Royal Spoonbill Mayr’s list calls the Spoonbill an occasional straggler in New Guinea, known from Port Moresby and the Vogelkop. However, during our stay in south New Guinea I saw spoonbills in almost any month and periodically very regularly and fairly often in large numbers. Observations were most rare in April (1961, one), September (1960, one), January (1959 and 1961, two), July (1959, 1960, two), August (1960, two), November (1960, two), December (1959, 1960, two) and March (1959, 1961, three). Most observa- tions date from the month of October (1959 (1), 1960 (10) and 1962 (1)); in May and February I saw them eight and in June six times. When on my way to Manokwari I saw a solitary spoonbill at Sorong (1st October, 1962). Observations of solitary birds were not very common (nine times) and also two together were not seen frequently (ten times); generally there were flocks of 5—20 but much larger groups were no exception: on 3rd February, 1960 there were 50 together flying over the mouth of the Maro River quite close to Merauke. Similar flocks were recorded within the Gali Ephata area (27th and 28th October, 1960) and on 17th May, 1961 there were about 60 crossing over the South polder where I had seen about 48 ten days earlier. The largest flock I ever saw in south New Guinea consisted of 150-200 flying from east to west over the South polder on 8th June, 1960 and on 20th May, 1961 there were 11 and 125 flying over the same area in a north-westerly direction. On 31st October, 1960 several small flocks were seen flying over the Gali Ephata swamp in a south-westerly direction. As a rule the ricefields were visited by small groups only, but on 14th June, 1960, there were 18 in the North polder, on 26th April, 1961, nine and on 6th May, 14 in the South polder. Without exception I saw the birds feeding in shallow water, principally in fresh water but sometimes also on mudbanks along the shore and fairly regularly in the mouth of the Maro River. On 22nd January, 1961 a specimen was observed apparently in breeding plumage, but generally all spoonbills seen were in non-breeding plumage. On 12th October, 1960 I saw two without even a trace of a crest and four days later about 20 similar individuals along the Kumbe River; they gave the impression of being juveniles, on account of their smaller size, short Vol. 84 76 Bulletin B.O.C. bills and well feathered faces. Ten days later (on 27th October) there were about 50 similar birds, mixed with adults with very worn occipital crests. 8. Dendrocygna eytoni Gould Plumed Whistling Duck There is no certainty that I observed even a single specimen of this duck alive, but it could be recorded on account of material obtained at night in Kurik’s ricefields. It was evident that this duck visited the ricefields in April and September, 1959 and in May, 1961. On 17th April, 1959 a female was examined with a well developed ovarium; on lst September a female and two males and on 3rd September four 3g and four 92° were obtained. Among these birds there were only two females with well developed ovaria and a male shot on Sth September had medium-sized gonads (length of testes about 15 mm.) but two females and one male examined on 9th September showed the reproductive organs poorly developed as was the case with a female on 10th May and two secured on 18th May, 1961. Altogether 11 females and eight males were examined of which several skins were prepared. Most of these birds had taken rice from a freshly sown crop and they were all secured during periods in which small numbers of Dendrocygna guttata and some D. arcuata were regular nocturnal visitors to the (wet) ricefields. Mayr’s list mentions only one uncertain specimen recorded by de Vis from Daru Island (June, 1896). 9. Dendrocygna arcuata (Horsfield) Wandering Whistling Duck Together with Dendrocygna guttata this was the most common duck observed during my stay in south New Guinea. Between 16th and 27th January, 1961 about 25 acres of fallow ricefields were visited every night by 1,500-3,000 D. arcuata in company of D. guttata with maxima of a counted number of about 3,000 during 19th January till 21st and on the 27th. Between January, 1959 and the middle of May, 1961 and during February till June, 1962, I examined 543 D. arcuata which were shot in the ricefields at night. The largest percentage had well-developed gonads during the first three months of the year and several females were found to have fully formed eggs in the oviduct of which some were preserved. This is not the place to publish the results of my study on this and the other species of duck obtained in the ricefields but I should like to emphasize that my experience with D. arcuata is in contrast with the supposition made in Mayr’s list “in New Guinea possibly largely a winter visitor from Australia”. This is also the experience of Rand (15) who obtained 2 dg and 1 9 at lake Daviumbu (Middle Fly River area) which proved to be in breeding condition. On account of my work on this Whistling Duck I am of the opinion that it must be considered as breeding within south New Guinea, perhaps migrating to Australia when searching for better feeding localities after intensive droughts forced the birds to leave New Guinea, but they should not be considered winter visitors from Australia. 10. Anas querquedula Linnaeus Garganey Teal Though the Kapara (Mimika) and the Oriomo Rivers are mentioned as the only localities where the Garganey has been found in south New Guinea, this teal proved to be of rather common appearance in the rice- fields of Kurik and along the shore between the Maro and Bian Rivers Bulletin B.O.C. 77 Vol. 84 during the winter months of the temperate zones, though there were con- siderable annual fluctuations during my stay in New Guinea. The species was found rather numerous during January till March, 1961, within fallow, very wet ricefields as well as along the beach between the Kumbe and the Bian Rivers and also on an experimental rice plot along the Maro River opposite Merauke. I counted 60—70 specimens on 20th, 24th and 26th January, 1961; on 30th January of that year 75 and on 7th March, 1962 about 150 were seen. Along the shore their numbers were smaller as a rule but on 11th March, 1962 about 100 were counted along the beach. Generally large flocks within the ricefields were not mixed with other ducks but in smaller groups the birds were often with Anas superciliosa and along the beach also with Anas gibberifrons. From the examination of stomach and gizzard contents it was evident that these ducks too were looking for rice when in the ricefields, but on the beach they frequented mudbanks under shallow water, no doubt preying on animal organisms. All individuals examined by me had small gonads; the latest date on which I saw this species in south New Guinea was 7th May. On 16th January, 1963 I secured a solitary specimen at Manokwari in a small freshwater pool near the aerodrome Rendani. In accordance with Gyldenstolpe (6) Bergman found the species rather numerous on Lake Atinju (Vogelkop) in February, 1948 where five were secured. 11. Aythya australis (Eyton) Australian White-eye “Once recorded from Waigeu or the Vogelkop (Bruyn)”’ wrote Mayr of this duck, mentioning as habitat “lakes”. It could be observed repeatedly in the ricefields of Kurik but more often along the beach between the Kumbe and the Bian Rivers and apparently it belongs to the regular Visitors to that part of New Guinea during the winter of the temperate zones. Beyond January, February, March and April, however, I failed to observe it in this part of New Guinea. This makes it probable that the bird is a straggler from Australia because conditions for waterfowl over there seem most favourable from June. On the nights of 27th January, 1960 and of 8th April, 1961 single speci- mens were shot in Kurik’s ricefields. The first (2 with a well granular ovarium including several ova of 1-2 mm.) was brought together with 10 Dendrocygna guttata and one D. arcuata; the second (92 with very small gonads) in company with five Anas superciliosa. Generally | saw the species together with this last duck (in the ricefields), e.g. on 27th March, 1961 five in a flock of 23 A. superciliosa and along the beach (e.g. on 19th February and 9th April, 1961) repeatedly several together with all three Anas species regularly visiting this part of New Guinea (A. superciliosa, A. gibberifrons and A. querquedula). In the ricefields the species fed on rice and grass seeds but along the shore no doubt on animal organisms. Probably some small flocks were observed on one of the Anggi lakes (about 1,200 m. above sea-level, Vogelkop, north-west New Guinea) in the first days of March, 1963, but the swimming birds were too far away for me to be absolutely sure of their identity. ~ When flying Aythya australis can be easily recognised from the other ducks visiting south New Guinea because of much white on the remiges. (to be continued.) 13333 267 142 88 1,850 1,000 £2,850 BRITISH ORNI INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT EXPENDITURE **Bulletin’’ Vol. 83— Cost of publication, distribution, etc. Less Sales “4 a Notices, etc. for Moyings Scientific Index Audit Fee .. Contribution ‘‘ Zoological Record” Expenses of Guest Racakem Club Guests Projectionist Miscellaneous Expenditure and Postage Excess of Expenditure over Income, brought down ‘: a be! ; + GENERAL FUND: As at 31st December, 1962 . Less Transfer to Income and Expenditure Account i 48 *) 4! BULLETIN FUND: As at 31st December, 1962 .. im Add re Ten Year Scientific Index :— Donations from Members .. Less Transfer to Income and Expenditure Account ah a - Se SUBSCRIPTIONS 1964 paid in advance CREDITORS t ey at TRusT FUND: (The Capital of this Fund may not be used. The Income from it is General Become F. J. F. Barrington Legacy ag ; C. B. WAINWRIGHT, Chairman P. TATE, Hon. Treasurer We have examined the above Balance Sheet and Income and Expe be in accordance therewith, and in our opinion correct. FINSBURY CiRCUS HOUSE, BLOMFIELD STREET, LONDON, E.C.2. 14th February, 1964 — es 3 £ 8s od 596 13 8 205 12 5 ——————. 391 1 3 41 19 5 273 19 O 5 0 5: 50 17 19 0 614 9 15 15 0 44 10 801 19 5 313 18 £313 18 6 BALANCE §S aay We 5, ivy Sy ae 1.3353.) D.+4 28 O 5 1,324 19 11 257,» S<8 3°'3n a 270 8 5 270 aan 111 1°@ 66 3 0 1,502 4 1,000 0 O £2,502 4 § OGISTS’ CLUB YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER, 1963 1962 INCOME £ SUBSCRIPTIONS : 265 Members 3 Associates Income Tax recovered under Deeds of Covenant 53 1962/63 : ~ a ut 5 INVESTMENT INCOME: General Fund 108 Trust Fund Balance, Excess of Expenditure over Income, 95 carried down Ue a : ie Sales of ‘‘Bulletin’’ for incl years, less 36 expenses . 7) 59 Transfer from ‘*Bulletin’’? Fund — Transfer from General Fund ECEMBER, 1963 GENERAL FUND, INVESTMENTS: 44% Defence Bonds, at Cost .. 3 % Savings Bonds 1960/70, at Cost Less Reserve ; (Market Value £1 ,089) PROJECTOR, LANTERN & SCREEN—Nominal Value STOCK OF *< BULLETIN’ ’>—_Nominal Value No value has been included for the stock of the Scientific Index DEBTORS CASH AT BANK TRUST FUND, INVESTMENTS : 34% War Stock £1,399 115. Od. (Market Value £840) W. B. KEEN & Co., 270 28 t with the books and records of the Club and certify them to Chartered Accountants, oo eo i) aor 8 334 4 10 go 13: 9 104 2 4 a3 18 6 £801 19 5 298 8 10 £313 18 6 oolooFf 1,502 4 5 1,000 0 0 f2.502. 4 5 Vol. 84 80 Bulletin B.O.C. British Ornithologists’ Club - & APR 1964 Dh eCHASEDs The accounts for the year 1963 submitted herewith show that expenditure exceeded income by £313, and after setting off against this £15 received from the sales of ‘‘Old Bulletins’’, and copies of the 10 year Scientific Index, there was a deficit for the year of £298. FINANCE The reason for this heavy deficit was the cost of the 10 year Scientific Index which was £274, and for which funds had been set aside from donations and the grant. There are also a number of items totalling approximately £20, which although earned in 1963, payment was not received until 1964, and therefore will appear in the next balance sheet. The number of new members and subscribers, both in 1963, and so far this year, is encouraging, and will help to wipe out the deficit which the Club has shown over the last few years, as will the mem- bers:who have renewed or signed new Deeds of Covenant. yh) rite — ‘i et. PS \ ¥ < ¥ aa” Shed H _ ’ } 1 eis Ab ON hel a * .* i 4 = * Gh ‘\ Oa» ‘ei Io RY Sat haon at Pa uivigot Jon sis enoindinan> ont hori t adel aM ‘enti 03 Of boesiibbs 6d tesco peat WW 001 Aus $1992 ynobno.} I ‘chee Hen bs DENTE ide! Copecy wilt th wie ono We. bays uNDge ‘DAB orionst PL Dip: hide pitt bandiiasen bt Shiperre..8 aotrty derk Resornt pi Heist bus Gian hess? 2phee sit lo rye sh wet 60 Tol: asoanisor. sgrioeey onli ni benilrshas An oh - rs gaickery PaO Sanh Wad parry bo pentryonlisa sie Oe a st Fake béte ni fear Ar aint siya! Dlvode fa Bagaario OV. pksD sine oto: G jit #loor wnat ; Pi Bore aah ee Hi (Oo Tiyglt Taio apne le A Sth mene Bashi fee TO wid RE TB Ts iT SOs raat OS Zo) Pad B44 wie nb - ‘ edu ov, eet} Wy ae My ah ca O} DAnnos Giese Aiud 2 ’ aod Pepe moniindg-ak yin boikggne rbsslin’ ae} . ts t is ff ‘ a ’ } ie i r « sak Wa tio set hei Rest tack ye? Liwtndo a gars aaa at : vd nih tidy Ay ey r ox he ; } iss y wt “Y, mG A Rg eRe, DAES ie i Se aes hs eR ee a ie Sot Uti as EYCY: ip fois Pe eee THAR etc As ain, POLS Fe Oey #1 : af j ‘ : er Ag > o~ a a » Wa oe | Z + a ; wet Vt Tebite Nagi oteevod of .vothawy. Sb t 21 oi: 7 Dis pert uO On VaR! one Ysa ot do Bias ine ALVA i Were si seat t2 ’ | , ‘ prui le Dns Piotegehon Ve Bositog oct yn wiih a Adee + ‘eP) ent} os ohinwad .4% (yoo Ty io {eae be ae rT. ¥ ee COTO. SONY lye? begat aed noH an) oY b depp Blin Oth bAtia: a bea ION YT 2 44 a, ’ a oats RO CMG OR ie hoy arene" oer bow] ord: Corilistit. cy avi » aomensiase fie) eb i?) of Aa lig A ee tea ie odin sarin AY | — rw ~ —— ee oy Pepi ap ns ZTE OGSOR! ft ” m0 SHV LA dks at Lost ppt) F f Sara heey: el elidewasiohi & weit : i Vino yer snes Siri? ‘ay Whivhe Epoedss Ga Maas 5 oY Divarie * tet SrOTHatOnt ih ASU ce eiatay) 6 Ot veq Bradt 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. 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. 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DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1964 28th April (A.G.M.), 19th May, 15th September, October (with B.O.U.), 17th November, 15th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 104 London Road, Sevenoaks Kent. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 1 2 MAY 1964 PURCHASED, Edited by JOHN J. YEALLAND Volume 84 May No. 5 1964 ott : + Dondon SW, Pes: SO tht of ist paper, dosh . = Tet fate 2 ae Han teh Rie ie Aves Sie gnbaslad, ee sacl iclod Secret Tipe sania 5: a a hethex at the e ui: Otten Lic’ phates Mie Wi a Ja tog pedbor ins ish Beate ery HLH: a dcammaih 4 vale-He pi i zi lai a 5 ugpot. ae 7 ‘ rt ; ah a Le Sea: R wires APOE. ood. i Ve =) ie by et etn, ea a's Meo ind {Fi : ‘ee : * ettay s rueuon - mitt, rae a* 4 ithe . iy ’ hi pig i * ae ral oh ns Me 4 we Ra, % Souinain oh | cage fh i a water SS 4 ~ 4 " ” i rt TS) (pre? irae ak f ot PhO Ae RETO LA te Ne ee as ae . , ‘ Shy Oe ee — “or 4 Bent a - DE eee ES SENS SR SR SRES “8 ae ' ae Fe ‘ *, CZAR OARUTs & ie a ae te ieee: 07h, 2 ete Bh 3, SEI coin tet, ah 1 Baaa aire? y peer ely * “h ad F 4 rT; oS Caer ape! ae > > seh TALS aN ee sak ah J oy the tha “OE re, ae : rz Ay ft f : O 7 ¢ iL bliie Seah te Wea SHO i it : i f ss ae * fe en ae Uhh fara A AIHA ST OF BCE IOS > -" TR SN OR eons ee % Ra ac uP ‘ ey abe Boe / 4 t 4 L ReVty te ci Hr ey BR PAP NUATRGE Teeth ne #2 a te a Me ate ei ee. ot se egdasioeton ihe er Fig rm i x Ht ball. a" 5 y bi | ig: Me EN ieee Discs . Pa ' its é = ’ | : Pat 9, HRS a ate Ral a I) ein wat Pres FOR GE: ; R ma) . gute er Mt iy 1e3 aa] 7 oes te en Saas CM, LOR May Sth, Searels ; é “ : ; i 7% ¢ ; i: Ee mi AMT oa ; eS aah os . % ‘i pis ares idm 4.9 ero ¢ Ata rorvege beget Fen ici eesents are’ . Ree ie ate) Meee th ee Bah } det Ot ts : : He ioe bP ea ; Ft ue N33 . * ud EY Aus iat acs Cagh ond 5 as ‘d 7 bi 3 ihey 7th Ors! St a) Bisa ST, ae f ie COM ‘Row aerby 7 in - . < a il } 1964 81 Vol. 84 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 84 Number 5 Published: 7th May, 1964 The six hundred and sixteenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on the 28th April, 1964. Chairman: Major-General C. B. Wainwright Members present: 34; guests 6; total 40. This was preceded by the Annual General Meeting and as the meeting was held a week later than usual, the report of this and the talk given by P. J. K. Burton will appear in the next issue. Three new birds from Africa by M. A. TRAYLOR Received 17th January, 1964 The following three new subspecies of birds were discovered while I was collecting in the Kalabo district of Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia, west of the Zambesi River, and in Ngamiland, on the northern and western edge of the Okavango swamp. The co-ordinates of the localities mentioned are: Liuwa Plain, 14° 36’ S., 22° 40’ E.; S. Lueti River, 15° 38’ S., 22° 06’ E.; Sepopa, 18° 47’ S., 22° 10’ E. Rhinopomastus aterrimus anomalus subsp. nov. Type: Chicago Natural History Museum No. 262978, adult male from S. Lueti River on the Angola border, Kalabo district, Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia, collected 29th November, 1961 by M. A. Traylor. Collector’s No. 760, Vol. 84 82 Bulletin B.O.C. Diagnosis: Differs from all other races in having the bill more slender and wholly black, lacking the pale tomia that are otherwise characteristic of the species. The bill is also somewhat longer than in the adjoining race anchietae of Angola, which in other characters it resembles. Measurements of type: Wing 114; tail 145; bill 39; tarsus 21.5 mm. Range: Balovale and Kalabo districts of Northern Rhodesia, west of the Zambesi River, from the Lungwebungu River south to aie S. Lueti River, and adjoining Angola. Remarks: As 1 have noted previously (Traylor, 1960, Publ. Cult. Co. Diam. Ang., Lisboa, 51: 169), anchietae is variable within Angola, popu- lations from south of the Cuanza River being larger than those from north. Comparative measurements (mm.) of anomalus and the two populations of anchietae are: Males Wing Tail Bill anomalus (6) 113-121 (116.0) 145-161 (152.3) 37-39 (38.0) anchietae — south of Cuanza (4) 115-120(117.3) 149-162 (154.3) 34, 34, 34 north of Cuanza (5) 106-111 (108.2) 137, 137, 140 32-37 (33.8) Females anomalus (4) 105-109 (106.8) 138, 144 30-31.5 (30.8) anchietae — south of Cuanza (7) 104-107(106.0) 130-147 (137.4) 28-29 (28.3) north of Cuanza (3) 103, 104, 105 128, 134, 134 28, 29, 30 In wing and tail measurements, anomalus is similar to those populations of anchietie living south of the Cuanza River, and only differs from them in having a slightly longer bill. However, the shape and colour of the bill are quite distinct. In anomalus it is more slender, particularly at the base, the culmen is more arched, and the tomia are black. In anchietae and also in the races of aterrimus in northern Africa, the tomia are pale horn, giving a quite different appearance. In all those bill characters in which anomalus differs from anchietae, it shows an approach to the related R. cyanomelas schalowi whose range adjoins it to the south. The species aterrimus has only been known from Northern Rhodesia since 1960 when Benson (1960, B.B.O.C., 80: 172) collected two immature males in southern Balovale district, along the Lungwebungu River. I had the opportunity of examing these specimens in the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia in Bulawayo. They are not fully grown so that their measurements are not diagnostic, but they have the wholly black bill of anomalus and undoubtedly belong to that form. South of the range of anomalus, R. cyanomelas schalowi has been taken at Shangombo on the Mashi River, about 50 miles due south of the type locality. Somewhere in the intervening area the two forms must meet, presumably at the northern edge of the acacia and thorn country to which cyanomelas is partial. The relationship between these representative forms, which formerly were kept in different genera, would make an interesting study. Bulletin B.O.C. 83 Vol. 84 Cisticola chiniana bensoni subsp. nov. Type: Chicago Natural History Museum No. 263414, adult male from Liuwa plain, Kalabo District, Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia, collected 25th October, 1961 by M. A. Traylor. Collector’s No. 138. Diagnosis: In summer dress, upper parts darker and greyer than smithersi of northern Bechuanaland and southern Barotseland; wing distinctly longer. Since smithersi itself is a grey race, bensoni differs even more strikingly from the adjoining frater and procera. Similar in size to fortis, which occurs as far south as Balovale, but differs strikingly from that race in being much greyer, less ruddy, and in having the upper parts noticeably streaked instead of only mottled. Winter dress unknown. Measurements of type: Wing 73; tail 66 (mixed S and W); bill 15; tarsus 24 mm. Range: Known only from the type locality, where it was found in some brushy woods alongside a pan about 25 miles north of Kalabo. Remarks: Comparative wing measurements of smithersi and bensoni are: smithersi—_Ngamiland (14) 65-69 (66.6) (5) 53-57 (55.4) S. Lueti River (5) 66-68 (66.8) (2) 54, 57 bensoni (3) 10: 73-13 none available There is no difference in bill or tarsal measurements between the two races. Tail measurements of birds in summer dress are misleading because pre-nuptial tail moult is irregular, and some of the longer winter rectrices are usually retained. It is difficult to try to assess either the range or the size of the population of bensoni. The only place it was seen around Liuwa plain was in a patch of woods about a mile long and maybe a hundred yards wide that bordered a long, slender pan; the latter was part of the channel of a large river during the rain. Probably because of the proximity of water, the woods here were denser and brushier than the usual patches of open woods around the edge of the plain. The species was not seen elsewhere in the Kalabo district until we were south of the S. Lueti River, and in this case I believe it is truly absent in the intervening country because we made a point of collecting all Cisticolas. The population from the S. Lueti River is intermediate in colour be- tween bensoni and smithersi, but it is the same size as the latter and I have put it there. It, too, was very local. It was not seen anywhere along the river, but 12 miles south of the river along the Angola border it was abun- dant where the thorn bush and acacia started. The distribution of this Species in Kalabo parallels that of C. rufilata; in both cases there was one race in Liuwa plain and a second south of the S. Lueti, the latter in each case being of southern affinities. Named for Con Benson, whose help in planning my trip and generosity in seconding to me Jali Makawa assured my success. Ploceus ocularis tenuirostris subsp. nov. Type: Chicago Natural History Museum No. 263947, adult female from Sepopa, Ngamiland, Bechuanaland Protectorate, 18° 47’ S., 22° 10’ E., collected 12th February, 1962 by M. A. Traylor. Collector’s No. 1517. Vol. 84 84 Bulletin B.O.C. Diagnosis: Females differ from females of the adjoining race crocatus of Angola and Northern Rhodesia in having a markedly more slender bill, in the reduced black mark through the eye, and in having only a trace of chestnut wash on the throat. Width of bill at base: tenuirostris, 32°, 6.0, 6.0, 6.1; crocatus, 152° 6.7-7.5 (7.2). Males are not known. Measurements of type: Wing 71; tail 59; bill length 20; bill width 6.0; tarsus 22 mm. Range: Northern Ngamiland, from Sepopa on the north-west side of the Okavango swamp east to Kabulabula on the Chobe River. Remarks: Roberts (1935, Ann. Transy. Mus., 16: 173) was the first to recognise that there might be a slender-billed race of ocularis on the upper Zambesi. He recorded a male (actually a female according to Prozesky, in litt.) from Kabulabula that had a bill much more slender than any other specimen in the Transvaal Museum. The range of this slender- billed form cannot be very extensive; birds from further up the Zambesi in the Kalabo district of Barotseland are normal crocatus. The slenderness of the bill of tenuirostris is accentuated because it averages longer as well as being narrower than in crocatus. Comparative measurements of females are: Bill length Bill width (at base) crocatus (15) 17.5—20 (19.0) 6.7-7.5 (7.2) tenuirostris (3) 20, 20, 20.5 6.0, 6.0, 6.1 The species was uncommon in Ngamiland and was only seen at Sepopa. First noticed in early February at a time when a rapid rise in the Okavango River sent the water over the flood plain. At this time there was a major influx of ploceids, Euplectes orix and E. axillaris appearing in large numbers. The two Euplectes were preparing to breed, but the ocularis specimens are in worn plumage, and may have already bred. On variation in the Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator (Sparrman) by P. A. CLANCEY Received 14th January, 1964 It is generally conceded, following Grant, Jbis, 1915, pp. 430, 431, and Friedmann, U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. No. 208 (“The Honeyguides’’), 1955, p. 172, that the Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator (Sparrman), 1777: Great Fish R., near Somerset East, eastern Cape Province, is “remarkably uniform throughout its vast range, no subspecies being recognisable” (Friedmann, /oc. cit.). A recent study undertaken in the Durban Museum of material preserved in southern African collections shows that such a view is not strictly correct, and that marked size- variation occurs in various parts of the range, which appears to have some definite geographical and perhaps subspecific basis. While specimens currently available from some of the critical areas are too few in number to permit of any breakdown of the species into races at the present junc- ture, I feel that the findings which have resulted from my researches are of sufficient interest to be now placed on record in the hope that other workers more advantageously placed than I will endeavour to bring together further material. Bulletin B.O.C. 85 Vol. 84 In the topotypical populations of the Cape Province, the wings of fully adult $¢ /. indicator measure 113.5—116; the tails 72.5-78.5, and 9° wings 106.5—111.5; tails 67.5-70 mm. Populations more or less identical men- surally occur in the Orange Free State, the Transvaal (not eastern lowveld), Swaziland and Natal (interior), northwards to northern and eastern Bechuanaland and Southern Rhodesia in sub-continental South Africa (see table). In the eastern humid lowlands of southern Africa, and par- ticularly the middle and lower Zambesi R. valley, and the valley of its affluent, the Luangwa R., markedly smaller-sized birds are to be found, the wings of dd measuring 105.5-112.5; tails 65-71; 22 wings 98-104; tails 58-66 mm. Of the material available of this latter assemblage of TABLE MEASUREMENTS OF SOME I/ndicator indicator POPULATIONS FROM CENTRAL, EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA 2 fe 3 S ‘>8 Ys} >§ 29 Populations S8 Wings Tails S8 Wings Tails Za aay (mean) Cape Province 7 | 113.5-116 72.5-78.5 6 | 106.5-111.5 | 67.5—70 (114.4) (74.3) (108.9) (68.8) Transvaal (plateau) and 12 | 113-120 70—80.5 10 | 105-112 65-73 Swaziland (1.45:7) (75.3) (108.9) (68.3) Bechuanaland, S. Rhodesia,| 19 | 112-117 71-76 11 | 102.5-113 64-73 Barotseland, N.R. (114.4) (73.8) (108.0) (67.3) N. Rhodesia (except 7 | 108-117 68.5-77.5 8 | 106—-114.5 61-72 Luangwa R. valley) (114.3) (74.1) (108.7) (67.2) N. Rhodesia: i8 | 110-119 67.5-—75 12 98-112 58-68.5 Luangwa R. valley (113.2) (71.1) (104.9) (63.2) Middle and lower Zambesi 4 | 105.5-113 65-71 2 | 101.5, 103 60, 62.5 R. and Shire R. valley, (110.9) (68.6) Nyasaland Natal (coast) and Zululand,} 3 | 109.5-112.5 | 67.5—71 4 99-104 62-66 do Save and adjacent (111.3) (69.5) (102.0) (64.1) Transvaal lowveld Nyasaland (not Shire R. | 4 | 114-118 70.5-79 1 | 111 67 valley), and S. Tanganyika (115.9) (76.4) N. Tanganyika (M. A.| 5 | 113-118 69-76 2 | 109, 113 66, 67 Traylor, J. G. Williams, (114.5) (72.6) P. A. Clancey) Kenya (M. A. Traylor, 111-117 69-75 12 | 107-111 63-72 J. G. Williams, P. A. (113.6) (72.6) (109.2) (67.5) Clancey) Uganda 114-116 69-75 4 | 106-110 64-69 (M.A. Traylor) (115.1) (72.5) (109.0) (67.0) —— ——————ee a Ee a “iat ese Ss Ethiopia: (M. A. Traylor, 111-117 71-75 2 | 105 (worn) | 65, 65 J. G. Williams) (114.2) (73.2) 109 Vol. 84 86 Bulletin B.O.C. — populations, the two smallest birds are remarkably diminutive specimens taken on the 22nd and 26th August, 1952, at some point in the Luangwa R. valley in the Mpika district for Major W. E. Poles (Nat. Mus. S.R. Reg. Nos. 10300, 10301), the wings measuring only 98 and 98.5; the tails 58 mm. in both instances, while the prepared specimens are only about two-thirds of the size of Cape females of similar make. They also show olive and not cadmium yellow shoulder patches. The Luangwa R. valley is a critical area for many birds which exhibit polytypic size-varia- tion, the populations of the valley itself often consisting of small-sized birds which are usually of the same racial taxon as occurs along the south- eastern coastal lowlands of Africa, and which give way in a steep transi- | tional shift along the western aspects of the valley to the more massive birds resident to the north-west and north of the Muchinga Range. The rest of the rather comprehensive sample of J. indicator from the Luangwa R. valley (all from Mpika district) shows this transition from small-sized to the larger birds of the plateau populations, thus :— dd wings 110, 111 (3), 112 (3), 113 (4), 113.5 (2), 114, 115 (3), 119; tails 67.5, 69 (2), 69.5 (3), 70, 70.5, 71 (2), 71.5, 72 (3), 72.5, 74 (2), 75. 29 wings 98, 98.5, 100, 101, 102.5, 105.5, 106.5, 108.5 (2), 109 (2), 112; tails 58 @), 60 (2), 63, 63.5, 65.5 (2), 65, 66, 68, 68.5 mm. I believe that a good case could be advanced for considering the Zam- besi, Luangwa and south-eastern littoral birds as a distinct small-sized race, but Major Melvin Traylor, of Chicago, has kindly drawn my atten- — tion to the existence of similar small-sized birds in northern Angola and the southern Congo (Lualaba R.). Measurements of four birds from this region in the Chicago Natural History Museum are: dd wings 106, 108; tails 67, 68, 2 2° wings 95, 97, tails 57, 59 mm. There seems to be no direct connection between the Zambesi and south- eastern lowland birds and those of the northern Angola and adjacent regions, however, as birds from north-west and north of the Muchinga Range, Northern Rhodesia, are large-sized with wings in gd generally 114-117; tails 72.5-77.5 (a single 3 from Kasama has a wing of only 108; tail 68.5). 92 wings 106-114.5, tails 61-72 mm. On a priori grounds it seems that we are dealing with a distinct and probably quite stable small form with a wide range over south-central and south-eastern Africa, but the apparent sundering of its range in Northern Rhodesia and much of Nyasaland makes its formal treatment as a geographical race problemati- cal at the present time. Study of the size details of three major blocks of I. indicator populations in zoogeographical South Africa for which reasonably good samples are available (see table) will show that size- variation in such populations is conservative, and it is difficult to believe that any central African population would normally show a wider range of mensural variation, especially in view of the fact that the populations from Tanganyika north to Ethiopia and the Sudan are again similar to those of South Africa in size and equally conservative in their range of size-variation. Whether the true relationship between populations of large- and small-sized birds in central Africa is obscured by migratory move- ments on the part of one or both groups of populations is not known, but Friedmann Joc. cit. is of the opinion that the species shows no migratory tendency, though seasonal variation in local incidence is on record, and suggests the existence of some movement. | : ( Bulletin B.O.C. 87 Vol. 84 Clearly the marked size-variation in the Greater Honeyguide can be no further dealt with on the basis of existing material. The diminution in individual size in some populations of /. indicator, as demonstrated above, is undoubtedly connected to temperature and relative humidity in the biotope, but it may also be in some way associated with some difference in breeding biology, such as an adaptation to enable such populations to exploit a range of smaller hole-nesting host species. For the loan of material I am grateful to the Directors of the following museums: South African Museum, Cape Town (through Dr. J. M. Winterbottom), East London Museum, the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria (through Mr. O. P. M. Prozesky), and the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, Bulawayo (through Mr. M. P. Stuart Irwin). Major Melvin Traylor, Associate Curator of Birds, Chicago Natural History Museum, most kindly measured up the series in the Chicago Natural History Museum for me, as did Mr. John G. Williams in respect of the material preserved in the Coryndon Museum, Nairobi, assistance for which I am lastingly indebted. The lower altitudinal limit of the montane forest birds of the Cameroon Mountain, West Africa by WILLIAM SERLE Received 3rd January, 1964 From a study of the literature, notably Reichenow (1892) and Banner- man (1915 and 1930-1951), one would infer that the 3,000 ft. contour marks the lower limit of the montane forest birds of the Cameroon Mountain. Indeed, although the Cameroon Mountain has attracted many collectors and observers who have recorded what they saw and collected, I can find references to only four true montane forms occurring below the 3,000 ft. contour, namely, 7Jurdus libonyanus nigrilorum Reichenow at 1,700 ft. (Serle, 1962, p. 125), Psalidoprocne fuliginosa Shelley at 2,500 ft. (Young, 1946, p. 381), Laniarius poensis poensis (Alexander) at 1,400 ft. (Serle, 1950, p. 620), and Cinnyris reichenowi preussi Reichenow at 1,000 ft. (Serle, 1950, p. 625 and 1954, p. 74). In tropical Africa an altitude of 3,000 ft. is remarkably low for the occurrence of typical montane bird communities (c.f. Hall and Moreau, 1962, p. 317 footnote), yet it appears from the notes that follow that such communities exist at even lower altitudes on the Cameroon Mountain, at least on its south-eastern slopes. The search for montane forms at low altitudes met with most success in the neighbourhood of Saxenhof (4° 6’ N., 9° 13’ E.). Primary forest no longer exists at Saxenhof (indeed most of the area of the south-eastern Slopes of the Mountain below 3,000 ft. has long since been cleared for plantations and native farms) and the montane birds inhabited patches of poor cut-out second growth and shrubbery. In the following list of birds occurring at or near Saxenhof, a Roman numeral indicates the month of the year of the observation and an asterisk indicates that the record was confirmed by collecting a specimen or speci- mens. The altitudes were measured with an altimeter. Vol. 84 88 Bulletin B.O.C. Viridibucco coryphaea coryphaea (Reichenow), 1,700 ft. V*. Arizelocichla tephrolaema tephrolaema (Gray), 1,800 ft. VIII*, X*, 1,900 ft. VIF3 2/000 tt: X1*; XT1*.2:300 ft. EX, Arizelocichla montana (Reichenow), 1,800 ft. X*; 2.000 ft. [X*; 2,200 ft. WIL. Turdus libonyanus nigrilorum, 1,709 ft. VII*. Alethe poliothorax Reichenow, 1,900 ft. VI. Urolais epichlora epichlora (Reichenow), 1,750 ft. XII"; £800: ft X*; 1,900 ft. IX*. Psalidoprocne fuliginosa, 1,700 ft. IV, VIII, [X, XI. Coracina caesia preussi (Reichenow), 1,900 ft. VI*. Laniarius poensis poensis, 1,700 ft. V*, VI*, VII*; 1,800 ft. [IX*; 2,000 ft. XI*, XII*. Zosterops senegalensis stenocricotus Reichenow, 1,700 ft. 11*, V*; 1,800 ft. V*, VI*; 2,000 ft. XII*. Cinnyris reichenowi preussi, 1,700 ft. VII*; 1,800 ft. VI*; 2,000 ft. VIII*. Cyanomitra oritis oritis (Reichenow) 1,900 ft. VI*; 2,000 ft. IX*; 2,200 ft. Vili’. Ploceus melanogaster melanogaster Shelley, 1,800 ft. VI*, X*; 2,000 ft. [X*. Whilst Saxenhof was the most fruitful collecting area, data, set out below were obtained at a few other low altitude localities. With the exception of Debundscha and Idenau, where the anomalous Psalidoprocne fuliginosa occurred, all these localities are within a radius of ten miles of Saxenhof and are on the south-eastern slopes of the Mountain. Heterotrogon vittatum camerunense Reichenow Powo (4° 14’ N., 9° 20’ E.), 900 ft. [X*. Campethera tullbergi tullbergi Sjostedt. West of Buea, 2,800 ft. V1*. Arizelocichla tephrolaema tephrolaema, Victoria (4° N., 9° -12’ E:), -sea- level XII*. Arizelocichla montana, Lisoka (4° 11’ N., 9° 17’ E.), 1,900 ft. VII*. Alethe poliothorax, Bonikando (4° 11’ N., 9° 12’ E.), 2,100 ft. VII, 2,800 ft. WIL", Psalidoprocne fuliginosa, Idenau (4° 15’ N., 8° 59’ E.), Debundscha (4° 6’ N., 8° 59’ E.), Victoria, Powo. vide infra. Laniarius poensis poensis, Ekona, 1,400 ft. VIII*; Lisoka, 1,900 ft. VII*; Bonjongo, 1,500 ft. X.* Cinnyris reichenowi preussi, Victoria, sea-level VII*, VIII*; Lisoka, 1,600 ft. VII*. Two members of this group of fifteen forms stand apart from the rest, Psalidoprocne fuliginosa and Cinnyris reichenowi preussi. Psalidoprocne fuliginosa should perhaps not be regarded as a true montane form. It occurs commonly throughout the year, not only on the Mountain but also at sea level on the coast from Victoria westward to Idenau. Cinnyris reichenowi preussi 1s a seasonal local migrant. During the months of June to August, its non-breeding season, it is widely and commonly dispersed in the lowlands in the vicinity of the Mountain. There is no evidence that it occurs at Saxenhof or at any locality lower than 3,000 ft. during the dry season, which is the breeding season. Disregarding these two anomalous forms there remains a group of montane forest birds whose lower distributional limit on the Cameroon Mountain is the 1,700 ft. contour or thereabouts. Their occurrence at this Bulletin B.O.C. 89 Vol. 84 low altitude may in the case of certain species be seasonal, but from the scattered (in terms of the month in which observed) nature of the records, it appears that the group as a whole is resident at these altitudes. The 1,700 ft. contour is scarcely ever transgressed. Laniarius poensis poensis perhaps the most abundant and adaptable species of the group occurs as low as 1,400 ft., and there are records (two only) of Arizelocichla tephrolaema tephrolaema at sea-level and one record of Heterotrogon vittatum camerunense at 900 ft. In this connection it is instructive to study the distribution of Turdus libonyanus nigrilorum the only form of the group which has a lowland representative in continuous distribution with it on the lower slopes of the Mountain. In a series of 41 Turdus libonyanus collected by me on the Mountain, the specimens of Turdus libonyanus saturatus (Cabanis), (the lowland race) were all taken between sea-level and 1,400 ft. except one at 2,100 ft. and one at 2,300 ft.; the specimens of Turdus libonyanus nigrilo- rum were all taken at altitudes between 3,300 ft. and 9,500 ft. except one at 1,700 ft.; and the intermediates were all taken between 1,200 ft. and 2,000 ft, except one at 2,900 ft., one at 3,200 ft., and one at 3,500 ft. (Serle, 1962, page 125). There is no clear reason for the abnormally low descent of the montane forest birds of the Cameroon Mountain. A study of the climate of the area (see especially Semmelhack, 1940 and 1942) reveals, for example, no greater differences between the temperature and relative humidity of Duala (a typical locality at sea-level) and Buea (3,000 ft.) than one would expect from the difference in altitude. The rainfall of any locality on the Mountain is related, not to altitude, but roughly to its proximity to Isobi on the coast at the western base of the Cameroon Mountain, a locality with a quite abnormally high annual precipitation (over 10,000 mm.). One climatic feature which may have a bearing on the distribution of the montane birds is the belt of mist which so often enshrouds the moun- tain forest. In the rainy season in particular the forest is often sunless and mist enveloped and its foliage is dripping. In the year 1913 Semmelhack (1942, p. 27) records that at Buea in the whole of July and August there was only one day without mist, on many occasions the mist persisted for the whole or almost the whole day, and the average daily sunshine for these two months was less than one hour. It is significant that, as I have often observed, the lower limit of the mist belt on the south-eastern slopes at about 1,700 ft. Lastly it will have been noticed that many of the species of the montane bird communities of the higher slopes of the Mountain are absent from Saxenhof. The possible reasons for their absence are many. The most obvious is ecological, namely the complete absence from Saxenhof (and from the other low altitude localities mentioned above) of good forest. There is appended a full list of the montane forest birds of the Cameroon Mountain, with records from my notes of their lower altitudinal limit. There is added the records of other authors when the lower altitudinal limit quoted by them is lower than my own. In most instances the difference is one of a few hundred feet only, and in the case of Reichenow’s and Bannerman’s records, which were based respectively on Preuss’s and Boyd Alexander’s collections, the probable reason for the slight discrepancy is that in Preuss’s and Boyd Alexander’s day, the forest extended lower in the vicinity of Buea than it does now. Vol. 84 90 Bulletin B.O.C. Francolinus camerunensis Alexander, 4,800 ft. Columba arquatrix sjéstedti Reichenow, 6,000 ft. Apolopelia larvata inornata Reichenow, 4,000 ft. Heterotrogon vittatum camerunense Reichenow, 900 ft. Viridibucco coryphaea coryphaea Reichenow, 1,700 ft. Campethera tullbergi tullbergi Sjéstedt, 2,800 ft. Mesopicos ellioti johnstoni Shelley, 4,800 ft. Boulton and Rand (1952), 4,500 ft. Pseudoalcippe abyssinicus monachus (Reichenow), 3,200 ft. Reichenow (1892), 3,000 ft. Phyllastrephus poensis Alexander, 3,500 ft. Bannerman (1915), 3,000 ft. Phyllastrephus poliocephalus (Reichenow), 4,000 ft. Reichenow (1892), 3,900 ft. Arizelocichla tephrolaem tephrolaema (Gray), Sea-level. Arizelocichla montana (Reichenow), 1,800 ft. Alseonax adustus obscurus Sj6stedt, 3,500 ft. Trochocercus albiventris albiventris Sjéstedt, 3,300 ft. Turdus libonyanus nigrilorum Reichenow, 1,700 ft. Geokichla crossl: yi (Sharpe), 5,000 ft. Cossypha isabellae isabellae Gray, 3,500 ft. Bannerman (1915), 3,000 ft. Alethe poliothorax Reichenow, 1,900 ft. Seicercus herberti herberti (Alexander), 4,200 ft. Bannerman (1915), 3,000 ft. Bradypterus mariae camerunensis Alexander 3,300 ft. Bannerman (1915), 3,000 ft. Apalis cinerea cinerea (Sharpe), 3,600 ft. Bannerman (1915), 3,000 ft. Urolais epichlora epichlora (Reichenow), 1,750 ft. Poliolais lopesi alexanderi Bannerman, 3,500 ft. Bannerman (1915), 3,000 ft. Cisticola discolor discolor Sjéstedt, 3,500 ft. Boulton and Rand (1952), © 3,000 ft. Psalidoprocne fuliginosa Shelley, Sea-level. Coracina caesia preussi (Reichenow), 1,900 ft. Laniarius atroflavus atroflavus Sheiley, 3,300 ft. Reichenow (1892), 3,000 ft. Laniarius poensis poensis (Alexander), 1,400 ft. Dryoscopus angolensis boydi Bannerman, 4,200 ft. Malaconotus gladiator (Reichenow), 4,500 ft. Reichenow (J. F. O. 1892, page 441), 3,000 ft. Onychognathus walleri preussi Reichenow, 4,000 ft. Reichenow (1892), — 3,000 ft. \ Zosterops senegalensis stenocricotus Reichenow, 1,700 ft. Speirops lugubris melanocephalus (Gray), 6,000 ft. Cinnyris reichenowi preussi Reichenow, Sea-level. Chalcomitra ursulae (Alexander), Grote (1948), 3,000 ft. Cyanomitra oritis oritis (Reichenow), 1,900 ft. Ploceus insignis insignis (Sharpe), 4,000 ft. Reichenow (1892), 3,600 ft. Ploceus melanogaster melanogaster Shelley, 1,800 ft. Cryptospiza reichenovii reichenovii (Hartlaub), 3,200 ft. Bannerman (1915), 3,000 ft. Nesocharis shelleyi shelleyi Alexander, 4,000 ft. Bulletin B.O.C. 91 Vol. 84 Poliospiza burtoni burtoni (Gray), 5,500 ft. Boulton and Rand (1952), 4500 ft. Linurgus olivaceus olivaceus (Fraser), 3,400 ft. Boulton and Rand (1952), 3,000 ft. References: Bannerman, David A. (1915) A report on the birds collected by the late Mr. Boyd Alexander (Rifle Brigade) during his last expedition to Africa. Part 1V: The birds of Cameroon Mountain. /bis (10) 3: 473-526. — (1930-1951) Birds of Tropical West Africa. Boulton, Rudyerd & Rand, A. L. (1952) A collection of birds from Mount Cameroon. Fieldiana: Zool. 34: 35-64. Grote, Herman (1948) Chalcomitra ursulae (Alex.) in Cameroon. /bis 90: 339, Hall, B. P. & Moreau, R. E. (1962) A study of the rare birds of Africa. Bull. B.M. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. 8, 313-378. Reichenow, Anton (1892) Zur Vogelfauna von Kamerun, erster Nachtrag. J. Orn. 40: 177-195. Semmelhack, W. (1940) Die Verteilung der Niederschlage im Gebeit um das Kamerun- gebirge. Sonderdruck aus Mitteilungen der Gruppe Deutscher Kolonialwirtschafter- licher Unternehmungen 2. Band. — (1942) Physiologische Klimakarte von Kamerun und den Nachbargebieten. Sonder- druck aus der Gruppe Deutscher Kolonialwirtschaftlicher Unternehmungen 5.Band. Serle, William (1950 A contribution to the ornithology of the British Cameroons. Ibis 92: 343-376, 602-638. — ety A second contribution to the ornithology of the British Cameroons. J/bis 96: 47-80. — (1962) Remarks on the taxonomy of Turdus nigrilorum Reichenow and Turdus saturatus (Cabanis) in Southern British Cameroons. Bul/. Brit. Orn. Club 82: 124-126. Young, Charles G. (1946) Notes on some birds of the Cameroon Mountain District. Ibis 88: 348-382. On the taxonomy of Athene noctua in Israel by JAMES M. HARRISON and HAIM HOVEL Received 8th January, 1964 The taxonomic position of Athene noctua (Scopoli) in Israel is by no means simple. Adding to the difficulties is the fact that the species is extremely variable; this variability is at times apparent even in the field and Dr. Mendelssohn informs us (in /itt. 12.11.63) that he saw a pair during the late winter, sitting close together on a telephone wire near Tel Aviv, one looking very light, the other quite dark. Israel by virtue of its geographical situation would undoubtedly favour an exchange of genes with certain contiguous races. The principal of these being the Balkan form Athene noctua indigena C. L. Brehm to the north, as well as to the west on those eastern Mediterranean islands lying just off shore, while to the south in the delta of the Nile a probable influence by the resident form there A. n. glaux (Savigny) has to be recognised. Again on the Arabian peninsula the widely distributed A. n. saharae (Klein- schmidt) most certainly infiltrates into the desert country of the southern half of Israel, and there is also evidence that this form has extended north- wards along the shores of the Dead Sea and into the northern Ghor where specimens have been collected in the Jericho district of the Wadi Kelt. The taxonomic position as set out by Dementiev (ef a/., 1951) and Meinertzhagen (1954) needs to be re-examined in the light of the above Vol. 84 92 Bulletin B.O.C. considerations. Peters (1940)* accepted the form A. n. Jilith Hartert tentatively though this race is regarded as a synonym of A. n. saharae by both Dementiev (Joc. cit.) and Meinertzhagen (Joc. cit.). It should, however, be noted that many cf the birds examined in the British Museum series by one of us (J. M. H.) from the southern half of the Arabian peninsula were DISTRIBUTION MAP. Ht CARMEL HAIFA (2) GET OREN (A) NAHAL OREN (AY ATHLIT (4) - WADI KELT (2) JERICHOG) A.n. glaux A.n.saharde fo) e Scale - 4:2,000.000 @ An.indigena e ) A.-h. inckgenaSsalaux A-n. glaux $ sah arae conspicuously paler than topotypical A. n. saharae. We would stress the desirability of re-examining A. n. /ilith on a more extensive material and would meanwhile support the tentative opinion of Peters (/oc. cit.) in recognising the validity of Hartert’s race. No doubt this form, as is true of all forms of this species, will be found subject to considerable individual variation as well as to the effects of secondary intergradation with neigh- bouring races. Bulletin B.O.C. 93 Vol. 84 While the series from Israel upon which this communication is based is admittedly not extensive, it is, nevertheless, our considered opinion that it demonstrates clearly that the taxonomic position of the species is not as simple as has been implied by the authorities cited, and that there is in effect considerable evidence of a gene-flow between the forms mentioned. This is more in evidence in the northern half of the country where there is, without any question, considerable intergradation of the resident population with A. n. indigena. Our rather limited material also suggests strongly that the population in the desert country of the southern half of Israel tends to be phenotypically far more constant. This constancy would seem to be preserved also in the birds of the depression of the Dead Sea, an area which is, after all, to be regarded as a continuation of the great rift valley in character typical of arid rocky desert. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION The populations of Athene noctua in Israel would seem to present cer- tain significant morphological differences, which cannot be entirely satis- factorily explained as due to individual variation only. The wide differences of habitat from the fertile agricultural country of the northern half, in marked contrast to the arid desert country of the south, and of the Dead Sea depression, would doubtless account for the greater morphological constancy of the populations in these regions of Israel where the effects of secondary intergradation are less apparent than in the north. A most interesting and extremely pale population is to be found in the Ghor country east of Jericho: the birds here are paler than topotypical saharae and can only be matched in this respect by individuals from the central and southern areas of Arabia. They are in no way typical of the majority of individuals from Israel. Hartert (1912-21) gave as the distribu- tion of the race A. n. lilith, Palestine (which at that time included the Wadi Kelt, now in Jordan), Mesopotamia (upper Euphrates) and south-west Persia. Hartert (1925) comments “Col. Meinertzhagen, Jbis, 1924, p. 618, says that /ilith and saharae are the same, in which case, however, he should have called all the desert birds saharae, not Jilith, the former name having been published 1909, i.e. four years before /ilith. Spreading our 29 saharae side by side with 15 /ilith, it is obvious that the latter average much paler, especially the heads being lighter; only 3 of our 15 could be mistaken for saharae, while only 2 of our saharae would be called /Jilith if their origin was unknown. Possibly, if I had had all this material available in 1913, I would not have named /i/ith, but it seems wiser not to unite it with saharae’’. It is our opinion that the validity of this race deserves re-assessment. Our determination of the 21 specimens is as under:— No. Coll. Locality Date Designation 1. H.H. 29 Athlit 19.1.52 A.n. glaux Z. H.H. 62147 Haifa 7.5.62 A.n. indigena = glaux 3. H.H. 59203 Bet Oren 9.10.59 A.n. indigena 2 glaux 4. H.H. 62144 Bet Govrin 5.5.62 A.n, glaux 2 saharae a. H.H. 614 Bersheba 15.4.57 A.n. saharae 6. H.H. 59085 Bersheba 23.4.59 A.n. saharae 7. J.M.H.IL. 19 Mt. Carmel 5.10.59 A.n. indigena 8. J.M.H.IL. 37 Nahal Oren 8.10.59 A.n, indigena 2 glaux Vol. 84 94 Bulletin B.O.C. No. Coll. Locality Date Designation 9. J.M.H. (H.H. 205) Huleh 9.10.54 A.n. indigena 2 glaux 10. J.M.H.IL. 61 Haifa 11.4.61 A.n. indigena 2 glaux 11. J.M.H.IL. 62.33 Bersheba 27.4.62 A.n. saharae 12. J.M.H. (H.H. 401) Nevatim 24.3.56 A.n. saharae [3 AV. 18L. Tel-Aviv Univ. Wadi Kelt 15.11.44 A.n. saharae though paler than saharae 14. AV. 3399 Tel-Aviv Univ. Bet-Lid 28:5.58 A.n. indigena 2 glaux LS. AV. 3539 Tel-Aviv Univ. Dorot 22.2.59 A.n. glaux 2 saharae 16. H.H. 62167 Bersheba 8.6.62 A.n. saharae ie H.H. 63172 Ofagim 8.6.63 A.n. glaux 2 saharae 18. AV. 794 Tel-Aviv Univ. WadiRaman -.4.52 A.n. saharae 19. BM. No. 1946.63.7 Jericho 8.11.44 A.n. glaux 2 saharae 20. BM. No. 1946.3.5 Wadi Kelt 5.11.44 A.n. saharae though paler than saharae ZAs BM. No. 1925.6.14.1 Nazareth 19.7.21 A.n. glaux 2 saharae Acknowledgements: Our thanks are due to Professor H. Mendelssohn of the Tel Aviv University for the loan of material, and for his kind interest, also to Mr. J. D. Macdonald, Director of the Bird Room, British Museum (Natural History), London, for providing us with facilities to study the series in the collection there. References: Dementiev, G., (et alia) 1951. The Birds of the Soviet Union, I, 396-402. Meinertzhagen, R., 1954. The Birds of Arabia, 318, 319. Peters, James L., 1940. Check List of Birds of the World, IV. 148. Hartert, Ernst, 1912-21. Die Vog. der Paldar. Fauna, It, 1006. — 1925. Novit. Zool., XXXII, 261. On birds new for New Guinea or with a larger range than previously known by A. HOOGERWERF (continued from page 77 — April 1964) 12 Aquila audax (Latham) Wedge-tailed Eagle It seems logical that the very small range as indicated by Mayr ‘‘south New Guinea, between the Oriomo River and Gaima, mouth of Fly River’’ is too restricted for such a large bird of prey. In any case I have found this eagle of fairly regular appearance in the part of New Guinea with which I am most familiar. We not only observed it at Kurik and surroundings, inclusive of the ricefields, but also at the Paal Putih area along the mouth of the Maro River opposite Merauke. On 13th December, 1960 I saw a young one hardly able to fly con- suming a flying fox (fruit bat) when sitting on a high tree just east of the South polder. Both adults were in the same tree and this observation makes it almost certain that the Wedge-tailed Eagle may be breeding there. * Peters stated ‘A. n. lilith is somewhat intermediate between saharae and bactriana, sometimes placed in the synonymy of one, sometimes of the other; perhaps best recog- nised tentatively.’’ Cf. also Hartert, Nov. Zool. 32, 1925. - Bulletin B.O.C. 95 Vol. 84 13. Circus spilonotus Salvadori and D’Albertis Papuan Harrier Because in many cases I did not succeed in identifying the females and young of this beautiful harrier I will largely restrict myself in this paper to observations of adult males which are easily recognisable and may be considered the most striking birds of prey in New Guinea. Most specimens were seen above the Gali Ephata marsh and in an extensive marsh north of the North polder, especially when they were flooded; observations in the ricefields were less common. Such adult males were observed in October, November and December, 1959; in January, March and November, 1960; in January and February, 1961 and in April, 1962. On 31st October, 1959 I am almost certain of having observed a female at the same locality where a male was seen a day later; on 17th December there was another male and on 2nd January, 1960 a male was chased away by a Haliastur sphenurus. Between May and September (dry season) I did not see any for all I know. On 20th November, 1960 a male was observed above a dry savannah near Kurik where a male and female were found together on 29th April, 1962. On 20th January and 8th February, 1961 there was a male above very wet fallow ricefields in the South polder, but notwithstanding all my efforts to secure the bird I failed as I had done several times before. According to Mayr’s list the species was only known from far east New Guinea, not further west than Yule Island, some distance north-West of Port Moresby, but afterwards it was recorded in the Wisselmeren Region (Junge, 9) and also in the Western Highlands (Gyldenstolpe, 5). 14 Circus approximans (Bonaparte) Swamp Harrier During May to September—the period during which I failed to note males of Circus spilonotus!—observations of ‘“‘brown Harriers’’ were rather common above the ricefields and surrounding marshes and savan- nahs, which no doubt for the greater part belonged to this species, though observations of adult specimens remained restricted to a very limited number (on 5th May, 21st June and 11th September, 1962). On 8th Maya young bird was shot and at that period similar juveniles were seen at regular intervals. On 14th May there were at least three, perhaps four, above a ripening rice crop in the South polder. On 25th 28th and 30th May again two or three, and on 26th May a second one was shot but not secured owing to the high paddy in which it fell. At the beginning of June two or three were seen above the ricefields as was the case in August and early September, 1962. Because of the difficulty of distinguishing juveniles of both these _ harriers when in the field, I am not quite certain that all particulars _ published here indeed refer to approximans, but the observation of adults and the fact that we secured a juvenile of the species, make it certain that approximans does occur in the area. My identification of this particular bird was confirmed by Dr. G. F. Mees, though we are both of the opinion that in certain cases it must be very difficult to classify sub-adults of both these species. In contradistinction to Circus spilonotus which proved to be an un- common visitor to the ricefields, even when they were inundated, approxi- mans was a rather common visitor to such a habitat. Most were observed hunting over dry ricefields just before or after harvesting took place, Aa a Liint 70 Vol. 84 Pad RK CriAS Ske puttetin B.0.C. probably preying on rats. The killed bird had the crop full of remains of such rodents and the stomach cram-full of hair and bones of fieldrats. Circus spilonotus was most often seen flying over inundated areas. Mayr’s list mentions ‘‘south New Guinea’’ as the range of Circus approximans without giving any exact particulars about the extent of its range. 15 Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines) Black-winged Kite Mayr does not mention this bird of prey for New Guinea, but it is mentioned by Mayr and Gilliard (11) for the Central Mountains which is the only locality in New Guinea where it was previously known. We observed this beautiful kite on many occasions, e.g. in May, 1959, in August, September, October, November and December, 1960, in April and June, 1961 and in April, May, June and September, 1962. Generally solitary birds were seen above or around open plains (ricefields and savannahs) but on 16th August and 19th November, 1960, on 20th and 29th April and on 22nd June, 1962, two adults together were observed, almost without exception in different localities. A secured specimen was found on 13th May, 1962 between coconut palms along the beach, not far from the place where I had obtained another a couple of weeks earlier. Our first bird—a juvenile—was shot in the North polder on 24th September, 1960. On account of the absence of dark markings on the under wing-coverts and because of the darker upper parts and wings I consider the collected specimens and those observed to belong to this species, until now only known from the Central Highlands where, at an altitude of 5,200 feet, it was found a not uncommon resident. Though there is a possibility that our birds belong to a new subspecies, the difference in altitude where the species has been found in this country does not make this significant because we know representatives of the same race (hypoleucus) on Java from sea-level up to the highest mountains of that island, about 10,000 ~ feet above the sea. 16 Falco cenchroides Vigors and Horsfield Nankeen Kestrel Two subspecies of this falcon are known from New Guinea, including the Aru Islands: cenchroides from the latter locality and baru from the Oranje Mountains. For this latter race Mayr remarks ‘‘Cliffs in the mountain grasslands above 3,200 m.’’ I do not know to which form the birds which we observed belonged because I did not succeed in securing one. In my experience the species is very rare in those parts of the lowlands of south New Guinea that we know, for there are only three definite © observations and all during August. On 5th and 19th August, 1960, a solitary bird was seen hovering above the savannah region of Paal Putih along the mouth of the Maro River opposite Merauke and on 4th August, 1962 I saw one sitting on a telephone pole quite close to the aerodrome of Merauke where the evacuation of women and children from south New Guinea was carried out and the place visited perhaps by more people than ever before! All observations took place during very dry periods. Van den Assem (1) mentions the species for Ifar near Hollandia, also a locality at a low altitude; he wrote of regularly having observed a pair during June and July, © 1957. 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IgE! i: Pious 9 3 chef a ‘ : Pri Eta} ‘ * : ; i} - of re “| 1 7 x 3a, $ rz LAC : i ‘i 7 err Son Yuan se Wass res Bela wei og 84 ven: chi Soh ant ‘ . é ,* ~ : ~~ TP? | ial a oo ata’ ? . t s aD i We Veet a's 47072 yt rs ; a rae ott Pa} 33 oe kia et | OG Tas rela wi) Bigs, Ai) stv nate ‘t ete mele bine BF) *2 OPC. {ese (or i Herl ina oda ve it % 7 D i be, fanty sone? ML .cestS otahbectnitzia’®, A aks Y o 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. 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 thirty 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 5s. 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 Mr. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 40s. (payable in advance) or per copy 5s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, P. Tate, 4 Broad Street Place, London, E.C.2 CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Mr. C. J. O. Harrison, c/o The Bird Room, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, S.W.7. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1964 19th May, 15th September, October (with B.O.U.), 17th November, 15th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 104 London Road, Sevenoaks Kent. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB a -ASEP 1964 edited by 4 PURCHASED JOHN J. YEALLAND Volume 84 September No. 6 1964 ¢ valved, ‘ale ea 3 fs arta % mont iia : | ie ate ted. Loan: fr. 1 bare hemHe ‘Wotan ac pancho wre aeecas Si Re or Ski ne th pee mee elgrenhes tara he oN ie Setaroodo Sate Preys eee. Aer tebe, WONG. ‘mrt, uf, oR = Pad gt yg bach es es ACO wo sant WBE i, Lak - ¢ ? 4 . : q j a ef ‘ ace bties ° eit Pye es ae | ol S Paes raicrttegtht aired et £6 fF + ¥'> i ‘* iy : j oa 7 ./« any ms tte + 4 Ps ‘ ¢ % vf ¥iarg bats ‘ , .&> » (any, af ‘ ta. ¥, y, i ' “ rae) a ove r ne a aif ax 7 . , ~~ ; % 4 Ly J ‘ hs, ; rh ; = ‘ , j ra a ee te 4 ‘ if 4 nt i eo op het ley ae y iets | eee tes | 1 Gi een Mates se Cte “ ‘ Sie A. : . p A ey \ + re | aes ~~ 2 ) : * r ioe i r * a vy 4 i vo ; 5. o- ot rom <* an Ps } 5 * rm , ' Prey ry Le 4 ’ ¢ 5 it + Bie iieeecity 18 ASIA a ‘ Py BS ayesed Une Ge pit SEY AVNER OE. eis ae Ne! se 8 aS tie rs Pevansup 97 Vol. 84 bet eat, ue i SEP] +. BULLETIN drupe o/ bs a SEC) Py yilt OF THE PURC} Vaan Be § BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 84 Number 6 Published: Ist September 1964 __ The six hundred and seventeenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on the 19th May, 1964. Chairman: Sir Landsborough Thomson Members present 19; guests 6. M. Jean Delacour, who has kindly supplied the ensuing summary, -addressed the meeting on the subject of - -” | Pheasants What we commonly call pheasants do not constitute a family, subfamily or even a tribe. The name designates fairly arbitrarily those genera of the Phasianinae containing birds of large size with long or moderately long tails, the males being adorned with ornamental features such as brilliant or elegantly marked plumage. Partridges, francolins and other game birds f the subfamily are for the most part smaller or less conspicuously oloured: the Tetraogallus and Tetraophasis are almost as large as any, ut they have the shape and proportion of partridges. The beautiful ollulus and Haematortyx would be called pheasants if their size was eater and their tails longer; so might the spurfowl. But to conform to long established tradition, we shall mention here only the conventional pheasants that have been included in my Pheasants 4 the World (1951). These wonderful birds are very easily classified ithin 16 well characterised genera, certainly related, but not very closely, d readily recognised. _ Ithaginis and Tragopan are nearest to the partridges, though very ifferent one from another. Pucrasia is probably somewhat intermediate tween Tragopan and Lophophorus and all live at high altitudes in the fimalaya and mountains of China. Gallus is an isolated genus of four tropical species and the nearest ‘relative is probably Lophura which has a similar range and which was formerly divided into a number of genera more alike to one another than ‘to any others of the group (vide The Ibis, 1949, pp, 188-94). ‘- 4 ' - Vol. 84 98 Bulletin B.O.C. Crossoptilon is perhaps allied, but not very closely, to both Lophura and Lophophorus, and Catreus a monotypic genus of the Himalaya, is probably © fairly near. 3 The five species of Syrmaticus superficially rather resemble Phasianus. The two species of Chrysolophus are highly specialised and stand some- — where, if distantly, between Phasianus and Polyplectron. Polyplectron is — certainly related to the remarkable Rheinartia and Argusianus: there is a presumed Argusianus known only by two feathers. ~ The large and gaudy Pavo (two species) is no doubt related to the more — primitive and far less spectacular Afropavo. Annual General Meeting The seventy-second Annual General Meeting of the British Ornitholo- — gists’ Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, at 5.30 p.m. on ~ Tuesday, 28th April, 1964, with Major-General C. B. Wainwright in the Chair. The minutes of the last Annual General Meeting, held on 16th April, 1963, were read and confirmed. The Report of the Committee and Accounts for the year 1963 were | discussed. The Chairman pointed out that after taking the donations, the — Royal Society grant and the sales of the 10-Year Scientific Index ‘into — account, we had only a deficit of about £20. The adoption of the Report — and Accounts was moved by Captain C. R. S. Pitman and seconded by Mrs. B. P. Hall. A vote of thanks to Messrs. W. B. Keen and Co., the © Auditors, was proposed by Mr. P. Tate and seconded by Dr. J. M. ~ Harrison. . The election of Mr. C. J. O. Harrison as Honorary Secretary vice Dr. J. G. Harrison, who was retiring after two years in office was proposed by Mr. P. Tate and seconded by Sir Hugh Elliott. ; The election of Sir Hugh Elliott and Mr. M. L. R. Romer to fill the two © q vacancies on the committee caused by Mr. C. J. O. Harrison’s election to © Secretary and by Mrs. P. V. Upton retiring in rotation was proposed by | Dr. J. G. Harrison and seconded by Mrs. Boyd Watt. s A letter from the Rembrandt Hotel was read stating that as from Ist ; September, 1964, the cost of a dinner would be 21s. per person, the entire — account being subject to 10% in lieu of staff gratuities. A discussion about _ a possible change of venue took place, bearing in mind the special facilities _ granted us by the Rembrandt Hotel. It was agreed that the Committee — would consider this further and call an extraordinary general meeting if © necessary; meanwhile bookings at the Rembrandt would be confirmed until December, 1964, with provisional bookings to May, 1965. In view of the B.O.U. one-day symposium which was to take place on Saturday, 7th November, it was agreed that the Club would hold mene in both October and November on its usual dates. Captain C. R. S. Pitman then moved a vote of thanks to all the officers — of the Club for their work during the year and particularly to Dr. Jeffery Harrison, who was retiring after 12 years in office, having edited the | Bulletin for ten years prior to becoming Honorary Secretary. Captaia Pitman’s motion was carried with acclaim. 7 rire te “i Pie - Bulletin BOC. 99 Vol. 84 a Check-list of Birds of the World F ‘Volume X, edited by Ernst Mayr and Raymond A. Paynter, Jr., has E now been pubiished by the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard - University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the price of $10. This volume includes the Prunellidae and part of the Muscicapidae (Turdinae, Orthonychinae, Timaliinae, Panurinae, Picathartinae and Polioptilinae). There is an addendum dealing with Psilorhamphus of the Rhinocryptidae. Here follows a summary of the talk given by Mr. P. J. K. Burton at the meeting held on 28th April. ——————— CU Pr rrr ey ees ae A marsh on the Caspian In the summer of 1963, a party sponsored by University College, _ London travelled to the south-east Caspian to collect information on the _ general ecology of the coast, with special reference to waders. The journey _ was by rail and road through Turkey, entering Iran near Mt. Ararat, and _ from Teheran across the Elburz Mountains to the Caspian. | The party set up camp on 12th August at Bandar-i-Gaz. This town is _ situated at the eastern end of the Gorgan Lagoon, an area of water about _ thirty miles long and seven wide, almost cut off from the rest of the Caspian _by the Meyan Kaleh peninsula. It is shallow and its coastal waters near _ Bandar-i-Gaz were brackish. _ The camp site was at the landward end of a marsh about half a mile wide and two miles long, flanked inland by extensive cotton fields. A _ succession from Tamarisk to Salicornia to Juncus maritimus at the water’s edge prevailed over most of the area. Several drainage dykes ran onto _ the marsh, and where they emptied, grass and Phragmites grew. Sampling of mud and water in the various places visited by waders revealed a ' paucity of animal species. Despite this, at least 38 species of waders were seen, and for more than half of these it was possible to form some picture _ of the ways in which interspecific competition was avoided in this area. This was done by recording the occurrences of each species in various parts of the marsh, by observation of methods of food getting, and by collecting stomach contents. A subsidiary aim of the expedition was to carry out a programme of Tinging. This was mainly confined to waders and to Yellow Wagtails roosting in a large bed of Phragmites, and was carried out by mist-netting in the morning and evening. a Some aspects of nesting behaviour in Estrilda by DEREK GOODWIN Received 27th November, 1963 “The typical waxbills of the genus Estrilda (sensu strictu, see Harrison 1962) differ from other waxbills by, inter alia, building nests with a more 4 or less projecting tubular entrance and with a dummy nest, or ‘‘cock nest’’ on top of or (troglodytes only) at the side of the real nest. The Vol. 84 100 Bulletin B.O.C. according to the records in the literature) although the possibility that in some cases of absence a cock nest may have been destroyed without the real nest being damaged must not be overlooked. Nests of this type — (with cock nests) have been recorded for Estrilda astrild (Belcher 1930, Van Someren 1956, McLachlan and Liversidge 1957); E. troglodytes — (Shuel 1938), E. nonnula (Mackworth-Praed and Grant 1960), E. ery- thronotos and E. paludicola (Vincent 1949) and E. melpoda (Holman, in Bannerman 1949). Cock nests appear not to be recorded for E. caerulescens, E. perreini or E. melanotis, species whose plumage characters suggest that © they may be less closely related to any of the known cock nest-builders — than these latter are to one another. Surprisingly, cock nests are not recorded for E. rhodopyga, an unquestionably very close relative of astrild and troglodytes. It seems probable, however, that most or all extant descriptions of the nest of rhodopyga derive from Chapin’s (1954) account of a single nest that he found and, if so, do not necessarily prove that this species does not sometimes, or even usually, build cock nests in the wild as it does in captivity. Kunkel (1959) described the breeding behaviour of E. troglodytes and E. melpoda in captivity. He recorded that troglodytes placed on the outside of the nest bits of paper, morsels of wet earth, feathers, etc. that were either pale or shining and that melpoda did likewise, but used darker- coloured though otherwise similar materials. He suggested that this probably served to camouflage the nest under natural conditions. Such behaviour in the wild seems not to have been recorded. This is, most probably, because the materials used in the wild to help to conceal the nest, if noticed by the human finder, are thought by him to have got there adventitiously, and so to go unrecorded. In recent months I have been able to watch a great deal of nesting behaviour from a male Rosy-rumped Waxbill E. rhodopyga paired to a female Black-rumped Waxbill E. troglodytes. These birds are kept in a — small well-lighted room fitted up for observation from outside (see~ Goodwin 1959 for details). There were other waxbills of various species also in the room. This pair have, so far, built five nests on the floor in a corner and four in a globular wicker basket which has a frontal entrance hole and which is fixed in some branches about five feet high. Eggs have been laid © each time but have usually been deserted by the female (and subsequently by the male as well) either immediately after laying or after 8 to 10 days — of incubation. The last clutch, laid in late September 1963 in a floor nest were incubated for nearly four weeks but none hatched. Although this pair have not yet bred successfully there is no reason to suppose that such reproductive behaviour as they have performed — differs in kind from that of wild members of their species. In describing the behaviour the term ‘‘decorating’’ will be used for the adding of — feathers and materials (other than those playing an essential part in its” construction) to the outside of the nest. It is not, of course, intended oe imply thereby that decoration is the aim of the birds. Description of nest | Three floor nests were examined carefully and cut open after the bird 3 had deserted them. In each case the nest was constructed of grass stems, — mostly with blades and/or seeding heads attached. Some stems of other — na + a ee ——_ Se a ee ee ae. Se ee a ee? Tere eee Bulletin B.O.C. 101 Vol. 84 herbage such as chickweed and knot grass were also used but to only a minor degree and had perhaps been taken in default of suitable grass. The walls of the nest cavity were about an inch thick and surprisingly compact and tough compared with nests of Uraeginthus spp. or Lagonosticta rubricata. The nest lining was entirely of grass, chiefly of finer stems and seeding heads. The entrance hole was very small and was surrounded by many sharp ends of grass stems, so that it was impossible to insert a finger without some of the grass ends ‘‘stabbing’’ it. However, not all the stems used for the entrance tube had been placed in such positions. In no instance were feathers or any other decorating material found inside the real nest. The outside of the nest, particularly the upper part immediately in front of the entrance to the cock nest, was decorated with: (1) Body feathers of domestic chickens, ducks, crows and pigeons; white or iridescent black ones being preferred to brown or other neutral colours; (2) pieces of soft - tissue paper, shiny grease-proof paper and charred, blackened paper but _ not pieces of newspaper of similar size which were also available; (3) small clumps of earth, both dry and damp, a very strong preference being shown for those pieces bound together with a few rootlets, some of which pro- _ truded. Some of all these types of objects, but chiefly feathers, were also ; placed inside the cock nest. The nests built in the basket were, of course, _ deficient of decoration as it was not possible for the birds either to build _ acock nest on top or to make decorations stay in place. The effect this _ had on their behaviour will be described later. _ Building and behaviour at the nest a The female was seen on two occasions to carry a grass stem and build it - into the nest: otherwise only the male was seen building the real nest; _ but in all cases I was not able to watch the greater part of the nest being _ built so it is quite possible that the female did more building than this. _ Both sexes were seen to bring grass and build it into the cock nest; both _ were equally zealous in decorating the outside of the nest and both were seen to take feathers into the cock nest. The shuddering movement (German einzittern) which is used by most birds to fix nesting material was thought by Kunkel (1959) to be absent in the Estrildidae. I also have not observed it in actual nest building by any waxbills I have kept, but both of this Estrilda pair regularly used it when decorating the nest. When building in the basket the birds found it impossible to make any of the decorations stay in place in spite of repeated endeavours. On a few occasions both were seen to take a feather or piece of tissue into the nest bs after having repeatedly tried in vain to lodge it on top of the basket. I think decorating is essentially nest lining behaviour that has become redirected towards the outside of the nest. To a large extent the materials used are similar or identical to those used by other estrildines for nest lining. As with nest lining in other waxbills, decorating is done equally by both sexes and continues throughout incubation. Feathers are also placed as lining in the cock nest although I had the impression that exterior decoration usually took precedence. When incubating both birds were very nervous. Not only would the Sitting bird leave the nest and fly up into the branches at any alarming ‘Stimulus such as my entering the room, or the rattling of the door handle, Vol. 84 -102 Bulletin B.O.C. or intense alarm notes from any of the other waxbills, but also a heavy footstep on the landing outside the room would cause it to come out. This surprised me as the birds are thoroughly used to people walking outside ~ and to other household noises and usually pay no attention to them. In these cases, however, the bird did not fly from the nest: it just came out of the entrance tube, looked around very attentively in all directions for a few moments and then turned and re-entered. Possibly this is an innate response whose function is to save the biologically more valuable adult from the risk of being crushed should a large mammal tread on the nest The degree of substrate tremor conveyed through the fioor boards may well be equivalent to that caused in nature by a large mammal treading very close to the nest. I was, when watching, strongly reminded of the — reaction of incubating Jays Garrulus glandarius to jarring of the nest — supports (Goodwin 1956). . 7 When returning to incubate after having left the nest in alarm the ~ parent would nearly always bring some decoration and place it on the ~ outside of the nest or, less often, inside the cock nest. Then it would go | inside the cock nest, perform some building movements or at least toy : : with material. Often it would hop in and out of the cock nest several times, then remain quietly inside it, as if incubating there, for up to three © or four minutes. Finally it would go to the ground and hop around and under the nest entrance, often working at shaping the entrance with its bill, before finally entering the real nest to incubate. There was a great contrast between the conspicuous ‘‘fussy’’ movements, with exaggerated lateral tail-flicks, with which all the preliminaries (except the false incu- bation in the cock nest) were carried out and the sudden stillness and lack of tail movement that immediately preceded entrance into the real nest. — The above description is typical but the amount of time spent decorating — and otherwise delaying varied a good deal, and in the later stages of incubation some or all of them might be omitted. Finding material for decorating, returning and placing it on the nest, working on the cock _ nest, entering and false-incubating in the cock nest and shaping the entrance tube of the real nest before entering it appeared to be all activities which, in this situation, indicate different stages of conflict between fear of - entering the nest and the desire to incubate. The cock rhodopyga would, by day, go into the nest out of turn and — incubate if his mate came off and did not soon return to it just as male pigeons, Columba and Streptopelia, and blue waxbills, Uraeginthus, usually do in like circumstances. He did not, however, incubate at night if, as often happened, the female troglodytes refused to enter the nest at dusk and slept away from it. He never roosted in the cock nest or anywhere near it nor did he or the female spend any time in it by day unless actively building or indulging in the above-described preliminaries to resuming © incubation after disturbance. 4 At times there were numbers of small black ants, probably Lasius niger, in the room. These the male rhodopyga killed, or at any rate disabled by crushing, and flung away if he saw them close to the nest entrance. Once — I saw him spend about five minutes squatting just outside the entrance tube and killing avery ant that came within about two inches of him. He ignored ants further from the nest and, like the other waxbills, did 1 ot | BR en's SS er 7 Bulletin B.O.C. 103 Vol. 84 eat worker ants. It is likely that even ants small and innocuous enough _ to be dealt with in this manner by an adult waxbill might still be a danger - to its newly hatched young should they enter the nest in any numbers. Possible function of the cock nest It is often stated that the cock nest is used by the male of Estrilda species _ for roosting but without any definite proof or personal observation being _ offered. In writing of E. troglodytes Shuel (1938) claimed that the cock _ nest was used as a resting place by the bird not actually incubating but _ would appear to have based this on the fact that he observed ‘‘On one occasion ... one bird was in the nest and the other in the extension.’’ Of E. astrild Belcher (1930) says that the entrance of the real nest cannot be seen from above, and adds ‘‘What one always does see and might _ readily mistake for the true nest is a ‘second chamber’. . . it may be for the cock to sleep in or possibly to deceive marauders’’. He goes on to say that the parasitic Vidua appears usually to find its way into the real nest : , = : : ; Section of a nest built by the Estrilda pair to lay but that an African, after accurately describing the nest of astrild to him, told him that ‘‘the bird that lays in the top nest is a black and white _ does cometimes lay in the upper chamber’’. This not only suggests, as Belcher comments, that the female Vidua may sometimes be fooled but also that the male Vidua may play some part in finding the nest to be parasitised, as appears to be the case, at least in captivity, with the closely _ felated and also parasitic Hypochera (Nicolai, pers. comm.) Vol. 84 104 Bulletin B. O. C. by the cock nest, the most likely function of the latter is, in my opinion, to’ mislead marauders. What marauders only field studies can discover. For _a tiny bird nesting on the ground, rodents, small mustelids and snakes — might be important nest predators but, since they hunt largely by scent, — would seem unlikely to be fooled. It is, however, possible that the diffi- culties of entering the tube plus the presence of a very obvious nest immediately above or to one side of the living (and probably scent-pro- — ducing) contents of the real nest may lead to the real nest being overlooked once the cock nest has been investigated without reward. Even if the cock nest only served to delay the entry of such a predator it would probably allow the parent, alerted by activities overhead, to escape instead of being trapped together with its eggs or young by the predator entering the real nest immediately on arrival. At least in the case of the nests built by my captive pair, the thickness and consistency of the walls of the real nest — are such that I think it would be impossible for a smallish snake, and time- — consuming for a small mammal, to break through them directly into the ~ nest cavity. ‘ Nest robbing birds would almost certainly be fooled at least initially; — but I should have thought that they would be far more likely to miss the real nest altogether if it did not have a relatively conspicuous cock nest — on top of it. It seems more likely that the cock nest and other related features, such as the tubular entrance, either have reference to non-avian ~ predators or that, in spite of Vidua’s alleged present success, may have ~ originally evolved as some protection against nest parasitism. ) It is just possible that a minor function of the cock nest may be to divert — the harmful activities of other small birds seeking nesting material. In my ~ bird rooms, nests of Uraeginthus, Amandava and Lagonosticta, if built — among the branches where other birds can reach them, are often partially destroyed (sometimes to such an extent that eggs or young fall to the ground) by other waxbills pulling nest material from them. Such damage has been done to the cock nests of my Estrilda but the real nest below has escaped injury and the damaged cock nest is quickly repaired if materials are available. None of the other genera mentioned above attempt to repair — damaged nests once incubation has begun, although they continue to add nest lining material until the young fledge. The building of cock nests is apparently confined to the typical waxbills, ~ and within the genus Estrilda is shown principally, though not only, by — those species which normally or frequently nest on the ground. Cock nests seem therefore likely to be an adaptation that arose in correlation ~ with ground nesting, either in reference to some hazard to which ground nesting waxbills are especially prone or because only a ground nest — blending with the substrate would be likely to escape discovery by reason” of a cock nest on top of it. Conclusion | The suggestions put forward in this paper are admittedly hypothetical. They are, of necessity, based on the writings of others and of the behaviour of a single captive pair of Estrilda, whose actions have, however, been observed in some detail. It is hoped that they will stimulate further observation by others, particularly anyone who may be able to study any relevant species in the wild. a ; en a “Bulletin B.O.C. 105 Vol. 84 References : - Bannerman, D. A. 1949. The Birds of Tropical West Africa. Vol. 7: 347 London. Belcher, C. F. 1930. The Birds of Nvasaland. London. Chapin, J. P. 1954. The birds of the Belgian Congo; Pt. 4. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.. Vol. 75b. Goodwin, D. 1956. Further observations on the behaviour of the Jay Garrulus glandarius. Ibis 98: 2: 186-219. ~— 1959, Observations on Blue-breasted Waxbills. Avicult. Mag., 65: 6: 149-169. - Harrison, C. J. O. 1962. An ethological comparison of some Waxbills (Estrildini) and : its relevance to their taxonomy. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 139: 261-282. ~ Holman (in Bannerman 1949, see above). Kunkel, P. 1959. Zum Verhalten einiger Prachtfinken (Estrildinae). Zeitschr. f. Tierps., 16: 3: 302-350. ~ Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. 1960. The African Handbook of Birds. Ser. { 1, vol. 2. (second edition). London. | McLachlan, G. R. and Liversidge, R. 1957. Roberts’ Birds of South Africa. (revised edition). Cape Town. - Shuel, R. 1938. Notes on the Breeding Habits of Birds near Zarin, North Nigeria, with - - Descriptions of their Nests and Eggs. Jbis, 2: 14th ser., pp. 230-244. _ Van Someren, V. G. L. 1956. Days with birds. Feldiana: Zoology, 38: 492-495. - Vincent, A. W. 1949. On the breeding habits of some African birds. Jbis 91 : 660-688. by HAIm HOVEL _ The range of the Chestnut-banded Sand-Plover, Charadrius venustus Fischer and Reichenow (= pallidus Strickland) lies in north-eastern and southern Africa. The species is resident throughout its range; therefore _ records outside the regular distribution area are rare and of interest. This note relates to an example shot on the sea-shore at the mouth of _ the Kishon River in the Mediterranean, near Haifa, on 18th July, 1958. _ The specimen, a female, was in a small group of Great Sand-Plovers, _ Charadrius leschenaultii Lesson and Kentish Plovers Charadrius alexan- _ drinus alexandrinus Linnaeus. In H. Hovel’s collection; collector’s No. 935. _ Description: Above, medium smoke-grey with a tawny wash and whitish tips to feathers, especially on the head. Whitish tips to the wing- ‘coverts; inner edge of primaries washed white. Forehead white with some | ; _ The Chestnut-banded Sand-Plover in Israel : _ Under parts white with a tawny band across the breast; sides of neck _ tawny and white. Eye brown. Bill black. Legs and feet greenish-grey. Measurements: Wing 103; tarsus 28; bill from feathers 15.5 mm. Ovary with eggs about 1-1.5 mm. in diameter. Weight 42 grams. Because _of lack of comparative material no attempt was made to determine the _ subspecies. _ The Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Merops nubicus Gmelin using animal perches by IAN GRIMWOOD Received 9th March, 1964 There have been several published records of the Carmine Bee-eater, | fon nubicus perching on large birds such as the Kori Bustard, Ardeotis kori (Burchell) and Abdim’s Stork, Sphenorhnychus abdimii (Lichtenstein). According to Praed and Grant ( 1952) ‘‘These animate perches are not erely resting places, but are definitely used as ‘beaters’ for putting up Vol. 840 ; (106 Bulletin B.0.C. grasshoppers and other cryptically coloured insects from long grass’’. In| the course of a visit to the north end of Lake Rudolf (Kenya) in February — 1964 I saw Carmine Bee-eaters using Kori Bustard, Burchell’s Zebra, — Topi and Grant’s Gazelle as perches. | am convinced that this behaviour — was not for lack of other perches—there were plenty of bushes and trees — about—but because they are developing Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis © (Linnaeus) habits i.e. they were constantly swooping down to catch insects disturbed by their ‘hosts’ and then returning to their perch. It was — noticeable how they refrained from perching on Oryx, presumably because — they could be swept off by the long horns. The Marsabit Game Warden told me that he has also seen the Carmine Bee-eater perching on the long- ~ necked Gerenuk, sometimes called the Giraffe-Gazelle. One party of seven Topi I saw all had Carmine Bee-eaters on their backs, as many as a total ~ of nine at a time. On the other hand I have never observed similar habits, nor I believe — has anyone else, in the Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Merops nubicoides Des Murs and Pucheran, a bird with which I was familiar for many years ~ in Northern Rhodesia where it nested in colonies of many hundreds in the Loangwa Valley and seasonally occurs throughout most of the country. According to Praed and Grant (1962) ‘‘Has the habit of following man — or game for the insects they disturb and comes freely to grass fires’’, but Roberts (1958) does not refer to any association with man or game, — though he does mention, in connection with the search for insect prey, ~ ‘“flying about at some height often near bush fires’’. References : Ste gee Sanaa C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. (1962). Birds of the Southern Third of rica, Roberts, Austin. Revised Edition (1958). Birds of South Africa. A new subspecies of Pink-billed Lark, Calandrella conirostris from Barotseland, Northern Rhedesia : by C. W. BENSON Received 24th February, 1964 During a collecting tour in Barotseland, from 19th November to 5th December, 1963, on behalf of the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum, I spent a- day on the Matabele Plain, in the Senanga District, where five specimens of Calandrella conirostris (Sundevall) clearly representing a previously undescribed subspecies were collected :-— Calandrella conirostris harti, subsp. nov. Description: Altogether paler than C. c. ‘makawai Traylor (1962), the feathers of the upper side margined with grey rather than pinkish buff, the fawn of the under side less rich. Somewhat richer fawn below than C. c. crypta Irwin, and decidedly darker above, the centres of the feathers blacker; their margins greyer. In fawn coloration of under side closest to C. c. barlowi (Roberts), but slightly more pinkish in tone than in that subspecies, and at once distinguishable on upper side in being grey rather — than rufous, the dark central stripes of the feathers as in barlowi being | reduced. SS Distribution: Apparently confined to Matabele Plain, Barotseland. Type: Male, in the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum, shot by Jam Makawa < - Bulletin B.O.C. 107s Vol. 84 _ for C. W. Benson, on the Matabele Plain, Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia, : at 16° 26’ S., 23° 10’ E., Ist December, 1963. Collector’s number NR _ 12956, R.-L. Mus. Reg. No. 5001. Measurements of type: Wing 75, tail 41, culmen (from base) 10, tarsus 20 mm. Material examined: On this same tour I spent 22nd November on the Liuwa Plain with R. K. Hart, where he shot for me a specimen of makawai. On returning to Livingstone and unpacking the collection, differences between this specimen and those from the Matabele Plain were at once apparent, to my surprise. One of the latter was sent to Major M. A. Traylor for comparison with the type and topotypes of makawai from the Liuwa Plain in the Chicago Natural History Museum. He confirmed the well marked differences between the two subspecies. The Matabele Plain material has been compared with that of the species in the National Museum, Bulawayo. Of seventeen specimens of crypta, from Lake Dow and the Makarikari Salt Pan, eastern Bechuanaland, several collected in January are in fresh dress, but like the remainder are _easily distinguishable from the Matabele specimens, also in fresh dress. Nine specimens of barlowi, from southern Bechuanaland, and one each _ of transiens and nominotypical conirostris, were also available. Remarks: That different subspecies should have evolved on the Liuwa and Matabele Plains can be explained from an inspection of the map in _ Trapnell et al. (1948). This shows that both these plains consist of Kalahari sand plain grasslands isolated from each other by nearly 100 miles, such _ grasslands being absent in the intervening area. Traylor (1962) suggests _ that the dark colour of makawai may be a response to increased humidity. This seems to be borne out by /arti; darker than crypta but paler than _makawai, and the annual rainfall mean on the Matabele Plain may be appreciably less than on the Liuwa Plain, an inspection of the rainfall map _ in Brelsford (1960) showing that the former lies between the 24 and 28 inch, the latter the 36 and 40 isohyets. Harti was common in twos and threes on the drier parts of the plain. _ Not a single Calandrella cinerea was noticed, and this species appears to _ be largely a migrant, only normally present in Northern Rhodesia during the dry season. But the presence of conirostris on the Matabele Plain on Ist December, after the start of the rains, suggests that it is resident, and helps to explain the subspeciation which has occurred. _ To the list of subspecies of Calandrella conirostris in White (1961) (see also Ostrich, 33 (1), 1962: 13, agreeing) there must now be added the two from Barotseland, makawai and harti. The latter is named after R. C. ‘Hart, son of R. K. Hart. He has collected many specimens which are now _ in the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum in the Kalabo District of Barotseland. _ Lam grateful to M. P. Stuart Irwin for renee available the material of ee Se ey Sey ee a he ee ee Re Ces: _ Brelsford, W. V., Ed. 1960. Handbook to the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. ‘ I apnell, C. G. et al. 1948. Vegetation-soil map of Northern Rhodesia. raylor, M. A. 1962. New birds from Barotseland. Fieldiana: Zoology, 44 (12). White, C. M. N. 1961. A revised check list of African broadbills, pittas, larks, swallows, wagtails and pipits. Vol. 84 108 : Bulletin B.O.C. Some further records from Barotseland by C. W. BENSON On the tour referred to in the immediately preceding paper, an immature female of Falco tinnunculus rupicolus Daudin and a female of Merops (Melittophagus) variegatus bangweoloensis (Grant) were also obtained on the Matabele Plain. The latter was only noticed in reeds fringing a pan of — permanent water on the plain. It was also collected, and recorded as common, in a permanently moist, spongy dambo seven miles north-east of Mongu. In Acacia woodland immediately to the south of the Matabele Plain, Tockus flavirostris leucomelas (Lichtenstein) and two specimens of Lybius (Tricholaema) leucomelas centralis (Roberts) were collected. But in Brachystegia woodland 10 miles north of Senanga only L. /. frontatus (Cabanis) was seen and collected. The ranges of the two forms thus approach one another to within little over 30 miles, and they hybridise at Livingstone (Benson & White, 1960: 197.) Three specimens of Tockus p. pallidirostris (Finsch & Hartlaub) were also collected in Brachystegia 10 — miles north of Senanga. Other interesting specimens collected, by R. C. Hart at Kalabo District — Headquarters, are Mesopicos grisecoephalus ruwenzori Sharpe (in riparian — forest by the Luanginga River), Cisticola brunnescens cinnamomea — Reichenow, and Ortygospiza |. locustella (Neave). The latter two have also recently been collected by C. J. Vernon at Lusaka. Reference: : Benson, C. W. and White, C. M. N. 1960. Discontinuous distributions (Aves). Proc. First Fed. Sci. Congr., Salisbury : 195-216. A case of spontaneous rupture of the left auricle in a Great Crested Grebe and two other species of birds by JAMES M. HARRISON Received 21st January, 1964 On 19th April, 1663 an adult Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus — cristatus Linnaeus) was found dead on a ballast water in Sevenoaks. It was in excellent general condition, was in breeding plumage and showed no evidence of disease nor injury. On dissection the bird was found to be in good condition and to cnowll no evidence of wasting. The ovary and oviduct were quiescent and the appearances did not suggest that the bird would have bred this year. | The most striking post-mortem finding was that both jugular venous — systems were grossly engorged and that the heart lay bathed in a pool of — dark blood and blood clot. It was found that there was a large rupture of © the left auricle, which was, of course, the immediate cause of death. Since it has been established that this species has more than once succumbed to the effects of toxic chemicals, the cadaver was sent to the Crop Pests Laboratory, Cambridge, for investigation as tc the presence of residues. r Bulletin B.O.C. ( 109 - Vol. 84 4 _ The analyses were carried out by Mr. Colin Walter to whom I am 7 indebted for figures relating to these and relevant comments. The most significant finding was that of a dieldrin residue which it was _ estimated was in the region of 3.5 p.p.m. This estimation took into account _ the fact that not all the residue was recovered by the technique used, and that the figures quoted are minimal. It is stated that the maximum dietary level for Quail chicks permitting survival is 1 p.p.m. (De Witt). In so far __as the analytical findings are concerned, Mr. Walker comments that the _ figure is to be regarded with some suspicion particularly as it was obtained from the analysis of breast muscle which ‘‘is not a tissue where one usually gets a marked accummulation of these residues (c/f. with liver and fat)’’. The percentages in other tissues from the specimen are being analysed later. Mr. Walker says (in /itt. 13. xii. 63) ‘‘we have now done a _ paper chromatographic analysis of the liver—with the following result :-— Dieldrin 1.3 p.p.m. pp'—DDE 1.9 p.p.m. ; ppt'—DDT a trace _ The clean up of liver extracts is rather difficult, and this causes low _ recoveries of pesticide. 1he above figures are consequently minimal. We _ did not find sufficient fat for analysis’’. In so far as the pathology is concerned he adds ‘‘Your observation on the rupture of the left auricle is interesting, since dieldrin has a very marked effect on the nervous system in birds and mammals, causing muscular convulsions, vomiting, etc. Unfortunately it is not possible to state what residue level in a grebe would indicate that these had appeared as a consequence of the action of dieldrin. We have analysed three other Great Crested Grebes, and all have had residues similar in quantity and kind to your specimen in the breast muscle’’. The other residue D.D.E., a metabolite of D.D.T., was not regarded as of significance. Discussion: From the foregoing it is evident that toxic chemicals may have a bearing on the unusual cardio-vascular episode described above, particularly in so far as the toxic manifestations in life are such as would favour venous engorgement and an increase in vascular pressures. The writer has come across three other instances of this pathology over the years. One was in a male Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, the second occurred in a Fischer’s Love Bird, Agapornis fischeri Reichenow, which was seen to drop dead from its perch, while the third was a duck Mandarin Aix galericulata (Linnaeus) which was seen by Dr. Jeffery Harrison to die in a convulsive seizure on the water. In all three cases the left auricle had given way. Unfortunately investigations with regard to toxic chemicals were not carried out. This type of fatal cardiac seizure does not seem to have been recorded previously, and although the connection of this with poisoning by toxic chemicals has not been clearly established by chemical analysis, the _ Observation of a fatal convulsive attack in a Mandarin Duck is clinically most suggestive, particularly in view of the fact that dieldrin is recognised % as having a very marked effect on the nervous system in birds and mam- 7. causing muscular convulsions, vomiting, etc. (fide Colin Walker, . in litt. 16. vii. 63). __ My thanks are due to Dr. Jeffery Harrison for his co-operation, to Dr. ~ t - <4 a Maleate 110 : Bulletin B.O.C. - Norman Moore and Mr. Colin Walker of Nature Conservancy for the © investigation of the Great Crested Grebe with regard to the presence of toxic chemical residues. . Reference : De we James B., 1956. Oct. Journ. of Agric. and Food Chemistry. 1V., No. 10., 863~866; 76. On the original description of Passer iagoensis motitensis Smith by P. A. CLANCEY Received 23rd March, 1964 It is generally agreed among systematists that Dr. Andrew Smith first described the southern race of the Great Sparrow Passer iagoensis motit- — ensis Smith in his J/lustr. Zool. South Africa, Aves, 1848, pl. cxiv, and this — reference was used by Macdonald, Contr. Ornith. West. South Africa, © 1957, pp. 156, 157, when he argued in favour of restricting the type- locality to near Hopetown, in the Cape Province to the south of the Orange River at 29° 37’ S., 24° 05’ E. Moreau, in Peters’ Check-List Birds — of the World, vol. xv, 1962, pp. 15, 16, uses the same 1848 reference and adopts Macdonald’s restriction of the type-locality, as do Mackworth- Praed and Grant, Birds Southern Third of Africa, vol. ti, p. 55 (not type- locality restriction), and Clancey, Durban Mus. Novit., vol. vii, 5, 1964, p. 138. . Smith’s description of the Great Sparrow in his J//ustrations, 1848, was_ not, however, the first naming of this species, which was actually originally described as Pyrgita Motitensis Smith, in his Report Exped. Explor. Cent. Africa, 1836, p. 50. The actual diagnosis as given leaves no doubt as to — the accuracy of this assertion: ‘‘Pyrgita Motitensis. Top of head and back of neck grey; eyebrows, sides of neck, and back, chestnut; the inter-— scapulars dashed with dark black-brown; eyeband, chin, and throat, black; cheeks white; breast and belly rusty white. Length 64 inches. In- habits the country about Old Latakoo [i.e., near Kuruman, northern Cape Province (P.A.C.)].’’ | It is difficult to account for the overlooking by workers of this prior description of P. i. motitensis, which is earlier than the generally accepted one by some twelve years, because it appears immediately above the description of Pyrgita diffusa Smith (= Passer diffusus of modern usage), a name in universal use. In his 1848 description Smith stated that he took two specimens of the Great Sparrow sixty miles to the south of the Orange River, but I submit that he was in all probability writing from memory and that some error has occurred, the two birds concerned obviously being the same as those used as the basis for the 1836 description. No later investigator has found the Great Sparrow to the south of the Orange River, and the type-locality deriving from Smith (1848) has long been ~ suspect. The adoption of the earlier description of 1836 with the type- — locality of the taxon at Kuruman, within the known range of the Species is eminently more satisfactory from the point of view of distribution. On the status of Puffinus assimilis baroli ee B.O.C. 111 Vol. 84 4 3 i : in the Azores archipelago by DAvID BANNERMAN 3 Received 17th May, 1964 In the Jbis 1914, in a paper entitled the Distribution and Nidification of _ the Tubinares in the North Atlantic Islands, under a sub-heading Breeding _ range in the Azores, I dealt with the status, as then understood, of the _ Madeiran Little Shearwater, or as it was then termed the Atlantic : Allied Shearwater, Puffinus assimilis baroli Bonaparte, in the Archipelago. _F. Du Cane Godman was the first Englishman to mention it from the ; islands in his Natural History of the Azores 1870 p. 39 where, under the name Puffinus obscurus (Gmelin), against which he places a question mark, he wrote: ‘*People living in the island of Flores told me that there was a ; Bematier bird than the last species (i.e. P. anglorum= Puffinus puffinus _ puffinus) but similar in form, colour and habits. Hence I conclude it is bP. obscurus. It is said to arrive about the month of March and to breed in the cliffs. It had reared its young and gone before I was there, and I did not obtain, or even see, a specimen; neither did | hear of it in the other ; islands .. .’’ Bocage had already mentioned the species from the Azores _ (Jorn. Acad. Sci. Lisboa 1866) and so had Simroth (Archiv fiir. Naturg. 1888) but there is no mention of nesting in either account. Ogilvie- _ Grant in 1903 obtained an adult from Praia islet, off Graciosa, secured by fishermen and recorded a specimen from the island of Pico which he had examined in the museum at Ponta Delgada, together with two other ‘specimens—ail adult birds. Up to that time no definite proof of breeding in the Azores, although suspected, was forthcoming. In two expeditions _ on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History, Sr. José Correia - failed to find the Little Shearwater either in 1921/22 or in 1927/28 although collecting actively in April, May, June and July during the breeding season. Nor were the two local collectors employed by the Frenchmen M. M. Mayaud and the late J. de Chavigny any more successful. In the report of the collections (A/auda 1932) there is no mention of the Little shearwater in the main text but in an addendum to the paper (p. 429) the _ authors observe ‘‘Nidification probable,’’ citing Godman and Osgilvie- Grant as their authorities for that assumption. _ That was still the state of affairs in 1963 when volume 1 of my Birds of the Atlantic Islands was published. At that date there was no published _ proof of breeding, and in view of one or two statements which Godman _ had made with reference to some other species ‘“breeding’’ in the Canaries, Madeira and Azores, I was not inclined to put too much value on his $tatement in /bis 1866 p.104 concerning the probable nesting of P. a. aroli in the cliffs of Flores, a statement repeated word for word in his : as yet no indication that it P. a. baroli breeds in the Azores. It would have been more accurate to have written ‘‘There is as yet no proof that _breeds’’. That first volume dealt with the breeding of the Madeiran Vol. 84 112 Bulletin B.O.C. reference to its nesting in the Azores and the Madeira group was given when discussing the general distribution of the race. : Since working on my second volume which deals specifically with the birds of Madeira and the Azores I have visited all the islands personally — and have tried to check all former references to the petrels and shear- waters. The curators of the museums in Funchal (Mr. G. E. Maul) and in Ponta Delgada (Sr. José Maria Alvares Cabral) have most courteously provided me with lists of all the specimens in their respective museums and, — as regards the Azores, Sr. Cabral has listed six examples of Puffinus — assimilis baroli, all adults except one which was marked as an immature ‘‘juv’’. Juvenile petrels do not necessarily imply birds which have been bred locally, and though highly suggestive, I did not consider it a cast iron breeding record. I have however now received a letter from Sr. Cabral telling me of a visit to the museum at Ponta Delgada of a lady orni- thologist, Dr. Sigrid Knecht, already known for her researches on the birds of the Canaries and Azores, who requested to examine all the specimens of P. a. baroli in the museum collection. In granting this request — he had a search made in the cabinets and was astonished to find among ~ them a nestling of Puffinus assimilis baroli. He immediately wrote to me as — follows: *‘Je vous ai induit en erreur en vous envoyant la liste des oiseaux des — Acores du Musée de Ponta Delgada. Voici les corrections que je crois — devois étre apportées: Le No. 1500... est un male, qui a été capturé au nid avec un poussin (nestling) et qui porte le No. 1501. Le préparateur du Musée se rappelle de les avoir tués le méme jour, le 15 Avril 1951... De cette facon, il reste établi que ce Puffin niche, au moins parfois, au © Acores.”’ The error in describing this specimen ‘‘Juv’’ in place of ‘‘nestling’’ — must not be attributed to Sr. Cabral it having been copied from the label © by an assistant. When Sr. Cabral himself saw the specimen, he at once © realized the importance of the discovery and communicated with me — immediately. When in the Azores, in 1963, I visited the well-known ~ naturalist-Colonel Agostinho in the island of Terceira and asked him if he could confirm the breeding of P. a. baroli in the Archipelago. He — assured me that it had never actually been found breeding and was © extremely rare. He too was unaware of the “‘nestling’’ in the museum | collection in Ponta Delgada. It is very satisfactory to at last confirm it~ as a breeding bird after all these years, but whether or not this was the ~ species which Godman reported (at second hand) as breeding in the cliffs — of Flores still remains to be confirmed. i It should be emphasized that the nestling in the Ponta Delgada Museum — was added to the collection before Sr. Cabral took charge of the collection. — It had not therefore come to his notice earlier. Partial albinism in a Redpoll by R. E. Scott Received 3rd February, 1964 Bs Sage (1963) during his study of albinism in British birds makes no specific mention of the Redpoll Carduelis flammea and it would seem worthwhile to place on record this example of almost symmetrical parti - Bulletin B.O.C. 113 Vol. 84 albinism in the species affecting both plumage and soft parts. The bird was trapped at Dungeness, Kent, during the routine ringing activities of the bird observatory on 18th October, 1963. DESCRIPTION __ Right wing: 2nd primary all white; 3rd primary distal two-thirds of - outer web white, distal one-third of inner web white. Covert to fourth primary all white. Left wing: 2nd primary all white. Covert to fourth primary with white tip. Soft parts: Legs and feet appeared normal, but both hind claws and inner claw on left foot white; all other claws slightly paler than normal. In all other respects the bird’s plumage was apparently normal and its weight and measurements fell within the expected range for the species. _ The bird was probably a first winter female of the race C. f. cabaret. DISCUSSION _ _ Sage (1963) found that the Fringillidae accounted for 6% of the records _ of albinism available to him and of these the Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra, Linnet Carduelis cannabina and Green- finch Chloris chloris provided over half the records. It would appear that _ the incidence of albinism in C. flammea is rather low, although it is, of _ course, a far less numerous species. During the past four years this is the _ only individual of the species among the 47 handled at Dungeness that has shown this condition. It is clear however that the sample is too small _ to justify any importance being placed on the percentage of 2.1. : Refeience : : Sage, B. L. 1963. The incidence of albinism and melanism in British birds. British Birds, 56: 409-416. ie — yo ———- ra a5 ¥ ety." * | The identity of Antiornis grahami Riley by SHANE A. PARKER Received 13th January, 1964 4 Antiornis grahami was described as a new genus and species by J. H. Riley (1926) from nine specimens collected at 3,500-4,000 feet on Mt. Omei in central Szechwan, and now in the United States National Museum. Deignan (1961) considered the series to be juveniles of Cettia fortipes davidiana, so fa1 as I know giving no explanation for this conclusion. ‘There seems no doubt that the specimens belong to the genus Cettia, but I think they are identifiable as C. flavolivaceus and not C. fortipes. In his definition of Antiornis Riley made comparisons with Tesia, Oligura and Neornis (= Cettia) flavolivaceus. He stated: “‘Antiornis shows certain superficial resemblance to Neornis Blyth, but differs as follows: the primaries are broader, and the first primary proportionately longer, the _ tail proportionately shorter and the feathers narrower, the general plumage _ Softer and more lax’’. Four specimens of A. grahami, kindly lent by Mr. George Watson of the United States National Museum, were compared vith a long series of Cettia flavolivaceus in the British Museum (Natural History). The difference in tail/wing ratio alluded to by Riley was the only _ point validated by my comparison. The tail of A. grahami is proportion- _ ately shorter than in C. flavolivaceus, the tail/wing ratios being 75.6- a for A. grahami (juvenile and adult) as opposed to 83.5-111% for - various races of C. flavolivaceus (juvenile and adult). 3 Vol. 84 3 3 114 Bulletin B.O.C. The specimens of Antiornis are yellow beneath and olive above. Several Cettia species have juveniles so coloured, but only in C. flavolivaceus do adults resemble juveniles in the yellow ventral plumage. Juveniles of C. fortipes in the British Museum although slightly more brownish-yellow — beneath than adults, nowhere near approach the yellow of the under parts of the Antiornis series, contra Deignan. If the Antiornis series contains — adults, it belongs with Cettia fiavolivaceus and it seems that two of the four specimens I examined are adults. Specimens numbers 306292 and 332578 showed uneven “‘hunger-traces”’ across the tail feathers, while in 297814 a “hunger-trace”’ formed a straight line across all the tail feathers. 297818 bore no discernible “‘Shunger-traces’’, but was considered closest in plum- age detail and texture to 297814. Thus in the first two specimens the marked rectrices had grown at different times in the course of a moult, but in the third all the affected feathers had grown simultaneously as in the first (juvenile) plumage. Also, in the first two specimens the parietal region of the skull showed the degree of infiexibility typical of full maturity. Damage sustained by the skulls of the other two precluded the drawing of any con- clusions along these lines. It is concluded that 306292 and 332578 are adults, and that 297814, and probably 297818, is a juvenile. The last two — have slightly softer plumage but the difference is hardly noticeable. Mr. George Watson, in litt., states the type of Antiornis grahami (not seen) to be © closest in colour and amount of feathering to 306292, an adult. In summary, the series of A. grahami contains adults and is therefore’ referable to Cettia flavolivaceus. With reference to the proportionate difference in tail-length, grahami is probably a tenable race of C. fiavoli- vaceus inhabiting parts of Szechwan; more Chinese material would eluci- date the position. It seems clear that Antiornis grahami Riley can be rele- gated to the synonymy of Cettia flavolivaceus (Blyth) and not to that of Cettia fortipes davidiana (Verreaux) as suggested by Deignan. References: Deignan, H. G. (1961) Type specimens of birds in the United States National Museum. — Smithsonian Inst. Bull. 221. Riley, J. H. (1926). A new genus and species of groundwarbler from the province on Szechwan, China. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 39: 55-56. On the occurrence and nomenclature of certain petrels in q North America by W. R. P. BouRNE Received 7th March, 1964 In the first volume of the Handbook of North American Birds (edited by R. S. Palmer, New Haven and London, 1962) a number of modifications of the classification and nomenclature of North American petrels accepted — in the fifth and last edition of the Check-list of North American Birds published by the American Ornithologists’ Union in 1957 were made partly on my advice. The more important ones were carefully documented and usually appear to have escaped criticism, but some minor points which did not appear to deserve such full treatment in the limited space available have been questioned in a review in the Auk 80:89, so it may be useful to place on record the reasons for these decisions here, together — with a few comments on other points which have arisen since the boo k went to press. | 4 es ae - Bulletin B.O.C. 115 Vol. 84 1. The classification of the races of Oceanites oceanicus. _ In the original description of Procellaria oceanica Kuhl took the name from a life-sized drawing of a bird captured at 37°S. off the mouth of the _ River Plate on 22nd December 1768 during Cook’s first expedition. This drawing is still preserved in the British Museum (Natural History) together with a detailed description of the bird by Daniel Solander (Lysaght 1959), According to the drawing it had a short wing of about 138 mm., which agrees well with the small population occurring at the nearest breeding colony in the Falkland Islands, and is considerably smaller than the mean _ for the larger population breeding further to the south-east at South _ Georgia, which was subsequently designated as the breeding place of the type. In the circumstances, since the dimensions of the type agree with _ those of one of the smallest northern populations, and since there has been some confusion over the priority of the other names applied to them (Sheard 1943), it seemed best to refer all of them, including intermediate _ birds from South Georgia, to the typical form of the species, and the largest _ birds from Antarctica to the second valid form to be described, Oceanites oceanicus exasperatus Mathews, represented by a type with a wing of 155 mm. purchased in Leadenhall Market, London, on 2nd March 1905, now in the American Museum of Natural History. In following this course I was not ‘‘juggling with names’’ as suggested by the Auk reviewer, but reverting to the usage adopted by the first person to distinguish geo- graphical variation in the species, G. M. Mathews, in the last complete check-list of the order Procellariiformes in 1934. The juggling occurred on the other side of the Atlantic. —_— =< a — a. ee hm « an a 7 sf ee 2. The identity of the white-bellied storm-petrel of the genus Fregetta _ reported to come from Florida, currently referred to F. tropica. The only evidence for the identity of this bird appears to be the original report by Lawrence in which he identifies it as ‘*Thalassidroma fregetta (Sol.) Khul, Thalassidroma leucogaster Gould’’ and provides a good description which makes it clear among other things that the bird had a white breast. The specimen was last heard of in Philadelphia (Hellmayr _ & Conover 1948), where it was doubtless compared with the types of both _ Fregetta tropica and Fregetta (grallaria) leucogaster in the newly-acquired Gould collection, with a decision in favour of the latter. Mr. James Bond _ informs me that the latter is still there, and his description (wing 155 mm., tail 63 mm., tarsus proportionately short, with black markings on the _ upper tail-coverts) suggests that it is in fact both an example of the Tristan _ population of F. grallaria, and the same as the bird described by Lawrence. ~ In identifying the bird from St. Marks, Florida, as Fregetta grallaria _leucogaster 1 was therefore reverting to the original name used by the _ author who first described the specimen after the fullest possible con- firmation of its identity. an All slide _ 3. The status of certain southern petrels on the North American list. _ Since the Auk reviewer finally raises this problem, surely the most _ important question concerning this storm-petrel is not its identity, but whether it belongs on the North American list at all. It is one of no less _ than three southern petrels reported for North America for the first time _ by G.N. Lawrence in a single series of notes in 1851 and 1853. Mr. Eugene _ Eisenmann informs me that two of these, Adamastor cinereus and Daption : 1 Vol. 84 116 Bulletin B.O.C | capensis, are still preserved in the American Museum of Natural History, while the third, Fregetta (grallaria) leucogaster, seems likely to have been compared with the type, so there seems no reason to doubt their identity. But it is much less certain where they all came from, because Lawrence obtained them all at second hand, and omits to mention either who col- lected them, or when they were taken. Only one of them has reappeared — in over a century, and even this was originally identified as a ‘‘Manks Shearwater’’, ‘‘Puffinus anglorum’’ (which seems much more likely), and only after the passage of time and relabelling of skins as Daption capensis — (Norton 1922). It seems possible that, as with various other southern petrels reported in the northern hemisphere in the last century, including a number reported for North America by Audubon only a dozen years before, all these birds were brought home by sailors from the South Seas and supplied to local naturalists who failed to enquire adequately con- cerning their origin. It is not unknown for such things to happen on this side of the Atlantic too. 4. Vernacular nomenclature. Here I am to some extent in sympathy with the Auk reviewer, since I agree with him that it is desirable to adhere to some general standard for vernacular as well as scientific nomenclature. But as I have explained elsewhere (Bourne 1961) I hold that in this matter it is preferable that we should all attempt to conform to agreed international standards, rather than that different nations should adhere strictly to different, variable check-lists in the way that the Auk reviewer suggests for North America. Most of these national lists tend to preserve through all their protean transformations at the dictation of fashion a few favoured vernacular names for extreme rarities, names found nowhere else on land or sea, least where the birds concerned are common. Frigate Petrel and Collared Petrel are examples on our national list, and Black-tailed Shearwater and Harcourt’s Petrel examples on the American one, which also calls our Frigate Petrel (equally rare there) by another equally outlandish name, White-faced Petrel, and includes among other things a Black Petrel totally different from the Black Petrel of New Zealand. International and not national standards are required for such matters, especially ones which reach the great bulk of bird-watchers such as popular field-guides. — It still appears to me that it might be useful if in the case of widespread ~ groups authors could fix upon and adhere to internationally acceptable standards, such as the first and only comprehensive guide to all seabirds, W. B. Alexander’s ‘‘Birds of the Ocean’’ (second edition, London, 1955). The next International Ornithological Congress is to be held in this country and this subject might be a useful one for the agenda. References : Bourne, W. R. P. (1961). The need for distinctive bird names. Brit. Birds 64: 405-408. Hellmayr, C. E. & Conover, B. (1948). Catalogue of the birds of the Americas, Pt. 1, No. — 2. (Spheniscidae to Anatidae) Field Mus. Pub. Chicago 13 Pt. 1 No. 2. Lawrence, G. N. (1851, 1853). Additions to North American Ornithology. Ann. Lyc. - Nat. Hist. New York 5: 117- 118, 6: 4-7. Lysaght, A. (1959). Some eighteenth century. bird paintings in the library of Sir Joseph Banks. Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Hist. Ser. 1 (6) 253-371. - Hane tes G. M. (1934). A check-list of the order Procellariiformes. Nov. Zool. 39: 1-206. Norton, A. ‘H. (1922). The Pintado Petrel (Daption capense) in Maine. Auk 39: 101-103. Sheard, K. (1943). Sweets WEES and nomina eyes Epa AD: 77-180. nef 196 i i seine ae io i A, eo a ee ‘aa: ‘i a Ti a*. 7 — Ye oh | A atu 7 ee ¢ on : ’ } Ht. Ale ; i wed, ra ie i arf Perhesl> u ih rs fre ay ku ater, $4 é % Py Hat ae oa . es +: ted SP wh ban eon? . a 4 Pipes eo ij - SisllesY = IM 40nha eit oF ri seebshii ad a mail: eae EWA gobo h ApS ensg85t vobito In "8 dts baasey: POI SOD | egies mit te sbiziend 20 bsqy Ye I bees y +533 Tederey POs MEY wi wee ny i! Me Z dsl? & 4} whi) Eati é. Fel Peiiati wt Ne orig" Viiesinsed wt? 0 babuio rig biaorie vie ni Datatry S18 cones aise? ate =) of “hese is ie a Nia 4 gots 3 wos 7198 ii ea xyy) ‘ot eel fi seattle @ % ie oe a be 2 ae ud ‘ 4 pdt prt Ss Mee venini yi gee: Ay i 2 te id ‘Sth iat | 2 Like ee Babe eie) siachact joka Male a ‘ f O1gqs £6 700. scar i vor a ae OOK, tytn ve hawt? 1238 ’ He ) bigode ortafert ai bee usitabont 3 MH Of) Bola Ngeeb eB A moist paiights att’ st oteereRhee ee are seater poe ‘bain ae eight’ 2 ay] lo einen =a at e ede or 5} grin Siepot Be 1 | aginst Oe. rekoh pire Bat ne ar od yi arr Zoos A Rowspeld at ee § ne BNIOS “net ghte aight me pesibeias shee vith Msn yt aa Ke line Gao he Scan i jf Fe ah Ley wi Ti pie, vat otateane eo, Ha. is ri Res Be a i abet teas 238 rubato “ PA Mibsbdiosg2 2é.vino0 beilgqae: wits oe ag bosd biuudte qinin Li Od OPI S a Ay : ; Bis eerie i} eninoitasin banoeni 3A ive On . Boh a - au | es i as - a OWNERS IIR rs 1 Bre Hinges HA OAD | fe Wiloes 122 Bay Pass wosd it enolate fas tlt .£, VE.2 tte ghettrt? frommen cyl) abe ‘sis a - ih itso Tageat Bet ask Woistor yes. ods Yo wisdigerr Boneh ae a ie. i pte YY at of ctodt badz.ntig 4 : ae : cs x eMSTSLIUR CPS A8d ee a rot qinu nue baied-pon dd & RHMotsg od yRM cual StF * 2 = Wes =) at OR indi oy dice FRG ee #TOU 1 % fsoocyvbs nt P yd cg nto] ott 3 2 bho ae . gon: yaMoWwaAAOn eet eo 4 “Roki Schl: oF Qaerotiyts rd hfe <“s3501" eS eee Twi eee hn): p fines BA, shai rook riper Oppo ta ks Pe if Batt ~ VG neboat brnok Poehiage a Pa Ager AOA ‘gomrtaam CAA 2ASIVIG es . Saigo diel asdmavon AST) addtaO 0S asd nese 12 hae s rt ’ me easy rt , BUD 2125) 10H" FASO HETTNE SAb.4d sate haul 6 tae Geb Cotadd S04 pez7T visbeeadeth Bure S ie Poel " ‘ 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. 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 thirty 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 5s. 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 Mr. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 40s. (payable in advance) or per copy 5s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, P. Tate, 4 Broad Street Place, London, E.C.2 CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Mr. C. J. O. Harrison, c/o The Bird Room, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, S.W.7. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1964 15th September, 20th October, 17th November, 15th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 104 London Road, Sevenoaks Kent. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by JOHN J. YEALLAND Volume 84 October No. 7 1964 i piden, peal rire ae s si nt ph: Super: a3 +3 tA ae phwiees DRAB Te nt re Pete bs opice ou i as ius i abhie Dec md) ec eOr OF pol ie \ Seek a tame ce Weed fa aa iy Riuiashert ted 3 Abe Meoeseriog. 3 RErOnO ahold, oneal ms : in j j ad x as re Fy. ae ey ' wim ee rE : P ae “a y ; we ale ‘ he reek pe CET ROR kd 00 1 QP. LIE» Pee Roa. tS, 2 : — J gt] er be pare, : mite ~ , cre Trt felts p Ry wt Der) hoes tk YS Fe re Leo WHOLscnarih e ha ae ox os 3 , : 5 Mm. ; i er he ‘ee Ply UY ree OF ; eee, i By : ; Cine ee AA ee, BA Lat! Ery ui ; af 7 As ben “,to% ‘ : be ee * eat 4 oem! Oe | g 4s wh f q . ; $Y SPA ie RT Ml ftp ieee sae ee ‘ ‘4 e . * nt iy4 . , A. ; be Scr I Sa bid RAR Se gig . tek he Pu NW Sac ike ae * pongie AE Mth oe eS hate wete eae & NS See Koehn. 7 eh ’ eae, / me Tr ae i= PES ea Peake, Fea Ce peray me ey So) Pea - te ah ot ie * i a he : 3 i 5 f Fi a S445 bet ad : é mers ke +A [Pee ek As af 4 ee. ‘h x ‘. f snd lenge a ‘ aii sah! Pegi Ralan senedktvws — ey a eee ree anys ys ‘ahd r . <) pm el ce ai Tag ot EN bitea ae DS KMGENE ASA THD nen < e. : re vai ¥ be ate +, ee has vee eat Pray ae d of ry aa ey oe JG ime Beant ta 1964 117 Vol. 84 > © WA +t -~1 OCT 1964 , PITRE CE ne a? JRCHA ae BULLETIN O . Logy uy OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 84 Number 7 Published: Ist October 1964 The six hundred and eighteenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on the 15th September, 1964. Chairman: Captain C. R. S. Pitman Members present 12; guests 7. Mr. S. J. J. F. Davies spoke on five doves of the genus Streptopelia and their hybrids, showing how voice and display may indicate relationship. Instability of feather pigmentation in the White Helmet Shrike Prionops plumatus by WALTER J. LAWSON Received 18th May, 1964 During a recent attempt at a reassessment of the geographical variation exhibited by the southern African populations of Prionops plumatus I was struck by the number of entirely white-headed birds in collections. Normally the head-top is grey with a black bar behind the ear-coverts and with the throat grey as well. There also appeared to be some variation in the degree of pigmentation of these parts, which did not appear to have any geographical constancy. The entirely white-headed birds which seem to appear in all populations usually have the throat white and the black bar behind the ear-coverts absent or a shade of grey. This inconstancy prompted me to wash with soap and water a specimen Vol. 84 118 Bulletin B.O.C. with a grey head and throat and black bar behind the ear-coverts, and after drying and fluffing the specimen it was noticed that all pigmentation on the head and throat had been washed out leaving a white-headed bird with a white throat and side of head. This instability of the grey and black pigments of the head is of interest as it casts doubt on the use of the head coloration as a character of sub- specific import. This solubility of pigmentation in plumage has been observed in a few species of birds, but a detailed investigation of the problem needs to be undertaken by chemists. On birds new for New Guinea or with a larger range than previously known by A. HOOGERWERF (continued from page 96—May 1964) 17. Excalfactoria chinensis (Linn.) King Quail Because the range of this quail is much more extensive than indicated in Mayr’s list, it seems important to publish my experiences with the species. Mayr remarks: ‘‘Eastern New Guinea, westward on the south coast as far as the Oriomo River, on the north coast to the Kumusi and upper Watut Rivers; not yet recorded from Astrolabe Bay and Humboldt Bay’’. But afterwards Bergman obtained seven specimens from the Vogelkop (Gyldenstolpe 6) and van den Assem (1) mentions the species for Ifar near Hollandia (Humboldt Bay) and the same author observed it in the grasslands around Enerotali (Wissel Lakes) at 1800 m. above sea level, where several specimens were secured earlier (Junge 9). I found this quail in nearly all suitable areas visited by me in New Guinea, in the southern part as well as in the Vogelkop area. In Kurik’s ricefields I saw it only on three occasions, viz. on 10th March, 1959, 21st March, 1962 (solitary birds) and on Ist September, 1962 when six together came up from the side of a ditch covered with grass and other low growing plants, surrounded by dry ricefields. The species is a resident in the extensive savannahs surrounding Kurik, along the Kumbe and Maro Rivers and in the Moppa plains east of Merauke, in the plains near the shore between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers and in the Gali Ephata area. Though observations were most plentiful during the dry season (June till November), those during the rainy season could not be called rare: February (4), March (3), April (4), May (1) and December (2). In those months the species was observed sometimes in very swampy localities. On 25th August, 1960 a specimen was caught at Kurik and kept in an aviary. In the northern part of New Guinea I saw the birds every day during my visit to the Kebar Valley (Vogelkop, about 500 m. above sea level) in October 1962; on 25th February, 1963 some specimens were seen along the Anggi Lakes (Vogelkop, about 1200 m. above sea level) and in March 1963 it was not uncommon in a dry lalang savannah near Ransiki (Geel- vink Bay, sea level). Usually the birds were seen alone or in pairs; the observation of six on Ist September, 1962 may be considered an exception. Bulletin B.O.C. 119 Vol. 84 18. Porzana tabuensis (Gmelin) Spotless Crake With the exception of New Britain and the Astrolabe Bay this small rail is not known from the lowlands of New Guinea and surrounding areas. After the appearance of Mayr’s list a large number of specimens was collected near the Wissel Lakes (Junge 9) and the Western Highlands, Central New Guinea (Gyldenstolpe 5). On 2nd May, 1960, I found remains of two in the South polder, damaged apparently by rats. Those remains were unmistakably of this species because of the uniformly brownish wings, mud-grey under parts, red legs and small, blackish bill, a number of differences when compared with the much rarer Porzana pusilla, also known from New Guinea. At that time most of the South polder was inundated and covered with a ripening rice crop. Though in these fields Porphyrio porphyrio, Rallus Dhilippensis and Poliolimnas cinereus were regular visitors and the frequent breeding of both last mentioned species was observed, I never saw a Porzana tabuensis alive at Kurik or surroundings. But on 23rd May of that same year I saw a single specimen on a mudbank along an area covered with Eleocharis dulcis not far from the south coast of Frederik Hendrik Island. 19. Poliolimnas cinereus (Vieill.) Grey-bellied Crake The range of this rail as indicated in Mayr’s list does not include the area between the Mimika and Fly Rivers. But the species was not only recorded by me within Kurik’s ricefields and surroundings but also on Frederik Hendrik Island and in the extensive freshwater marshes near Kepi (Mappi Region) about 175 miles north-west of the Kumbe River. In Kurik’s inundated ricefields its presence was known sometimes for long periods and it was seen nearly every day so that it may be accepted that _ during the rainy season a small resident population is there; also breeding was observed. On 3lst January, 1960 I found a clutch of six eggs; at the beginning of February a clutch of five; in March a nest with five eggs; on 22nd March, 1961 a shell probably emptied by rats was found and on 11th May, 1962 an egg in a deserted nest. In December 1959 there was a clutch of three eggs in a freshwater marsh near Kepi where several birds were observed. In March and April 1961 and in May 1962 calling birds were located on several occasions. Because no full clutches at all were found in the first half of 1962 there is a possibility that the population of this crake is not stable within Kurik’s ricefields. Though the receding water in the seasonal marshes must diminish the habitat for the species, it certainly remains in suitable surroundings in south New Guinea. 20. Amaurornis olivaceus (Wallace) Bush Hen In accordance with Mayr’s list the species is only known from Daru and Oriomo River, so far as it concerns the south coast of New Guinea, but it was recorded repeatedly in our area. Only on very rare occasions I caught a glimpse of a bird but its call made it evident that the species is certainly not very rare in the region between the Maro and Bian Rivers. In November 1960 and March 1961 some were heard daily in the very dense Vol. 84 120 Bulletin B.O.C. shrubbery about 30 yards behind my house at Kurik, but I did not see even a feather of the birds until a specimen was shot quite close by on 8th March, 1961. Apparently this rail prefers dry country densely covered with large plants including shrubs, in this respect showing some similarity to Rallina tricolor, Megacrex inepta and the Javanese species Rallina fasciata. This preference was also noticed around Manokwari where the bird’s call was heard regularly in this type of habitat. This was also the case at Oransbari (Geelvink Bay) where I heard the call daily in December 1962 and there I observed for quite a while three specimens on the edge of heavy forest covered with dense shrubs on grass-covered ground. The species may be considered rather common there, at any rate during my visit to that area. Not far from this locality (Ransiki in 1948) Bergman secured a specimen (Gyldenstolpe 6). (Junge 5) mentioned it also from the Wissel Lakes (19). 21. Choriotis (= Eupodotis) australis (Gray) Bustard The range Mayr mentions is ‘‘Australia and South New Guinea (Wuroi and Tarara)’’. However, from my experience it is evident that the species spreads much further to the west, for in Kurik’s ricefields and surroundings the ‘‘Plain Turkey’’ is of not very rare appearance during certain periods. One may wonder that the discovery in New Guinea of this large and conspicuous bird took such a long time, for it is hardly 20 years ago that the first bustard became known from this part of the world. Most observations (6) date from June, viz. two specimens in 1959 and four in 1960; in July 1960 (4), in August 1959, 1960 and 1962 (3); in April 1959 and 1961 (2); in May 1962 (2); in October 1960 (2) and only one in Sep- — tember 1962, November and December 1960. A female shot in the North polder on 25th April, 1959, had the ovary very small. On 22nd June, 1960 I found an egg on harvested dry ricefields of the North polder without a trace of a nest and I did not find a single bustard in that polder between 14th June and Ist July. Usually the birds were alone or in pairs (there is a distinct size difference between the sexes), but on 28th July, 1960 six or seven were observed in dry savannahs north of the North polder and again thrice and twice a solitary bird at the same locality on 20th November in a period when fire had changed the place into a burnt prairie. On 11th October, 1960 I observed three in similar surroundings along the Kumbe River, some tens of miles inland. Often the birds were met with in the ricefields but almost without exception on harvested dry fields. I did not record observations during January to March, generally the months of most rainfall. 22. Eupoda asiatica (Pallas) Eastern Dotterel This plover is less rare perhaps than one is inclined to suppose on account of the few times we really saw it. On 7th November, 1960 several were present on dry ricefields of the North polder of which two were collected; in the afternoon there were 10—15 in exactly the same spot. On 13th November some were observed in the Gali Ephata marsh, containing hardly any water at that time and on 15th December, 1960 there were three on dry ricefields of the South polder together with some Pluvialis dominica. Bulletin B.O.C. , 121 Vol. 84 In November 1959 some were observed along the shore and I am sure I have more records from the beach between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers but I failed to discover them in the tremendous heap of notes I made. Mayr mentions only ‘‘two reliable records from the Papuan Region: Aru Islands and Astrolabe Bay’’, both far from our area. 23. Mesoscolopax (= Numenius) minutus (Gould) Little Whimbrel Mayr’s list mentions exactly the same localities as the range of this as for the preceding species but in October 1957 and in February 1958, 24 and four specimens respectively were observed close to Port Moresby by Mr. K. R. Slater (16). I observed it in all three years I spent in south New Guinea, sometimes in large flocks. Because its known range did not include our area and in view of the fact that so little is known of the species in its winter quarters, I think it worthwhile to publish my ex- perience. I did not observe the birds until 16th October, 1959 after a stay in south New Guinea of about nine months and the species is not mentioned in my notes of February till September 1962, so it is perhaps not such a regular visitor to that part of New Guinea as many other Scolopacidae. In my experience the birds prefer dry country (harvested rice-fields and burnt savannahs) in this respect agreeing with Glareola isabella, Eupoda asiatica and Pluvialis dominica. But contrary to both last men- tioned winter visitors I never saw Mesoscolopax along the beach, a habitat quite common to the larger Numenius phaeopus and N. madagascariensis. The species was seen in both polders of the Rice Estate, within the extensive surrounding savannahs and 20-30 miles inland. My observations in south New Guinea are from October 1959, October till December 1960, April, May and June 1961. At Sorong (west New Guinea) I saw a specimen on 30th September and 6th October, 1962 and in the Kebar Valley (Vogel- kop) also in October 1962. The birds were seldom seen alone and even ob- servations of less than ten individuals were not common in my experience; 20-30 were seen on 27th October and 10th November, 1960, on 14th, 15th and 16th April and on 27th May, 1961. On 20th November, 1960 I saw a flock of about 70, on 19th April, 1961 about 100 and a day later 150-200. On 21st and 22nd April there were again many but I did not count them. On both occasions near Sorong the bird was alone, looking for food on mangrove mud and on a dry field not far from the coast; in the Kebar Valley there were several together with Pluvialis dominica on the aerostrip in an extensive plain covered with a grass-like vegetation. Specimens in south New Guinea were secured on 12th October and 10th November, 1960. Latest records are from 27th May, about 15 specimens and 11th June, both in the North polder. 24. Limosa limosa (Linn.) Black-tailed Godwit According to Mayr this godwit is recorded only once from New Guinea (Astrolabe Bay, north-east New Guinea). As is evident from the par- ticulars published under No. 33 and 34 Limosa limosa together with Calidris tenuirostris, Erolia acuminata and Charadrius leschenaultii is among the most conspicuous of the winter visitors along those beaches of Vol. 84 122 Bulletin B.O.C. south New Guinea that we know best. On several occasions flocks of several thousands have been seen. Though I observed the species regularly from September till May along the shore between the Maro and Bian Rivers, the largest concentrations were seen during October/November and April/May. In April 1961, as in 1962, extremely large flocks were observed often comprising several thousands. On Sth April, 1962 I secured 12 specimens together with seven Calidris tenuirostris and three C. canutus with one double shot! It was common to see the species still in May; in 1959 there were rather a lot on 29th and 31st May and even on 17th June I estimated their numbers at several hundreds. In April and May an increasing percentage was recorded showing partly the summer dress but at the same period such birds were mixed with large numbers still in complete winter plumage. I have never seen a single godwit except on the beach in south New Guinea. 25. Limosa lapponica (Linn.) Bar-tailed Godwit Mayr’s remark ‘‘Recorded from the Aru Islands, Rossel Island and from all parts of New Guinea’’ gives reason to suppose that this species should be common along the beaches of south New Guinea, the territory beloved of nearly all migrating Scolopacidae. In my experience this is certainly not so between the Maro and Bian Rivers where my observations of it are rather rare and I failed to obtain a single specimen. On 29th May, 1960 there were some along the muddy shore of Frederik Hendrik Island where they were looking for food together with some other migrants from the Northern Hemisphere. On 30th September several were seen on the beach between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers, solitary birds as well as some together but there were no flocks of any size. There were again some on 27th November, and on 18th February, 1962 some of these godwits were seen on the same beach amidst a small flock of Numenius phaeopus. On 12th March, 1961 a specimen was shot but it escaped to a place inaccessible to me. Though the flying bird can be distinguished at a glance from Limosa limosa on account of differences in colour and pattern of the lower back and tail, and when on the ground by its slightly larger size and longer bill which is tipped up, it is possible that the species escaped notice in a couple of cases, but I certainly do not believe that this happened many times. I am therefore quite sure that this godwit did not occur in large flocks within the territory of my observations and must be considered a less common migrant in south New Guinea during the period I worked there. As is the case with the preceding species I never saw it except on the beach. 26. Tringa stagnatilis Bechst. Marsh Sandpiper The Marsh Sandpiper was not as yet known from New Guinea when the first specimens came to my notice in April and May 1962 and because I failed to see the species on earlier occasions—though I am rather familiar with it in Indonesia—it is perhaps only an occasional visitor to south Bulletin B.O.C. 123 Vol. 84 New Guinea, though the bird was not rare during the period indicated above. On 13th April I observed a solitary bird in an inundated ricefield of the North polder; the following day there were at the least five in the same spot of which one was secured. On 17th April there were again five and on 21st April about ten of which two were obtained. Even on 8th May, 1962 there were still eight of these birds but I failed to see one on later occasions. The species was exclusively seen by me in muddy ricefields in shallow water or on wet mud, never, however, along the beach. 27. Tringa ochropus Linn. Green Sandpiper Again a species which was not known from New Guinea until I saw the first on 11th January, 1963 in the neighbourhood of Manokwari (Vogelkop) where generally very few migrating Scolopacidae were seen. I observed very well for a considerable time a solitary bird in a small pool of fresh water made by digging sand for road-building purposes, quite close to the aerodrome Rendani, where at that time were seen also 7Jringa glareola, Actitis hypoleucus and Pluvialis dominica, and sometimes also a single Gallinago sp. The call of this bird and the dark coloured inner wing, together with its clear white rump, were characters which were superfluous affirmations of its identification. When we returned to the place in the afternoon of that same day I did not locate the bird, nor did I see it later or elsewhere. 28. Tringa nebularia (Gunn.) Greenshank Mayr’s list states: ‘‘Recorded from the Aru Islands and a few times from New Guinea (Merauke, Daru)’’. Because of this last statement one might conclude that the Greenshank is rare in New Guinea, though there are some later records, e.g. from the Wissel Lakes region (Junge 9) and from Pulau Adi, Vogelkop (Gyldenstolpe 6). I will try to make it clear that this is certainly not so in those parts of south New Guinea that I know. Though usually the Greenshank may be looked upon as of not very common appearance, it was seen fairly regularly in the winter months of every year I spent there. The birds were observed along the beaches as well as in the wet ricefields and many miles inland along muddy riversides and other suitable habitats. Moreover this wader is a migrant which we observed more often during the summer of the temperate zones than was the case with any other northern migrant I know from that part of the world. On 6th May some were met with along the beach and a week later there were about ten scattered over an area of some miles along that coast between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers, of which two were shot, showing small gonads as was the case with birds obtained during March and September; they were all females! In the last days of May 1959 there were many along the shore of Frederik Hendrik Island, united with other migrating Scolopacidae. On 12th June, 1959 there were four on a fallow ricefield not far from the mouth of the Maro River and on 17th June, 1962, 15 were counted in one flock and on that same trip more small groups and solitary birds were met with, spread over a distance of some miles of the Vol. 84 124 Bulletin B.O.C. same coastline. On 6th July, 1959 there were some in Kurik’s North polder and on 9th August, 1962 several along the beach; on 16th and 17th August, 1960 a few were present in that polder and also in the Gali Ephata area. The Greenshank was never observed by me in large flocks, but usually singly or several together, sometimes with other Scolopacidae but more often not. Van den Assem 1) saw the species near Merauke in February till Apri} 1958 and observed a group of ten on 17th April, 1958. 29. Tringa glareola Linn. Wood Sandpiper Mayr’s list remarks: ‘‘Recorded from Waigeu and the Mimika River’’ so it seems also important to publish the results of my experience in south as well as in north New Guinea. This sandpiper was a regular visitor to both polders of Kurik and the surroundings of the Rice Fstate. Though I usually saw the birds alone or several together I repeatedly observed larger concentrations of ten to 20 spread over some acres of suitable habitat, including muddy ricefields from where they used to disappear when the ground became too dry. Such concentrations were found on 22nd and 23rd March, on 3rd and 11th April, 1961, on 19th and 26th March and also on 4th April, 1962. Four specimens were secured in March 1961 and April 1962. I never saw the species later than on 4th May. On 7th October, 1962 there was a specimen on a mudbank close to a tidal forest near Sorong and in 1948 Bergman collected one here (Gylden- stolpe 6). I also observed the species repeatedly near Manokwari, especially at the locality where Tringa ochropus (see No. 27) was recorded; on 30th November, 1962 there were two but on 11th January, 1963 five or six, as was the case on the following days and I obtained a specimen there on 17th January. (to be continued.) Observations on Cisticola njombe and nigriloris by C. J. VERNON Received 5th February, 1964 I spent the first twelve days of 1964 on the Nyika Plateau, accompanying C. W. Benson and C. S. Holliday on a Rhodes-Livingstone Museum collecting expedition. The escarpments of the plateau consist largely of Brachystegia woodlands, but above about 5,700 feet, to the highest points at about 8,500 feet, montane short grasslands predominate, with scattered relic patches of evergreen forest, bracken-briar and other rank growth, more especially below 7,000 feet. Most time was spent in the relatively small Northern Rhodesian sector, between 6,500—6,800 feet, where we were camped at the Government Rest House. Visits were also made to the grasslands up to 7,500 feet, and to the upper reaches of the Brachystegia. The ecology and altitudinal range of the ten species of Cisticola recorded may be summarised as follows :— | ayresii: grasslands above 6,500 feet. lais: bracken and grasslands, 5,700-—7,000 feet. njombe: bracken and grassland, above 6,300 feet. Bulletin B.O.C. 125 Vol. 84 woosnami: Brachystegia woodland. nigriloris: rank growth above 5,700 feet. cantans: rank growth, mainly in valleys, below 6,700 feet. natalensis: grasslands below 6,300 feet. brachyptera: grasslands with bushes below 6,000 feet. fulvicapilla: Brachystegia woodland. aberrans: Brachystegia woodland. The two species which are the subject of this paper may now be con- sidered in detail. Cisticola njombe Taxonomic: This species was originally attached by Lynes (1933, 1934) to C. aberrans, but Benson (1948) has shown that it is a distinct species, C. n. mariae, of the Nyika, being no more than slightly darker than C. n. njombe. Benson’s view was accepted by White (1962) and by Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1963), who placed C. n. njombe in the systematic order immediately following C. /ais, though White does not recognise the subspecies C. n. mariae. Differences from C. /ais. Wing-lengths (in mms) of specimens of njombe and J/ais collected are as follows :— njombe 44 oh di4edn 565 37 52 50, 51, 52, 52, 53 lais 63 pve Mae Yo Sa fo Ba ate 32 mt Mahe ale A sexual difference in size is well known in /ais, and it is supported by these figures. It is not so clear-cut in njombe, the figures given by Lynes (1933) even indicating a slight overlap. This difference between the two species was supported by my field observations. The specimens of njombe are more richly coloured on the upper side than those of /ais, the crown and tail being redder, the blackish streaking of the mantle and back margined with rufous rather than grey, the streaking showing up less boldly. The difference is especially apparent on the crown. Moreover in njombe the crown lacks any streaking, and the red colour extends to the sides of the head. This difference on the crown was even more obvious in the field, and it was possible without hesitation to distinguish the two species by this character alone. These were collected in the breeding season, in the rains, so are in summer dress. I have had the loan of four specimens of njombe, and five of Jais, from the National Museum, Bulawayo, collected on the Nyika during May, August and September, in the dry season, and so presumably in winter dress. Winter specimens of njombe only differ from summer ones in having the blackish streakings of the mantle and back margined slightly more rufous. Winter specimens of /ais differ from summer ones in having these marginations rufous rather than grey. But the most obvious difference is on the under side, which is strongly marked with buff in winter, merely greyish-white in summer and in all specimens of njombe. The distinctive features of the winter dress of /ais are also shown in other Vol. 84 126 Bulletin B.O.C. specimens loaned from the National Museum. Six from Mlanje and the Mafinga Mts., Nyasaland, collected in June, are quite distinct from six from eastern Southern Rhodesia and south-western Tanganyika, collected during mid-October to February. Incidentally, the four winter specimens of njombe have wing measurements 54, 56, 56 mm. in three males; 49 mm. in one female. Four juveniles of njombe, and five of /ais, were collected. Juveniles of njombe differ from adults in having the streaking of the mantle and back less bold, and margined with rufous without any greyish tone, while the crown, which is unstreaked, is not bright as in the adults, but practically concolorous with the rufous marginations of the mantle and back (in the field juveniles appeared much darker above than the adults). On the under side they are washed lemon yellow. Juveniles of /ais are streaked on | the crown, as in adults of this species, and are more boldly streaked on the ~ mantle and back than are juveniles of njombe, from which they also differ on the under side in tending to have the wash more buffy, less lemon in tone. Juveniles of njombe had the palate yellow, with two black tongue spots somewhat blurred together, whereas adults of both sexes had the palate black. Habitat: Njombe was found in the rank grass along open valleys and bordering forest and bracken patches. This can be divided into two categories, that of the undulating grasslands of the high Nyika above 7,000 feet. and that below 7,000 feet where montane forest is more extensive. On the high Nyika, njombe occurred in and along the edges of the many valleys, often dropping steeply to 200 feet below the short- grassed ridges. Fringing the valleys were thickets of bracken, tree fern and herbaceous plants, and in some places small patches of relic forest. Njombe was infrequent on the ridges, only ever in evidence where ranker plants such as bracken had encroached, as along the edges of roads. Njombe was the commonest Cisticola on the high Nyika, occurring between nigri/oris in the rankest areas and ayresii on the ridges. Lais was not found above 7,000 feet, whereas in 12 valleys over a distance of 16 miles on the high Nyika, njombe was seen on 38 occasions (total of 85 individuals, including 17 juveniles). On the low Nyika, njombe occurred mainly between 6,500 and 7,000 feet, at 6,300 feet it was infrequent, and was not seen at 6,000 feet. The vegetation is more complex than on the high Nyika, and is a mosaic of relic montane forest, regenerating secondary forest, bracken-briar and grassland. In the open valleys, resembling those on the high Nyika, njombe occurred in a similar density. This habitat is not unlike that of C. tinniens elsewhere in the Rhodesias. In the grasslands around the forest and bracken-briar patches both njombe and Jais occurred, often close together, and on three occasions they were found within yards of each other. On the rocky ridges interspersed with bushes of Protea and Philippia, lais occurred in numbers while njombe was sparse. To generalise, njombe frequented the ranker areas and /ais the more open and often rocky areas. Both species occurred in the intermediate areas around the forest and bracken-briar patches, but would only go into these when alarmed. Counts of njombe and /ais in these three habitats on the low Nyika were made, and are shown in the histogram. Bulletin B.O.C. 127 Vol. 84 CISTICOLA NJOMBE AND LAIS HABITAT PREFERENCES NJOMBE Occasions of occurrence in three different habitats LAIS Coe seceve 0 Ff 86 BO OF @ OPEN ROCKY EDGES OF FOREST RIDGES AND AND BRACKEN OPEN VALLEYS GRASSLAND BETWEEN RIOGES AND VALLENS. Habits: In this respect njombe bore no resemblance to /ais. Njombe had a distinct song, frequently heard, and a display flight, whereas /ais gave no clear song or display. The song of njombe was heard at any time of the day, even after sunset. A male living adjacent to our camp sang with great vigour and duration for about an hour between 5.30 and 6.30 a.m. On most mornings (the female was probably incubating eggs, as she Vol. 84 128 Bulletin B.O.C. was only seen before 7 a.m., though no nest was found). The song, ‘‘tsk, chul-lit, chul-lit, chul-lit . . .’’, was fairly rapidly repeated with a pause of about ten seconds between each burst, and on one occasion 37 individual bursts were heard. Each burst was introduced with a quiet “‘tsk...’’, rather like one of the alarm notes of the Stonechat, Saxicola torquata and between two and ten, mainly five to seven individual ‘‘chul-lits’’, were sung. It was not given from one perch for long, and the male near our camp sang from a bush or grass. The males made no physical display while singing, but the one at our camp did dance up and down on its perch when excited by the presence of the female. Males also sang in flight, and when chasing females the song became high pitched and excited, so that the ‘‘chul-lit’’ became slurred and indistinct. On two occasions singing males were watched making display flights (both had nests and eggs). This was a jerky flight, climbing at 60° for 15 feet to 20 feet, descending in the same manner, calling all the time. This display was quite like that of tinniens. During the incubation period, the male did not wain the female of intruders. The female when flushed would slip away, flying up to 150 yards from the nest, and there make a pretence of feeding. Unfortunately no nests were found containing young, so the reaction then of the parents to intruders was not observed. When the young leave the nest the parents become noisy when alarmed. The alarm call of the male is either ‘“pearp’”’ rather as in Prinia subflava, or much less frequently ‘‘deer, deer’’ re- sembling the rapid introductory notes of the song of C. chiniana. The alarm note of the female is a high pitched, short ‘‘pee’’. In both cases neither could be mistaken for the ‘‘weep’’ alarm notes of /ais. When the young first leave the nest they hide in the grass, but as they grow older | I they join the adults in the bushes when alarmed, and give the alarm note © of the female. Breeding: The seasonal stage reached was that many njombe were in family parties, with young at various stages out of the nest, or a smaller number were incubating eggs, probably of their second brood. In all 30 pairs were recorded with young out of the nest or eggs, 24 and six re- spectively. Of the family parties, eight were of 1Y, six of 2Y, nine of 3Y and one of 4Y, and of the eggs two clutches of c/2, three of c/3 and one of c/4. The eggs were all pale green in ground colour and were marked with brown of varying intensity. The 17 eggs averaged 16.7 x 12.3 mm. and vary between 15.5—17.6 x 11.6-12.8 mm. Nests of njombe were oval balls with a side entrance near the top, like those of /ais. Dry grass blades were used, coarser than in /ais. The outer frame was built first and small amounts of cobweb were used to hold it together and sometimes to bind it more securely to the site. Very fine dry _ rootlets and less often dry leaves were used in varying degrees, as in tinniens. The lining, thickest in the base, was of soft seed heads of grasses (Imperata sp.) and composites; it became compressed and felted as more was added. The nests were placed 4 to 12 in. up in either a grass tuft or a small herbaceous plant. Little attempt was made at concealment, and only a little cf the grass or plant was built into the nest, but /ais bowered the living grass over the nest as does natalensis. Bulletin B.O.C. 129 Vol. 84 Cisticola nigriloris This species was widespread between 5,700 and 7,500 feet. Benson (1953) records birds down to 4,500 feet near Nchenachena on the eastern Nyika escarpment, but on the western escarpment no suitable habitat was seen below 5,700 feet. Nigriloris is a conspicuous and noisy species, and was common in patches of bracken-briar, on edges of secondary re- generating forest and in rank valleys. It overlapped in habitat with cantans, lais and njombe. The birds went about in parties of up to nine birds. They would feed, hopping about in the bushes and undergrowth until one would fly on ahead, settle and siart calling. The others would follow, and as they joined the first so the intensity of song would increase. Sometimes this might develop into a display, but would shortly die down and they would resume feeding. This was repeated irregularly during the day, and a party of seven followed for a morning did so every 15 to 30 minutes. The call was a loud double noted squeak, rising and descending the scale, ‘‘flit- flou’’. A secondary call, given by the birds at the same time, was a quieter lower pitched squeaky, ‘“‘sssquip, sssquip’’, rather like the creaking leather makes when it is taut. Each member of the party was on the alert, and any one would give an insistent alarm squeak, ‘‘peat’’. This note was more drawn out and agitated when adults were alarmed at a nest. These calls have been heard all the year round by J. M. Feely (in conver- sation), and even two birds alone would call in this manner. A display which was a development of the mutual song was seen once. One evening, ten birds of two parties of four and six joined together. One bird would start to call, others joining in, with both primary and secondary calls, so that three or more birds were calling at once. Sometimes as others joined in so the first birds stopped. The primary call was repeated much faster as the birds became excited. The singing birds would perch close together, with beaks pointed upwards and they would jerk up and down flitting their wings and cocking their tails. Sometimes a short aerial flight was made, flying up a few feet and tumbling back to the perch, or flying down to the ground rapidly snapping their wings against their bodies, rather in the manner of a Bradypterus baboecala. As one set of birds started singing, so might another in an adjacent bush. Then feeding would take place before the birds started another display. Mrs. Lemon (in conversation), who has spent much time on the Nyika, said that the birds displayed like this all day in October, but now (January) only did so at sunrise and sunset. Breeding pairs did not defend their nest area from other individuals The nests found frequently had a party of birds nearby, and in one case four adults were seen carrying food to a nest and calling in alarm wnen disturbed Ten nests were found of which five were occupied. They were large bulky balls, rather like a small nest of Centropus. They were about 2-4 feet up, in one case 6 feet, and wedged into bushes, bracken and herbs. No attempt was made at concealment and one was at 4 feet, in an exposed Philippia bush on the bank of a stream. They were made of broad blades of dry grass, mainly of Panicum sp., but also of Setaria, Digitaria, Urochloa and Jmperata. A nest at the top of a pine sapling in a windbreak was made of grasses of all five of these genera. The grass blades were wrapped round Vol. 84 130 Bulletin B.O.C. the nests, and only traces of cobweb were used. The lining was of complete seed heads of grasses, in one case the ramenta of a tree-fern with soft pappae of composites on top. The contents of five nests were c/2, c/3, 2Y, 3Y, and 3Y and 1 addled egg. All the eggs are light green, tending to turquoise in ground colour, very finely and profusely marked with browns. Five measure 19.2-19.9 x 13.9-14.2 mm. and the addled egg 17.4 x 14.0 mm. The nestlings had two black tongue spots which blurred together and faded as they grew older. Juveniles not long out of the nest (three sets of 2Y, and one of 1Y) were easy to recognise by their short tails and yellow gape flanges. The fully grown juvenile (one set) could only be recognised by its yellow palate, that of the adults, as supposed by Lynes (1930: 328), being black. Four adults and six juveniles were collected. The juveniles differ from adults in plumage as described by Lynes (Joc. cit.), and had irides grey-brown rather than red-brown. Acknowledgements: I am greatly indebted to C. W. Benson, who made the Nykia trip possible for me, and for his help in the preparation of this paper, especially the taxonomic section. I am also grateful to M. P. Stuart Irwin, of the National Museum, Bulawayo, for the loan of specimens; to J. M. Feely and Mrs. Paul C. Lemon for information about C. nigriloris; to A. Angus, of the Agricultural Research Station, Mt. Makulu, for identifying the plants mentioned, and to the Director of the Rhodes-Livingstone Museum for various facilities. References : Benson, C. W. 1948. The correct affinities of Cisticola aberrans njombe. Bull. Brit. Orn. CI. 68: 122-123. — 1953. A Check List of the Birds of Nyasaland. Blantyre and Lusaka. Benson, C. W. and White, C. M. N. 1957. A Check List of the Birds of Northern Rhodesia. Lusaka. Lynes, H. 1930. Review of the genus Cisticola. Ibis (12) 6, suppl. — 1933. Description of three new sub-species of Cisticola. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 53: 168— 171. — 1934. Contribution to the ornithology of southern Tanganyika Territory. Journ. Ornith, 82, suppl. Mackworth-Praed, C..W. and Grant, C. H. B. 1963. Birds of the Southern Third of Africa, 2. London. White, C. M. N. 1962. A Check List of the Ethiopian Muscicapidae (Sylviniae), 2. Occ. Papers Nat. Mus. S. Rhod. 26B: 653-738. NOTE by C. R. S. PITMAN As the eggs of Cisticola njombe mariae and Cisticola nigriloris have not been previously described, C. W. Benson, with the consent of Carl Vernon, has asked me to examine these eggs critically. Cisticola njombe mariae. The 17 eggs of this species, which are smooth with slight gloss, vary—according to clutch—considerably in ground colour from pale greenish or pale greenish or pale greenish-blue to light greenish-blue (the green tint is pronounced in all), variously specked, in some streakily, and spotted—in one c/3 discretely and darkly, with a conspicuous ring zone around top of large end—buffy-brown or fuscous on underlying lilac-grey, minutely and finely but sparingly all over. In two of the sets (c/2 and c/3) the markings are bold and clouded—of broad pale streakings of pale buffy-brown on underlying very pale lilac-grey, | Bulletin B.O.C. 131 Vol. 84 most of these markings concentrated in a conspicuous broad zone around the top of the large end. In shape these eggs are mostly ovate, some elliptical, though a few (c/2) are rather squat and rounded. The lilac-grey markings are mostly not readily perceptible. Cisticola nigriloris. These five eggs (c/2 and c/3) are distinctive, in colour light turquoise (the c/2 are a bit paler) well spotted all over with light fuscous on underlying light lilac-grey and a tendency to form a cap at top or a definite zone around the top of the large end. The eggs are smooth with slight gloss and ovate in shape. These descriptions, insofar as is possible, follow the colour chart in the Handbook of North American Birds (1962) by Ralph S. Palmer. Reference: Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. (1952) Birds of Eastern and North Eastern Africa. Volume 1, London. Sarothrura affinis and some other species on the Nyika Plateau by C. W. BENSON AND C. S. HOLLIDAY On the expedition referred to in Vernon’s paper, above, the following species were collected in the Northern Rhodesian sector of the Nyika Plateau, the occurrence of which was not accepted by Benson & White (1957), or based only on sight records :— Sarothrura affinis antonii Madarasz & Neumann. 6, 7th January, right testis 13 x 6, left 17 x 6 mm., wing 81 mm., stomach contents macerated insect fragments. Although Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1962) record the species from Northern Rhodesia, we are unaware of any record prior to those now published. We came to associate with it a typically Sarothrura-like call, **huuuu’’, rising in the scale, lasting about two seconds, followed by an interval of about one second, and normally only repeated twice or thrice, though occasionally as many as thirty repetitions were heard. This call was frequently heard at any time of the day and also at night, and was presumed to emanate from the male (occasionally a rattling, tinny note, lasting two or three seconds, impossible to describe at all ad- equately, presumed to emanate from the female, was heard). It bore a strong general resemblance to those of other Sarothrura spp. (Ibis, 1956: 598), attributed to males. But it was perfectly distinct, in particular easily told from that of bozhmi in being more prolonged, from that of e/egans in being less so, while unlike that of /ynesi there was no change in intensity. Rufa has also been collected in this area (Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 72, 1952: 82), no doubt in lush vegetation by streams, but was not heard. It would be especially valuable if tape-recordings could be made of the very aturactive calls of all the Sarothrura spp., including pulchra, which C. W. B. has heard in the Mwinilunga District, and has been described by Chapin (1939). Pace Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1962), who record antonii as in- habiting marshes as well as moorland at high altitudes, only occasionally short grass, on the Nyika we only noticed it, commonly, in short grass and bracken on quite dry ground between 6,300 and 7,500 feet, and Vol. 84 132 Bulletin B.O.C. never on swampy ground near streams. Not only was it identified by voice, but occasionally individuals were flushed, when the red tail of the male can be distinguished. Cave & Macdonald (1955) record it from a grassy hillside in the Imatong Mts., Stoneham cit. Jackson & Sclater (1938) from long grass savanna in the Trans-Nzoia District, and Benson (1953) from dry short grass in Nyasaland. On the other hand, Meinertzhagen (1937) did collect it in moorland bogs on Mt. Kenya. ee eee J. M. Feely (in litt.) saw a male (red tail discerned in flight) on the Nyika in June; likewise C. B. Cottrell on 7th December. These dates, together with our own for January, and those in Benson (1953), do not suggest that this species has any movements in this part of Africa, unlike ~ certain other Rallidae. As other Sarothrura spp., it evidently breeds in the rains. Not only were the testes of our specimen greatly enlarged, but eggs have been collected in eastern Southern Rhodesia in January (Smithers et al., 1959). Coturnix coturnix africana Temminck & Schlegel. 43, 4-12 January. All in breeding condition, as was a female collected across the border in Nyasaland. Pogoniulus (Viridibucco) leucomystax (Sharpe). 6, 22, 2-10 January. Sylvia atricapilla atricapilla (Linnaeus). 9, 2 January. From edge of evergreen forest. Several males also seen. Hirundo daurica emini Reichenow. 9, 6 January. Ploceus (Xanthoploceus) bertrandi (Shelley). Adult 9°, with feathered nestling, 10 January; immature 3, 11 January. The first two specimens were collected by Vernon at a nest, very like that of P. xanthops, made of dry grass, lined with soft plant seed-heads, slung at the end of a Lippia bush, eight feet above rank grass and bushes by water, on the edge of a forest patch. In the colour of the head, the im- mature male agrees quite well with the right-hand figure in plate II, Jbis, 1893. The crown and sides of the head are mainly olive, some feathers being margined with blackish, none completely black as in the plate. The nestling is similar in plumage to the immature specimen. Both had the iris pale grey, whereas in the adult female it was yellow. References : Benson, C. W. 1953. A check list of the birds of Nyasaland. Benson, C. W. and White, C. M. N. 1957. Check list of the birds of Northern Rhodesia. Cave, F. O. and Macdonald, J. D. 1955. Birds of the Sudan. Chapin, J. P. 1939. The birds of the Belgian Congo. I. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 75. Jackson, F. J. and Sclater, W. L. 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. Mackworth-Praed, C. W. and Grant, C. H. B. 1962. Birds of the Southern Third of Africa, I. Meinertzhagen, R. 1937. Some notes on the birds of Kenya Colony, with especial reference to Mt. Kenya. Ibis, 14 (1): 731-760. Smithers, R. H. N., Irwin, M. P. Stuart and Paterson, M. L. 1959. Additions and correcti¢ns to the Check List of the Birds of Southern Rhodesia, Occ. Papers Nat. Mus. S. Rhodesia, 23B: 232-256. rere evista Lo edmsity of bsieiaties: Yon sa enoitudiuinoD Blea dol. 29th. sd 0} beeenbbs 9d iad TW “nobied. 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Bit event OH sa} 0) olds Vi) 22 YOO. 194 10 (so0Rvhe H oe K.2a8 nObnod: sont issn beans ae . qovaenoies 9 1 _s NO si ob Deveosbbn sdebluod« consbooqesnes jak ia si ekie hae der «700A buf’sd] o\> noernaH Of 9 4 TW2 nobrod (bao Uewmavd aa = . ¥ eee Ha AOY @OMITANM GVA 2R4KuId Whe Beh 2 Np GIST MIR aexknsvolt HT) vederoO dae SE. pad at AE aL) ip ae ee ihinnjauines saaach? ataae wT 7s BULL) “ZreOOIONTIAAO ie SITCAR acs vd 3 becbelticue vA B ban fi obra MI) ee6rT sinbestniolHt @ pox) tT To p hn Wg *, t Tea Le s . eae Le, Pe all J —") y >? ay) ef bg OP pA +. 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. 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. 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DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1964 20th October, 17th November, 15th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 104 London Road, Sevenoaks Kent. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by JOHN J. YEALLAND Volume 84 November No. 8 1964 i | Sas | ‘. owt +i i Mt ciate i reo te rie ts mae yi | patient eC aie myth tive a perth ag this ne a etc tL fe fori YRC Oe EI ye aig jh overeta ea Rea wee oh x fal 210, OH EIASQ Pr 4 i ' ey FF a CRD CL: FICS RM RES RCD, d ei CTA Ske GX Di HAS, wih sine ne : by 4 Mii os! a Boat Pee: DA PA aR 7% iY ‘ee ag i r 4 n : 2 ¥ 7 , i sta: Gaweentt aha Ma See. PTL REM ee f ers ns a warn 4 () : | er A f PCat ee ' t hy ae q +s a Lt cu 1 ¥ 4 : gee Pi ‘ ra 49 nS i ¢ . 7 nS! are , . 7 Zale if we EY - ‘ Lg! bi ht RATS <3 . t P z nS : pd a ee { } hig : PS ts hp fala apr ba ; { ai ee ve Heanbe 4 ~~ | DR Pv cua wv piace! ne ee ig ie may sb oe ‘ i x a mM y iy w yt ’ s 4 y ity ied 4 aes CUE RO Le Lee 2 } ht Oe he ols Sig ee cp ii a the nin te Pie hay j Yap Arhahy, , ee i} er air ae Ae . . fae she. Yi . ' * poet ma a a ee a) A Oh oe & PAR tai Pia it TC Malay DD Oe. Dace ae RT, Nit: Mae siete mae, st OTH Me he ee ecu ha ' et} SPIRES 1 hy Pe a i i a d re aa’) «Od ' 4 ; ipa PT A pir Li ae ait aie Haare AES Chae * oda, . Caprad ee, ; i: wie Vin cacy “ny ee “et (¢ ee he a ee 3 ue Ya ae oat : f a). Re oath ut tha i ut Hh Le ebay ie im ia) tHe tire al - BOR : an ‘ah 1964 133 Vol. 84 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB = 5 NOV 1964 Volume 84 Ave PeRLSEY SY Number 8 Neer ee | Published: 2nd November 1964 The six hundred and nineteenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on the 20th October, 1964. Chairman: Major-General C. B. Wainwright Members present 37; guests 12. Sir Landsborough Thomson spoke on the compilation and scope of A New Dictionary of Birds shortly to be published. Lady Lathbury showed and commented upon two films in colour of East African birds and mammals. Notes on Andropadus masukuensis Shelley and the status of Andropadus tephrolaema kungwensis (Moreau) by B. P. HALL AND R. E. MOREAU Received 10th June, 1964 We have recently had occasion to examine the status of Andropadus tephrolaema kungwensis described form the Kungwe-Mahari mountains on the east side of Lake Tanganyika (Moreau 1941: 60) and believe that it does not belong to the species to which it was originally ascribed but to Andropadus masukuensis (which certainly forms a superspecies with, and by some is regarded as conspecific with A. montanus—the older name). There are no very clear diagnostic differences between A. masukuensis and A. tephrolaema (sensu lato, including nigriceps subspp. and chlorigula) but in the latter the colours tend to be brighter and stronger, the bills blacker and heavier and the birds, on the whole, rather larger than in A. masuku- ensis. In colouring and bill character the Kungwe birds, now represented in the British Museum by two males from Kungwe and a somewhat damaged female from the Matali Mts. (about 6° N: 30° 30’ E. and 40 miles east of Kungwe) seem closer to A. masukuensis and in particular to A. m. kaka- megae. This is a grey-throated, grey-headed form known from the Elgon district and the mountains west of Lakes Albert, Edward and Tanganyika. It is represented in the British Museum only by the type, a male from Kakamega. We therefore applied to Professor Schouteden, who most Vol. 84 134 Bulletin B.O.C. kindly lent 29 skins from the mountains of the eastern Congo and a male from Mt. Elgon. This series shows that the northernmost birds tend to have the under parts a little brighter (with more yellow pigment) than the more southern birds. There is also a slight tendency for the northern birds to be smaller than the southern, and especially shorter in the tail: males from Elgon and Kakamega have wings 81, 82; tails 74, 74; from Wago, west of L. Albert, wing 75; tail 78; from Lutunguru, west of L. Edward, wings 78, 80, 80, 84; tails 75, 78, 82, 80; while males from the southernmost locality, Kabobo Mt., at about 5° S, west of Lake Tanganyika, have wings 84, 84, 84; tails 79, 81, 83. The biggest male of the whole series, from Masango, about 120 miles north of Kabobo, has wing 85; tail 82 mm. The two Kungwe males have measurements outside the range of the foregoing series, wings 91, 93; tails 89, 86, while the Matali female, whose wings cannot be measured, has tail 83, compared with 72-81 in the 9 Congo females available. Provisionally therefore, the name kungwensis is retained, on the character of larger size, for the population isolated on the east side of Lake Tanganyika, which will now be known as Andropadus masukuensis kungwensis. In the course of studying this species, specimens were borrowed also from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, through the kindness of Dr. Raymond Paynter, in order to ascertain the ranges in southern Tanganyika of the green-headed, green-throated A. m. masukuensis, the type locality of which 1s the Masuku Mts. of Nyasaland, just south of the Tanganyika border, and the green-headed grey-throated A. m. roehli, the type locality of which is in the West Usambara Mts., about 500 miles away in the north-east of Tanganyika. Specimens from the Uzungwe, Ukinga and Rungwe Mts. had all previously been identified as masuku- ensis (Bangs & Loveridge 1933: 187). We found that true masukuensis is confined to the Masuku Mts. Birds from Rungwe, about 45 miles to the north-east and separated by low ground, are very close to masukuensis, but show some approach to roehii. Those from the Ukinga Mts. which begin only 25 miles south-east of Rungwe and are connected with this mountain by ground over 6,000 ft., are also intermediate but closer to roehli, while those from the Songea district to the south as well as those from Uzungwe to the north can be regarded as A. m. roehii. References : Bangs, O. and Loveridge, A., 1933. Reports on the scientific results of an expedition to ye A Quinwicetets highlands of Tanganyika Territory. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 75: Moreau, R. E., 1941. A new race of Pigmy White-browed Robin-Chat and a new race © of the Mountain Greenbul from Tanganyika Territory. Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 61: 60. The African subspecies of the Great Crested Grebe by C. W. BENSON AND M. P. STUART IRWIN Received 30th March, 1964 Podiceps cristatus infuscatus Salvadori, type-locality Lake Kilole, southern Abyssinia, has been shown by Benson & Irwin (1963) to have a markedly discontinuous distribution in eastern and southern Africa, restricted to waters at higher elevations. In the Main Gamblian wet phase ending some 12,000 years ago (Clark, 1962), when conditions were Bulletin B.O.C. 135 Vol. 84 presumably also colder, so that it could have existed at lower elevations than in the present, its distribution may have been more continuous. The present study was prompted by a desire to ascertain whether the popu- lations of eastern and southern Africa, between which there is a gap extending from extreme north-eastern Northern Rhodesia to the Transvaal, differed in any way. Thanks to the following institutions and individuals we have had the loan of material of the palaearctic P. c. cristatus (Linnaeus) and of in- fuscatus from :— the British Museum (J. D. Macdonald and Mrs. B. P. Hall), the Transvaal Museum (O. P. M. Prozesky), the Durban Museum (P. A. Clancey) and the South African Museum (J. M. Winterbottom). In addition, in the National Museum, Bulawayo, there were already available two eastern African specimens, to which five more have been donated from the Coryndon Museum, Nairobi, thanks to J. G. Williams, and two palaearctic specimens from the Zoologisch Museum, Amsterdam, thanks to K. H. Voous. In all, nine specimens of cristatus from England, Holland and Rumania (six in summer dress, three ii winter dress) have been available; likewise 15 of infuscatus from the Cape Province, Natal and the Transvaal, and eight from Abercorn, north-eastern Northern Rhodesia north to Abyssinia. All the specimens of infuscatus are in summer dress _ except for one from Salisbury Island, near Durban, Natal, 7th July, 1959 (Durban Mus. No. 397). It was found oiled, and was probably an off- season migrant. Possibly, like cristatus, infuscatus in the southern sector of its range does have an off-season dress. This Durban specimen is marked (in Clancey’s writing) as adult, and we see no reason to differ from this opinion. Other dated southern African specimens, in summer dress, are for the following months :— March (one), May (one), August (three), September (three), November (one), December (three). Attention is drawn to this Durban specimen because according to Jackson & Sclater (1938) in Kenya and Uganda adults do not appear to lose the ruff at any time. Chapin (1932) quotes van Someren to the same effect. The colour differences between cristatus and infuscatus have been described by Grant (1915), infuscatus in particular lacking the white superciliary present in cristatus. Indeed some specimens of infuscatus tend to have the lores black or even completely so. Grant also found the upper parts and flanks to be darker in infuscatus. This is not so well marked a character, several southern African specimens being no darker than European, though the eight eastern African specimens are all quite decidedly blackish. Six of them were collected as recently as 1959 or later, but the difference cannot be due to post mortem changes, because the single Abyssinian specimes examined, from Lake Ashangi, collected as long ago as 1868, is no less dark and blackish. Witherby er a/. (4, 93, 1943) give as a further character that infuscatus has the chestnut of the ‘‘tippet’’ more yellowish, but this we cannot uphold. Considering possible differences between southern and eastern African specimens, the majority of the former are certainly paler on the upper side and flanks. Also, excepting the Abyssinian specimen, five from Lake Naivasha, one from Lake Basotu, northern Tanganyika and one from Abercorn have little intervening chestnut between the white of the throat and the black of the ‘‘tippet’’, the southern African specimens (and those of cristatus) having more extensive chestnut. There is possibly also some Vol. 84 136 Bulletin B.O.C. difference in the colour of the bill. In three southern African specimens it was recorded by the collector as mainly reddish-brown; in the specimen in winter dress from Durban as deep shell pink, culmen dusky, but in four from Lake Naivasha as follows :— dark blackish-horn tinged red, lower mandible paler; blackish-horn, tinged red on lower mandible; reddish- brown, paler on lower mandible; dark horn with reddish tinge, paler on lower mandible. In the specimen from Lake Basotu it is recorded as dull reddy brown. The eastern African specimens do seem to us even now to have darker bills than the southern African, and indeed than the European. Witherby et al. (4, 1943) give the bill in adults of cristatus as carmine with culmen dark horn-brown. However, none of these three characters is sufficiently constant or clearly defined to warrant formal separation of the eastern African population by name. Measurements in mm. of the material examined are as follows :— Wing Culmen from base Europe 3) SS 187, 189, 189, 190, 191 56, 58, 62, 62, 64 3 QP 179, 179, 182 52, 55, 58 lo 190 60 Eastern Africa 533 179, 181, 182, 185, 190 56, 57, 59, 59, 64 3 99 174, 178, 180 52, 54, 56 Southern Africa 533 173, 176, 179, 179, 181 54, 58, 60, 61, 62 7 2 162, 166, 174, 174, 174, 177, 180 52, 54, 54, 56, 56, 58 300 178, 179, 189 53, 62, 62 In addition, Mrs. B. P. Hall has kindly given us the wing measurements for further specimens in the British Museum :— (a) Eastern Africa (Kenya and Uganda), 3 gg, 179, 183, 189; 2 99, 172, 185 mm. (b) Southern Africa, Phos iy. Tr ee Thus, regardless of sex and considering the figures in Witherby et al. (4, 1943) for European birds, the extremes of wing-lengths are as follows :— Europe: 175-195. Eastern Africa: 172-190. Southern Africa: 162-189. There is considerable overlap between the three series of specimens measured by us, though the averages, including Mrs. Hall’s figures, work out respectively at 186.2, 181.3 and 175.9, the European being the largest, the southern African the smallest. The unsexed southern African specimen with wing 189 mm. is outstandingly large. The measurement has been re-checked and is correct. Those of the two very small southern African specimens, wing 162, 166 mm., have also been re-checked. Nor can we find any evidence that they are in moult. The culmen-lengths show no significant difference at all, the averages working out respectively at 58.5, 57.1 and 57.3, the European figure being slightly the largest. To conclude, if isolation between the eastern and southern African populations continues, it might be that in another 10,000 years the latter would be worthy of a subspecific name. References : Benson, C. W. and Irwin, M. P. Stuart, 1963. Some comments on the ‘‘ Atlas of European Birds’’ from the Ethiopian aspect. Ardea, 51 (2/4): 212-229. Bulletin B.O.C. 137 Vol. 84 Chapin, J. P., 1932. The birds of the Belgian Congo. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 65. Clark, J. D., 1962. Carbon 14 chronology in Africa south of the Sahara. Act. IV Congr. Préhist et Etud. Quartern. III. Pré- et Protohist.: 303-314. Grant, C. H. B., 1915. A collection of birds from British East Africa and Uganda. Part 1. Ibis, 58: 1-76. Jackson, F. J. and Sclater, W. L., 1938. The birds of Kenya Colony and the Uganda Protectorate. London. Witherby, H. F. et al., 1943. The Handbook of British birds, 4. London. Intestinal caeca in the South African Columbidae by Mites B. MARKUS Received 21st April, 1964 Intestinal caeca are to be found in some columbid species but are absent in many others. The specific variation shown by the Columbidae with regard to the presence or absence of these diverticula would appear to be of special interest in view of the fact that the majority of avian families do not exhibit the same inconstancy. If the Green Pigeon Treron calva (Temminck & Knip) is placed in a family distinct from the Columbidae, 12 South African species (6 genera) belonging to the latter category are currently recognised. A number of specimens of each of the following species have been dissected: Rock Pigeon Columba guinea Linnaeus, Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola (Sundevall), Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus), Namaqua Dove Oena capensis (Linnaeus) and Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos (Wagler). Intestinal caeca are absent in O. capensis and T. chalcospilos but are present in C. guinea, S. capicola and S. senegalensis. They are also present in the Red-eyed Turtle Dove Streptopelia semi- torquata (Rippell) (Verheyen, 1957: 9). Existing information for certain other South African representatives does not appear to be altogether satisfactory and data on those not listed above are either inadequate or lacking and should, where possible, be based on the examination of more than one bird, in view of the fact that the presence in this family of a single intestinal diverticulum as an intra- specific variation is not unknown (Beddard, 1898: 308; Mitchell, 1901: 239). There is reasonable evidence that caeca are absent in the Blue- spotted Wood Dove Turtur afer (Linnaeus) but confirmation would be useful. In the case of the Rameron Pigeon Columba arquatrix Temminck & Knip, careful examination of the wall of the gut in the area of junction between the ileum and rectum should be made, if possible, in the case of fresh specimens rather than those which have been placed in a preservative. One hesitates to say whether or not the caeca are of any systematic importance as taxonomic value cannot be assessed independently of adaptive significance. Whatever their function may have been in the past, the present role of the vestigial intestinal caeca in the Columbidae is probably nothing more than lymphatic. This paper was prepared while the author held a Research Grant awarded by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Re- search. References : Beddard, F. E., 1898. The Structure and Classification of Birds. Longmans, Green & Co., London. Vol. 84 138 Bulletin B.O.C. Mitchell, P. C., 1901. On the intestinal tract of birds, with remarks on the valuation and nomenclature of zoological characters. Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond., Ser. 2, 8: 173-275. Verheyen, R., 1957. Analyse du potentiel morphologique et projet de classification des Columbiformes (Wetmore 1934). Bull. Inst. roy. Sci. nat. Belg. 33 n° 3. On the races of the Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus wintering in south-eastern Africa by P. A. CLANCEY Received 17th March, 1964 Rudebeck (1963) has recently endeavoured to review our present know- ledge of the races of the Holarctic Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus (Linnaeus) occurring during the period of the northern winter in Africa south of the Cunene and Zambesi Rivers, from which general area two forms are currently admitted, viz., N. p. phaeopus (Linnaeus), 1758: Sweden, usually considered to be of general disposition, and N. p. alboaxillaris Lowe, 1921: Inhambane district, Mocambique, believed known from within present limits only on the basis of the original material taken in Portuguese East Africa. Unfortunately, Rudebeck worked on notes taken from skins in the Transvaal Museum collection many years prior to the preparation of his note, and did not have later access to the material, all of which was collected over half a century ago. ' The series of Whimbrels in the Durban Museum collection is com- paratively fresh, several having been taken within recent years, and study of this assemblage throws much light on the question of the races occurring in South Africa, showing that three races occur within South African limits in the east. Apart from several examples of the nominate race taken in Durban Bay, Natal, in the months of December, March and April, two specimens of the much disputed N. p. alboaxillaris, a 3 and ° taken on 27th December, 1961, are included in our series. Originally believed to have its breeding grounds on the south-east African coast and the Mascarene Islands, N. p. albo- axillaris is now known to nest on the steppes lying between the lower reaches of the Volga and Ural Rivers, to the north of the Caspian in Kazakhstan, U.S.S.R. (see Dementiev and Gladkov (1960)). N. p. alboaxillaris is slightly paler on the upper parts and wings than N. p. phaeopus, the scapulars and tertials rather more edged with whitish, and the rump and upper tail-coverts are white, only the longest of the last named with reduced transverse barring. On the under parts whiter than the nominate race, the ventral streaking more restricted to the lower throat and upper breast, the lateral surfaces approaching plain white, while the axillaries and under wing-coverts are white without the transverse sepia barring of other races, the dark areas reduced to fine mesial streaks. The two specimens from Natal represent the first records of the race concerned for the Republic of South Africa, and are the most southerly examples of the race yet taken. The finding of these skins in our collection confirms Rudebeck’s prediction that this form would be found to the south of Mogambique. In addition to the specimens allocated to N. p. phaeopus and N. p. alboaxillaris, a specimen showing the diagnostic characters of a third race requires to be considered. A male in its first year taken on 12th October, 1961, in Durban Bay has the white surface of the back and rump densely Bulletin B.O.C. 139 Vol. 84 freckled and streaked with light sepia, these markings merging imper- ceptibly into the speckling and transverse barring on the upper tail- coverts. On the under parts, the ground to the throat and breast streaking tends to be browner than in N. p. phaeopus, and the transverse barring of the lateral surfaces, including the flanks, is also more intense, while the axillaries are heavily transversely barred with sepia. Unfortunately, the specimen concerned is in full moult, but gives the following measurements : wing (flattened) 214, exposed culmen 76, tail 90 mm. It has been carefully compared with specimens of N. p. variegatus (Scopoli), 1786: Luzon, Philippines, from China, Sarawak and the Solomons sent out from the British Museum (Natural History). The specimen from Durban is exactly matched in the extent of the white back and rump speckling and axillar barring by a 3rd December, 1956 2, N. p. variegatus from Batang Salak, Sarawak, and a 5th May, 1911 9 from Wei-hai-wei, China, and is only a little less speckled than in a 3 from Malau Paina Island, Solomons, dated Ist April, 1934. A fourth N. p. variegatus from the British Museum col- lection, a ¢ from Shanghai, China, dated May 1898, is in more abraded dress than the others, the mantle feathers quite eroded, and has the entire white back, rump and upper tail-coverts densely speckled and transversely barred with sepia. In the light of these observations, I attribute the 12th October, 1961, specimen from Durban to N. p. variegatus. This race has not been suspected of reaching Africa during its non-breeding peregrina- tions, not being listed by Sclater (1924-1930) and later authors. Ridgway (1919) defined the characters of N. p. variegatus when com- pared with WN. p. phaeopus as ‘“‘rump always more or less (sometimes heavily) spotted; axillars more heavily and extensively barred; size averaging smaller (wing averaging 227 in male, 237.7 in female; exposed culmen 73 in male, 78.8 in female; tarsus 55.5 in male, 56.2 in female)’’, The specimens of N. p. variegatus available from the eastern wintering grounds (localities given above) are not smaller, and if anything range a little larger than in our N. p phaeopus, having wings in 2 3¢ 241, 251, exposed culmens 82.5, 84, tails 95.5, 100; 2 92 wings 247.5, 253.5, culmens 82, 92.5, tails 97, 98 mm. I suspect Ridgway’s measurements are of unflattened wings. The wings of 7 g¢ of N. p. phaeopus available to me measure 222- 245.5 (234.0), culmens 77-84 (80.0), tails 95-102 (98.2), while a single 2 has a wing of 242.5, culmen 81, tail 98 mm. Though the material at hand in Durban is not sufficient to make any worthwhile pronouncement, I believe that the range of size-variation within both WN. p. phaeopus and N. p. variegatus is such that this variable is of doubtful use for the deter- mination of the races concerned, and the pygal and axillar characters are, in my view, much more definitive. The breeding range of N. p. variegatus seems not to be in contact with the eastern populations of N. p. phaeopus, judging by the valuable range map in Voous (1960), and is situated in eastern Siberia from about the Lena River eastwards, and the form winters in southern and eastern Asia, south through the islands of the Sunda Chain and Philippines to New Guinea and neighbouring and western Pacific archipelagoes and Austra- lasia (after Peters, 1934). Occasionally to the eastern seaboard of Africa (Natal once). Arising from this study of the material of the Whimbrel from Natal in the collection of the Durban Museum, it can be concluded that three races Vol. 84 140 Bulletin B.O.C. occur in the non-breeding season in the bays and estuaries of south- eastern Africa, these being N. p. phaeopus, N. p. alboaxillaris and N. p. variegatus. The first named is plentiful, while the second, which has a restricted breeding range in comparison with the first, is probably more general than the circumscribed records from Mocambique and Natal suggest, while the last named is almost certainly of rather irregular occurrence, the main wintering grounds being further to the east than Africa. Recently, Calidris ruficollis (Pallas), which also breeds in eastern Siberia and has not hitherto been suspected of occurring in Africa, has also been taken in Durban Bay, Natal (Clancey, 1964). I am grateful to Mr. J. D. Macdonald, Keeper of the Bird Room, British Museum (Natural History), London, for the loan of relevant material. References: Clancey, P. A. 1964. Jbis, 106, 2, pp. 254, 255. Dementiev, G. P. and Gladkov, N. A., 1960. Systema Avium Rossicarum, vol. ii, p. 101. Peters, J. L. 1934. Check-List of Birds of the World, vol. ii, p. 261. Ridgway, R, 1919. The Birds of North and Middle America, part viii, pp. 396, 397. Rudebeck, Ge 1963. South African Animal Life, vol. ix, pp. 501-503. Sclater, W. L., 1924-1930. Systema Avium Aethiopicarum, part i, p. 135. Voous, K. H., 1960. Atlas of European Birds, p. 138. A further note on the egg of the Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius Stephens by CHARLES R. S. PITMAN Received 11th February, 1964 I referred (*) to an egg of Cuculus solitarius, found in Southern Rhodesia, which was not the usual coffee colour, but was pale green marked with a few rusty-brown spots, some of them very pale and very small; and from which a Red-chested Cuckoo eventually hatched and was reared to maturity. I have now received from Mr. G. H. H. Brown, a Regional Government Agent (prior to independence known as District Com- missioner) in the Rift Valley Region of Kenya, the description of a some- what similar egg of this cuckoo. It is a very blunt oval and reckoned to be about 20-22 mm. by 17-18 mm. (but not precisely measured); the ground colour fairly light blue, densely freckled all over with medium and light brown, and closely resembling the eggs of the British Blackbird. The precise locality is Baragoi in the Samburu District, an area of open, tree- less plains of grass and small bushes, intersected by watercourses lined with several species of acacia thorn-trees and Ficus. The Red-chested Cuckoo is not uncommonly heard calling along these watercourses. The egg was found on 20th December 1963 at a time of the year when the rising sun comes over the horizon at 0645; it was laid between 0700 and 0715. The nest tree was a small 15 feet high acacia, in fresh leaf, within 20 feet of a Government Rest House. The cuckoo suddenly commenced to call a few minutes before 0700, and at such short range the repeated call was ‘‘quite deafening’’. Peering into the tree, Brown saw a Red-chested Cuckoo sitting on a small nest and when he moved a little closer to get a better view a small shrike—not identified as the sun was in his eyes— almost certainly a Tchagra—flew out of the nearby leafy branches, but was only in view for an instant. The nest was a typical Tchagra nest. As Bulletin B.O.C. 141 Vol. 84 this bird did not return and no other small bird was seen there, it was not possible with certainty to establish the identity of the host. According to Brown ‘‘The cuckoo fell silent for a few minutes after I returned to my seat. It then called again repeatedly for about a minute, and fell silent again for a further few minutes. At 0712 it again began to call repeatedly; at some time during this second silence it had turned round on the nest, though I did not see it actually do this. After over a minute of continuous calling, it again relapsed into silence; but very shortly after, called three or four times and then abruptly flew away’’. He was able to watch the cuckoo through binoculars at close range for quarter of an hour. No other cuckoo was seen or heard in the vicinity at the time, nor did he hear any answering calls to those from the bird on the nest. Unfortunately, he did not look on the ground below the nest to see whether an egg had been ejected. As Brown was due back there in a week he left the cuckoo egg in the hope of making some further observations, but when he returned the egg had disappeared and the nest was empty and deserted. There was no trace of any egg on the ground below. This is a particularly valuable observation as it is an additional record of an unusual type of C. solitarius egg which has (/.c.) been recorded from Southern Rhodesia, from the Belgian Congo (oviduct) by Chapin (7: 190), and vide (*: 68) figured by Nehrkorn and said to come from ‘Massai-land’ in East Africa. A C. solitarius egg from the nest of the Cape Wagtail, Motacilla capensis sent me from South Africa is pale greenish heavily marked with shades of brown and may link the previously described spotted or freckled egg with the well-known normal type which is so profusely and finely marked as to appear almost immaculate. References : 1 Pitman, C. R. S. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, 81 (3) 48-49, 1961. 2 Chapin, James P., Birds of the Belgian Congo, 2, 1939. 8 Friedmann, Herbert, The Parasitic Cuckoos of Africa. Washington Academy of Sciences, 1948. Nesting materials used by Cisticola juncidis (Rafinesque) by DEREK M. ComINs Received 16th March, 1964 The nest of Cisticola juncidis has been described by Lynes (1930, 79) as :— **.. . of soda-bottle type . . . with entrance facing skywards,; made by binding together a large number of soft green grass blades with plant fibres and cobweb, and lining copiously with plant down... In its materials, the nest of juncidis more or less resembles those of other Cisticolae, but the type of architecture and particularly the skyward entrance hole is quite unique and identifies the owner with certainty.”’ A nest (E.L. 8833) donated to the East London Museum by Mr. R. A. Bode of Idutywa, Transkei, Cape Province, agrees in appearance with the above description. The nest is 11 cm. in height; the diameter is 5 cm. at the base and 3 cm. at the apex; the diameter of the entrance hole is 2.5 cm. The nest is suspended (the base being approximately 5 cm. from ground level) in a living tuft of Eragrostis curvula. The walls and base of the nest consist of a thin tissue which binds the inner surfaces of the grass leaves. The leaves are not laterally contiguous: threads of material from the nest are laced round the leaves at intervals. Vol. 84 142 Bulletin B.O.C. It was noticed that there is a crimp in the material at the apex of the nest. In view of the fact that no reference is made by Lynes (1930) and Vincent (1948) to the use of wool by Cisticola juncidis in nest construction, material from the nest was forwarded to the South African Wool Textile Research Institute for determination. The material was found to consist (definitely) of wool and (by comparison) spider-web and hair which was thought to be from the pappus of Asclepias fruticosa. The use of wool in addition to spider-web in the construction of the nest of this Cisticola is of interest for Skead (1959, 278) has described a similar phenomenon in the case of the Cape Penduline Tit [Anthoscopus minutus minutus (Shaw and Nodder)]. In both cases the use of wool reflects the availability of this material due to the advent of wool-farming in the areas concerned, together with a degree of plasticity in the choice of nesting material by the birds. I wish to thank the Director of the East London Museum for placing the nest of Cisticola juncidis at my disposal. I am indebted to the Director (per Mr. L. A. Kerley) of the South African Wool Textile Research Institute for identifying the nesting material. References: Lynes, H., 1930. Review of the Genus Cisticola. Ibis, 6: 673 pp. Skead, C. J., 1959. A Study of the Cape Penduline Tit Anthoscopus minutus minutus (Shaw & Nodder). Ostrich, Suppl. No. 3, 274-287. Vincent, A. W., 1948. On the Breeding Habits of Some African Birds. /bis, 90: 284-312. On birds new for New Guinea or with a larger range than previously known by A. HOOGERWERF (continued from page 124—October 1964) 39 & 31. Gallinago megala Swinhoe and G. hardwickii (Gray) Pin-tailed and Japanese Snipe Both these species of snipe were not as yet known from the western part of south New Guinea, but about Kurik in the wet ricefields as well as in the seasonal swamps between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers we saw them regularly during the rainy period. In April 1962 very often snipe were observed in Kurik’s North polder, almost exclusively on fallow ricefields covered with grasslike and other vegetation. In May 1961 as well as in 1962 they were in those paddyfields and in 1962 even as late as Sth June a specimen was seen, flying so well that we did not suppose that it was a wounded or otherwise handicapped bird. On 17th August, 1960 the first snipe of that season was observed in the South polder! Representatives of this genus were also recorded near Manokwari and in the Kebar Valley (about 500 m. above sea level, Vogelkop) and accord- ing to Gyldenstolpe 5) both these species were also secured in the Western Highlands of Central Papua whereas G. megala is mentioned for the Wissel Lakes area by Junge 9). Though I am fairly convinced that in most cases it was the larger Gallinago hardwickii which I observed (of which two specimens were secured) it is certain that G. megala also occurs in south New Guinea Bulletin B.O.C. 143 Vol. 84 because one (2) was shot on 18th December, 1959. On 6th May, 1961 (9) and Sth April, 1962 (2?) two G. hardwickii were obtained. On account of the difference in wing size (160 and 162 mm. in hardwickii against 145 mm. in megala) and in view of the difference in number and construction of the tail feathers I am sure that it is hardwickii and megala that are discussed here, which are quite different in size and other charac- ters from Gallinago stenura and G. gallinago known from Indonesia. For five females of G. megala Gyldenstolpe 5) mentions as wing and bill size 140-144 and 67-73 mm. (our bird has a culmen of 67 mm.) and Junge 9) gives as wing size for two females 144 and 146 mm. and for two females of hardwickii the first author measured wings of 159 and 166 and a culmen of 68 and 73 mm. (our birds have culmen of 67 and 71 mm.). Gilliard and Lecroy 4) mention a wing of 144 and 145 (g) and 144 (°) mm. for Gallinago megala from Victor Emanuel and Hindenburg Mountains and the very heavy weight of 207 ($) and 224 (2) gr., when compared with the weight found by me for a female of the same species (132 gr.). Both these birds were shot on 26th March and 17th April, so shortly before their return to the home range whereas my specimen with a weight of only 132 gr. was secured in December, thus perhaps shortly after its arrival. Also when compared with the weight of both specimens of (much larger) G. hardwickii secured by me also in April and May, 166 and 170 gr., these two megala specimens were very heavy. Seasonal differences in weights of 90-120 (September) against 155-170 gr. (April) were found on Java in the species Gallinago stenura (Oliver 13). Though from these figures it is evident that there may be a considerable difference in weight between recently arrived snipe and those just before their return to the breeding grounds, I suppose in this case the difference between hardwickii and those megala from the Hindenburg Mountains, all obtained in the same season, cannot be correct. 32. Erythrogonys cinctus Gould Red-kneed Dotterel This is certainly not a regular visitor to the part of New Guinea dis- cussed here because I observed it only three times, all in April 1961. The first was seen and bagged on a wet ricefield on 10th April; on 14th April, there were two at exactly the same locality and on 16th April two specimens were observed of which one was obtained. All these were apparently stragglers from Australia where the species is common in certain parts. This dotterel was not recorded for New Guinea until now. 33. Calidris tenuirostris (Horsf.) Eastern or Stripe-crowned Knot Because the Eastern Knot is only mentioned in Mayr’s list for Port Moresby, Astrolabe Bay and Trobriand Islands so far as it concerns New Guinea, it seems important to record that this northern migrant is among the most common winter visitors along those beaches of south New Guinea we know best, nearly always present during September till May. Together with Limosa limosa, Charadrius leschenaultii, Erolia acuminata and Calidris canutus, this knot appears there in many thousands. Enor- mous flocks were observed on 11th March, 22nd April and 27th November, 1960, on 31st March and 9th April, 1961 and also on 18th and 25th February and on Sth and 15th April, 1962. On 6th November, 1959 eight and on 9th November seven were bagged, several with a single shot. Vol. 84 144 Bulletin B.O.C. In May many were still present and even on Ist and 23rd June and on Ist July and as late as 25th August they were seen along the beaches. On 6th September, 1960 I saw several hundreds of migrants, for the greater part this knot and Erolia acuminata, but they had perhaps newly arrived from their northern breeding grounds. So far as I can remember and can be traced in my notes, I never saw this species beyond the beach. 34. Calidris canutus (Linn.) European or Grey-crowned Knot The species was not as yet known from New Guinea though it may be considered a rather regular visitor to the localities frequented by Calidris tenuirostris and most other migrating Scolopacidae. Usually both species of knot were recorded in mixed flocks, sometimes together with other waders, especially those already mentioned when discussing the Eastern Knot (No. 33). They were most numerous during autumn (October, November) and early spring (March, April) but from December till February less common and sometimes absent, though the fact that birds in full winter dress are more difficult to distinguish from the Eastern Knot may lead to this conclusion. On 5th April, 1962 some enormous flocks containing perhaps 3—5000 Calidris tenuirostris, C. canutus and Limosa limosa were along the beaches between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers of which 22 belonging to these three species were obtained with a double shot. On 10th April there were again huge flocks; also on 15th April. During that period a large percentage of the observed individuals already showed distinct traces of the spring plumage making such birds at once distinguishable from the Eastern Knot with which they were seen in nearly all cases. Towards the end of April their numbers declined but on 28th April I counted 150 together with some Limosa limosa. The latest observation is of 6th May but—as was the case in April—there was still an important percentage in full winter plumage. 35. Crocethia alba (Pallas) Sanderling Again a species which is not in Mayr’s list, but van den Assem (1) mentions a visual observation along the shore near Merauke (16th February, 1958). In my experience this migrant from the Northern Hemi- sphere is certainly far from being common in south New Guinea for I observed it only on very rare occasions and only along the beach between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers. But because this bird is not of striking appearance it may have been overlooked a number of times amidst the immense numbers of northern migrants which used to visit these areas. On 27th November, 1960 I saw my first specimen with a small flock of Charadrius leschenaultii; this bird was shot. About a week later, on Sth December, another was seen and for the last time I saw one on 18th December. 36. Erolia testacea (Pallas) Curlew-Sandpiper This is another northern migrant not previously known from New Guinea though presumably it too may be considered a regular visitor to south New Guinea. The first was seen along the beach between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers on 19th April, 1959, together with many other migrating Scolopacidae. On 25th May, 1960 some were met with in a mixed flock of many other Bulletin B.O.C. 145 Vol. 84 migrants, Erolia ruficollis, Erolia acuminata, Xenus cinereus and Tringa nebularia. This was on a mudbank along the south coast of Frederik Hendrik Island. Almost exactly three years after my first record, viz. on 15th April, 1962, two were recorded on the same beach as in 1959 and in that period the species was a rather regular, maybe even a permanent visitor to the wet fallow ricefields of the North polder. On 13th April two were secured there and they showed far advanced spring dress though some others seen on the same occasion still had their winter plumage. On 17th April there was a bird wearing a nearly complete spring dress together with one in winter plumage and some days later there were *‘winter-birds’’ looking for food on the partly inundated paddyfields where a large number of other waders, principally Erolia acuminata, did the same. There were still some in the latter part of April; the latest observation is of 25th May (1960) when I saw some together with a number of other migrants, which may be considered a late date for birds breeding in the Northern Hemisphere. I failed to see more than about five together though as a rule mixed with other Scolopacidae. From my experience the Curlew-Sandpiper may be observed along the beach as well as more inland, but the species is perhaps exclusively a visitor of a muddy habitat. 37. Limicola falcinellus (Pont.) Broad-billed Sandpiper When Mayr’s list appeared the species was not known for New Guinea but Junge (9) mentioned its occurrence on account of two specimens ob- tained in November 1939 in the Etna Bay (south-west New Guinea). On 19th April 1959 a single specimen was picked up after we killed it together with some Erolia acuminata on the beach between the Kumbe and Maro Rivers. We did not recognise it until we took it up and it was the only time the presence of the species was established with absolute certainty, though we are almost sure having observed it on 25th and 26th May 1960 on coastal mudbanks along the south coast of Frederik Hendrik Island about 20 miles east of Cape Valsch. Also in both these cases some of them were with a small flock of Erolia acuminata. Because we have very little experience with the Broad-billed-Sandpiper it may be that we repeatedly overlooked it amidst the many other Scolo- pacidae visiting the beaches of southern New Guinea, especially when mixed with Erolia ruficollis. We do not suppose this species to be more than a rare visitor to the part of New Guinea discussed here. 38. Phalaropus lobatus (Linn.) Red-necked Phalarope Though Mayr remarks that this species is ‘‘very common between Halmaheira and Waigeu and along the north coast of New Guinea between Waigeu and Dampier Islands’’ I failed to detect a single specimen along the west coast of the Geelvink Bay and the north coast west of Manokwari, areas which were fairly regularly visited by me between October 1962 and March 1963. The species is also known from the Aru Islands and Misool, but at Sorong too, where I stayed during the first part of October 1962, I did not see it though Bergman observed flocks resting on the sea during a journey from Sorong to Pulau Adi (Gyldenstolpe 6). I also failed to record the species on Frederik Hendrik Island during my visit in May 1960 or in the Mappi and Asmat regions which I visited in the latter part of 1959 and again in the beginning of 1960. Vol. 84 146 Bulletin B.O.C. I have only a single observation from south New Guinea where a solitary bird was seen on 24th January, 1959, a few days after my first arrival at Kurik. That particular bird was swimming in a shallow puddle in an inundated ricefield of the South polder where it was observed at close range during a long period so that there is not the slightest doubt about its identity. From my experience it seems that this phalarope must be con- sidered a very rare visitor to south New Guinea, contrary to nearly all other migrating waders of which many species are common and often in huge numbers. 39. Stiltia isabella (Vieill.) Australian Pratincole Mayr thinks it possible that this pratincole breeds in south New Guinea on account of a young bird from Merauke, without, however, giving any particulars concerning the approximate age of that bird or its present whereabouts. He further mentions the species for Astrolabe Bay and Utanata and Digul Rivers. Because I am of the opinion that this bird visits the surroundings of Merauke and the whole south coast of western New Guinea exclusively as a migrant or straggler from Australia where it is said to breed (Neville W. Caley 3) between September and February—during a period of absence in south New Guinea—it seems worthwhile to publish my experience. I failed to meet with the species during January, February, April, October and December and I have only one record for March: on 22nd March, 1961 there was one specimen on a fallow ricefield near Paal Putih along the mouth of the Maro River. I only once observed it in November; all other records are from between May and September with minima (and only in 1962) during August and September. The birds appeared in large numbers during May and the beginning of June 1961 on harvested ricefields of both polders at Kurik. On Ist June I estimated the number in the South polder at about 200; I had never seen so many of them and several were very ‘‘tame’’. In the late evening of 28th May 50-75 of these resting or sleeping birds were startled by the lights of my motorcycle when I drove over a distance of about 800 m. along the main road through the North polder. I stopped because I was afraid of running over the birds! In 1962 the first specimens were seen on 10th May and during the whole month varying numbers could daily be observed in both polders but the species was distinctly less common than in the previous year. Also during the months to come the birds were regular visitors to Kurik and surround- ings but in August and September coming only sporadically though about twenty were seen on 6th September (North polder). During 1959 and 1960 observations were rather rare: in 1959 only during June and no more than a very few; in 1960 there were some at Paal Putih and in the North polder, on 6th July ‘‘quite a few’’ in this last polder and on 17th August only one at that same locality, but on 10th November 15-20 in the South polder. This was my only November record. When in south New Guinea this pratincole seems to prefer very dry, often burnt-off savannahs, harvested or fallow ricefields and similar habitats, but along the beach between the Maro and Bian Rivers it was not uncommon. On 13th May, 1962 about 70 were seen scattered over a distance of some miles along the shore and on 17th June and 2nd Septem- ber several were seen on the same beach. Bulletin B.O.C. 147 Vol. 84 The erratic occurrence of the species, shows a striking resemblance to the northern Pratincole G/areola pratincola which may appear in thousands on Java during certain winters but is rare or absent in other years and the fact that the present species almost without exception was seen during the Australian winter, in any case outside the breeding period there, does not indicate that it breeds in the southern part of west New Guinea. These birds nearly always appear in groups or large flocks without any sign of pair forming or other pre-breeding movements and all four birds collected in June and November showed poorly developed gonads. Therefore I think it justified to consider the species a migrant or straggler from Australia. Perhaps the young mentioned by Mayr was already large enough to reach New Guinea by flight; otherwise it must have been the result of an exceptional breeding. 40. Chlidonias leucoptera (Temm.) White-winged Black Tern The record of the first specimens of this tern from New Guinea secured in April 1936 on a reef 12 miles off shore near the Benituri River, where the species was said to be ‘‘fairly common about the reef’’ (Rand 15) came too late to be included into Mayr’s list. Because this remained the only record for this country it seems worthwhile to publish my notes from which it is evident that it is perhaps a rather common visitor to south New Guinea. During my trip through the Frederik Hendrik Island in May 1960 I observed the species almost daily above the extensive freshwater swamps, forming the greater part of that island. On 27th May I called this little tern in my diary ‘‘of rather common appearance’’: several specimens were seen in far advanced spring dress showing distinct differences from Chlidonias hybrida, certainly a more common visitor to south New Guinea. In Kurik’s ricefields a still more beautiful ‘‘summer-bird’’ was seen on 20th and 24th April, 1960, showing a striking contrast with some others of the species in winter plumage. On 23rd April, 1961 there was a flock of about 30 mixed with Chlidonias hybrida, among which were four /eucoptera in beautiful spring dress and in the late afternoon of Sth May, 1961 I saw a remarkable performance when a similar flock of 35 birds circled with high rapidity above an inundated ricefield of the South polder for almost an hour; in this flock there were six in perfect spring plumage. This was the largest group ever observed by me in that part of the world. Birds showing traces of the spring plumage were seen on several oc- casions in April and May 1961 of which two were secured on 10th April but on 6th May I saw specimens still showing apparently full winter plumage. Because the species was very numerous on Frederik Hendrik Island on 27th May and birds in summer dress are rather common in other parts of south New Guinea during April and May, possibly it breeds in New Guinea. However, their common appearance just in those months might point also to the probability of birds passing the coastal lowlands on their way to the breeding grounds in continental Asia. 41. Hydroprogne caspia (Pallas) Caspian or Giant Tern This large tern was repeatedly observed along the beach between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers. The first seen on 27th November, 1960 was of striking appearance because of its large dimensions and huge pure red bill. Vol. 84 148 Bulletin B.O.C. On 4th December there were several on the same beach and on 19th February, 1961 there were four of them together, all apparently fully adult birds which was also the case with a specimen seen on 31st March. A year later, on 25th February, 1962, there were ‘‘rather many’’ at different places along that same beach and on 9th August, 1962 there were two on the shore between the Kumbe and Maro Rivers. With the exception of both these latter birds, which were passed at very close range, all observed specimens could not be approached within gun-range so that I did not succeed in obtaining one. Van den Assem (1) mentions the species fcr the first time for New Guinea: on 16th April, 1958 he observed a single bird along the beach near the mouth of the Kumbe River in the neighbourhood of a small flock of Gelochelidon nilotica. Though the Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) can be found along the coast as well as more inland—it is of common appearance in Kurik’s ricefields—the Caspian Tern was only observed along the beach. 42. Anous minutus Boie White-capped Noddy *“Islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean from the New Guinea region and Queensland to the Tuamotu Group’’ is the range as indicated in Mayr’s list, which may be correct, because I, too, know this tern from rocky islands far away from larger land masses. I observed the species on 24th July, 1962 in a rather strange habitat viz. along the muddy bank of the Maro River in the immediate neighbourhood of Merauke’s harbour! This may be the first record from New Guinea’s continent, though Rand (15) mentioned the species from Daru and Mabaduan, localities quite close to the shore of east New Guinea’s south coast. After having observed this bird at close range for a considerable time which enabled us to identify it without the slightest doubt, it flew low above the water to the middle of the Maro River alighting on a place where a second specimen was discovered. These, in my opinion, were very strange surroundings for this noddy and no doubt an exceptional case, though an employee of Kurik’s Rice Estate whom I know as a keen observer of birds told me that he had seen a similar behaviour—sometimes of several together—on different earlier occasions. (to be continued.) Notes on the African Finfoot, Podica senegalensis (Vieillot) and the Chilean Torrent Duck, Merganetta a. armata Gould by A. W. JOHNSON Received 29th February, 1964 I feel that the differences in the habits and behaviour of Podica and Merganetta are just as striking as the similarities(*). Some of these are: Merganetta, apart from its remarkable efficiency in navigating ‘‘white’’ water is an expert diver while Podica is evidently extremely reluctant to do SO. Merganetta feeds exclusively below the surface, Podica while floating on it. Bulletin B.O.C. 149 Vol. 84 Podica, hugs the banks and when surprised away from cover will ‘ ‘freeze motionless alongside a rock with nothing but the top of the back showing above the water’’. Merganetta never does this (as far as I know) and rather than hug the bank spends most of the day on or around some favourite stone or rock near the middle of the river or stream where the current is running strongest. For Merganetta two is certainly not the usual clutch (I suspect the clutch cited by Phillips was incomplete) but rather 3-5 if the eggs and broods of young so far recorded or observed are to be regarded as typical of the species. In Podica the vestigial claw is used for climbing. This is not the case— at any rate I have never seen any such indication in Merganetta. I agree with Whiteley’s and Crawford’s statements that the facility with which they scramble up the slippery surfaces of water-lashed rocks or rounded stones is indeed marvellous but the wings are not used in this process and my impression (not yet proved) is that it is accomplished by a combination of the stiff tail and a vacuum-creating effect of the webbed toes. Merganetta, as far as is known, always nests in holes and in true duck fashion buries the eggs in its own down. The nest of Podica is evidently completely different. Reference: 1 Pitman, C. R. S., 1963. Bull. Brit. Orn, Club. 83, (7) 127-132. A New Zealand Scaup x Tufted Duck by BRYAN L. SAGE Received 4th May, 1964 The New Zealand Scaup, Aythya novae-seelandiae (Gmelin) is a species found only in New Zealand, Auckland and Chatham Islands. It made its appearance in waterfowl collections in Europe and America only com- paratively recently and is still far from numerous in captivity. There are no authentic records of hybridization between this and other species of ducks either in the wild or, until recently, in captivity. The only previously published record of hybridization involving the New Zealand Scaup concerns a cross with the Pochard, Aythya ferina (Linn.) which is mentioned in the Ninth Annual Report of the Wildfowl Trust, and is repeated by Gray (1958). Mr. S. T. Johnstone of the Wildfowl Trust informs me that this record is in fact incorrect and that the parentage of the hybrid in question was Aythya ferina x Aythya marila. The Wildfowl Trust did not receive any New Zealand Scaup until 1958. The present paper describes the previously unrecorded hybrid of New Zealand Scaup x Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula (Linn.). This hybrid, which was prepared as a study skin in November 1962, is an adult male in full plumage now in my collection. The bird was bred in captivity and wild hybrids of this parentage are not of course to be expected as the geogra- phical distribution of the two species does not overlap, either during the breeding season or in the winter. DESCRIPTION AND MEASUREMENTS In order to facilitate easy comparison the plumage characters of the hybrid, together with those of the males of New Zealand Scaup and Tufted Duck, are given in tabular form :— Vol. 84 Head and neck Under parts Upper parts New Zealand Scaup blackish with strong purple and green iridescence; forehead steep; chin and throat dull blackish- brown. breast dark blackish- brown shading into brown and white, but more brown than white on the belly; vent blackish; sides of body and flanks from lower breast to tail-coverts rich dark chestnut. uniform blackish with fine ‘* pepper and salt’’ pale brownish. vermiculations; rump and upper- tail coverts blackish-brown. 150 Hybrid as N.Z. Scaup; forehead almost as vertical but not quite as high; feathers of crown at rear forming a crest as in Tufted Duck. breast blackish, shading into white with sparse brownish vermiculations; belly and vent washed brownish grey becoming blackish on tail- body and flanks grey-brown vermiculated whitish. as N.Z. Scaup, but with purplish gloss on upper tail- coverts Bulletin B.O.C. Tufted Duck black, glossed purplish on crown, crest, cheeks and sides of neck; but with greenish gloss evident in some lights. upper breast black; lower breast, belly, sides of body and flanks white, the latter often with faint dusky freckling; lower belly white finely vermiculated dusky; vent and under tail-coverts black. black with dull greenish sheen: mantle and scapulars very finely dusted with buffish. Wings underwing white; as N.Z. Scaup, but primaries dusky wing feathers with the greenish brown with darker blackish with gloss more tips, and inner dark greenish evident. webs paler; inner gloss on primaries; primaries with white speculum on outer webs whitish; secondaries. secondaries white broadly tipped blackish, the innermost black glossed dull green. Measurements of males in millimetres New Zealand Hybrid Tufted Duck Scaup Wing 175-187* 205 198—208* Bill 38-41* 40 38-42* Width of bill at nostrils 20:5 23 22-24 Depth of bill at nostrils 16 20 18 Maximum width 23 pa 25—25.5 * From Delacour & Scott (1959); remainder of measurements taken by the author. The measurements of the hybrid, as can be seen from the table, are rather heterogeneous. The only really intermediate measurement is the Bulletin B.O.C. 151 Vol. 84 length of the bill from the feathers. In both wing length and the width of the bill at the nostrils the hybrid matches the Tufted Duck. It is inter- esting to note that the depth of the bill at the nostrils is greater than in either of the parent species, whilst the maximum width is identical to the New Zealand Scaup. DISCUSSION The New Zealand Scaup is clearly closely related to the Tufted Duck and the Greater Scaups, all of which are at present Holarctic in their breeding distribution. The evidence for this relationship is based primarily on morphological characters, and it would be interesting to have a detailed behavioural and ecological study of the New Zealand Scaup to provide further evidence. Certain evidence on the phylogenetical relation- ships of Aythya species has been discussed previously by Harrison & Harrison (1960a & b, 1961, 1962) and Sage (1955, 1962). It is interesting to note that in the hybrid a number of Tufted Duck characters have gained expression, and overall the morphology is closer to this species than to the New Zealand Scaup. It is interesting to theorise on the origin of the New Zealand Scaup. There is a certain amount of fossil evidence which allows an approximate date for the origin of Aythya as a genus to be given. The indications are that Anseriformes had its origin and early developement on the continent of Europe and began to spread elsewhere about the middle of the Tertiary Period, about 25,000,000 years ago in the Miocene. Howard (1950) states that true ducks and swans of modern subfamilies first appeared in the Oligocene of Europe, i.e. about 40,000,000 years ago, and that some of the former have been referred to the genus Aythya. The fact that many of the modern species of this genus had evolved by the Pleistocene is proved by the existence of fossil remains of the Redhead Aythya americana (Eyton), Canvas-back Aythya valisineria (Wilson), and Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis (Eyton) in Pleistocene strata in North America. It is in- teresting to note that the Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris (Donovan), a species that is also closely related to the Tufted Duck and Scaups and whose present range is largely sympatric with that of the Lesser Scaup, is represented by fossil remains in the Lower Pliocene of Nevada. It seems reasonable, therefore, to postulate that the Ring-necked or Collared Duck is of greater antiquity than the Lesser Scaup, and that its early ancestor reached North America from Eurasia at an early stage and developed specifically before the onset of the ice age. The means by which the New Zealand Scaup or the ancestor thereof reached New Zealand, and when it did so, are matters for speculation. Two possible solutions are available, namely direct immigration from the northern hemisphere, or colonisation via Australia. According to Fleming (1962) five of the endemic New Zealand species of overseas genera are possibly of Holarctic (north temperate) origin, and in this category are included the New Zealand Scaup and the now extinct Auckland Island Merganser Mergus australis Hombron and Jacquinot. There is no doubt at all that a considerable percentage of the New Zealand avifauna is derived from Australia. The New Zealand Brown Teal Anas aucklandia chlorotis Gray for example is clearly related to the Chestnut Teal Anas castanea (Eyton) of Australia. Examples of recent colonisations from this \Wol. 84 Rd 152 : Bulletin B.O.C sou re the Grey Teal Anas gibberifrons gracilis Buller which arrived in the last century, and the Australian White-eye Aythya australis aust- ralis (Eyton) which arrived at the same period but failed to persist. The New Zealand Scaup is now a long way removed geographically from its nearest relatives, and the fact that there is no close relative in Australia or the intervening tropics does not necessarily mean that one did not exist in those regions in the past. There are precedents for this in other faunal groups: three frogs of the family Leiopelmidae are at present found in New Zealand but the family no longer exists in Australia or the Orient as it did in the past, but is represented in North America. For an explanation of this phenomenon one has only to look to the climatic changes that occurred in the Pleistocene and later. Australia is currently in an arid phase which, the evidence suggests, commenced with marked aridity in the early Recent. There is ample fossil evidence of a quite diverse aquatic fauna which existed in Australia prior to this phase. Similar remarks apply also to New Zealand where the fossil record contains enough evidence to justify the theory that there existed a period in which waterfowl and grassland birds flourished and then died out, probably as a result of drought conditions (see Falla 1953). In view of the very distinct specific status of the New Zealand Scaup it seems probable that it reached New Zealand quite early, possibly the early Pleistocene or even considerably before, and survived the glacial and subsequent climatic fluctuations in suitable refuges. If this is in fact the case, then the evo- lutionary history of the New Zealand Scaup and the Ring-necked Duck seem to have much in common, for the latter must also have survived the glaciation of North America. Possibly both species reached their present geographical areas in the early phases of dispersal from con- tinental Europe in the Tertiary. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am very grateful to Mr. John Hall of Ixworth, Suffolk, for kindly presenting me with the hybrid that forms the subject of this paper. Dr. G. V. T. Matthews of the Wildfowl Trust arranged the loan of a male New Zealand Scaup which was essential for comparative purposes. Finally, I have to thank Dr. C. A. Fleming for sending me separates of various papers. References: Delacour, J. & Scott, P. (1959). The Waterfowl of the world. Vol. 3, London. Falla, R. A. (1953). The Australian Element in the Avifauna of New Zealand. Emu 53 :36-46. Fleming, C. A. (1962). History of the New Zealand Land Bird Fauna. Noftornis 9:270 274. Gray, A. P. (1958). Bird Hybrids. Farnham Royal. Harrison, James M. & Harrison, Jeffery G. (1960a). On varieties of the Tufted Duck, with an account of an unrecorded type of variation. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 80 :25-28. — (1960b). Further remarks on Female Plumages of the Tufted Duck. ibid 80:141-142., — (1961). Varient winter plumage of the female Tufted Duck. ibid 81 :103-—105. — (1962). Variant winter plumage in the Scaup. ibid 82:43. Howard, Hildegard. (1950). Fossil Evidence of Avian Evolution. Jbis 92 :1-21. Sage, Bryan L. (1955). Comments on the Relationship of some Ducks in the Genus Aythya Boie. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 75 :53-54. — (1962). Notes on some Ferruginous White-eye x Tufted Duck hybrids. ibid 82 :55-60. € ca Bs aS . SoM net Eset PS 98 bara > LSB TET 8 oy 4% ie te vel ’ ¥ .e%: mide pe RS CF > VLBA nt) B vh 3S som. } Hn ea i eere. UST) di1i be (AH a Ay ey - od os " ye , ® od 5 i We) : af mii rt } M np A h ead © ,* } pe ¥ ‘ale ‘“— n ; 29 “74 ; ) a } pete 33 <. Ff °4 1 IG. Ue Oe 1% ‘ ’ ; 7 <* ' . 1_- my ae x ps On pute lj & “itr? - yh Pa & ease @ ri a} ’ “ } . ase P > - ’ ' ‘ ~ ie 4 v\.\ : Meh ee Ly ; LA ?i eee Or eS i ¥,* 1 Vel 4 iT He ; } iy ; aw - Pest l wworl adr ol sidagyvan 92 F CSA if ¢ ATA if ya : . / oles ; a .“~- 8 j 2 7 ’ 7 = Paw 1990C, fith) i! és) Day a7 ,? ¥ ¢j gt yin ai Tse rai . om 4 tite ’ . , ; At e4¢ : wile} ADA a Viet o, : iv ¢ : ‘ 1 * ’ a heron adewg é Se a a pe “ 7 n pre Paes BUI 2 LIMO NOlMrDAn 1 raat Ls ore tor KF iw dite). 44) sy : aS iT. bostls at tol eral y La an Ppbiode goose s bi : ROT tat. 205 « alt | Nerd ee OES deel is Ane a Pe at j ite - 4 5 @ ‘ Al sine Lste ft oil =» K “ i; b. ‘ Li y r ag ~~ ittee - Va: . 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. 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. noy., 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 thirty 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 5s. 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 Mr. Wadley. SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN The Bulletin may be purchased by non-members annually for 40s. (payable in advance) or per copy 5s., payable to the Hon. Treasurer, P. Tate, 4 Broad Street Place, London, E.C.2 CORRESPONDENCE Other correspondence should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, Mr. C. J. O. Harrison, c/o The Bird Room, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, S.W.7. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1964 17th November, 15th December. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, 104 London Road, Sevenoaks Kent. BRITISH BULLETIN OF THE ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Edited by JOHN J. YEALLAND CLUB December 1964 mic side OF Ae. gapee ‘soubies Scheniefie huge are 3 pe pe. HSC A Realeenctss, stmt) wt Ne ot ere ae aga MigaghtA abt. fs 1964 153 Vol. 84 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ | Volume 84 Number 9 Published: Ist December 1964 The six hundred and twentieth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, London, on 17th November, 1964. Chairman: The Right Hon. the Lord Hurcomb Members present 28; Guests 5. Mr. R. E. Moreau spoke on birds of Australia and Tasmania seen by him on a recent visit to these countries, illustrating his talk with coloured slides, several of which were kindly lent by Messrs. M. G. Ridpath and Graham Pizzey. A summary, so far as it concerns the Australian continent, will be published in the Bulletin. A paper on the avifauna of Tasmania by M. G. Ridpath ef a/. has been accepted for publication in /bis. On birds new for New Guinea or with a larger range than previously known by A. HOOGERWERF (continued from page 148— November 1964) 43. Macropygia amboinensis (Bonaparte). Long-tailed Cuckoo-Dove For none of the eight subspecies of this dove mentioned in Mayr’s list the area between the Maro and Bian Rivers is indicated as part of their range, but the species is of regular appearance in that area. They could be seen and secured in well-forested parts of the Paal Putih region along the mouth of the Maro River as well as in heavy mixed forest covering the banks of the Kumbe River up to 50 or 60 miles inland; also in thin Eucalyptus-Melaleuca forest around Kurik and in the Gali Ephata area and in narrow edges of mangrove jungle along small rivulets debouching into the Arafura Sea. After we got acquainted with the peculiar call of this bird, (showing some similarity to representatives of the genus living on Java) it became evident how common it really is in the area discussed here and that these birds do not even avoid the immediate neighbourhood of human buildings. Individuals secured in May, June and August had poorly developed reproductive organs, but three shot in September had those organs well developed (99 ova of 2—3 and ¢ testicles of 3 x 8 mm). Though Mayr’s list mentions as the range of Macropygia nigrirostris ““All New Guinea, in lowland and hill forest up to 1,450 m.”, it was not Vol. 84 154 Bulletin B.O.C. before my stay at Manokwari that I set eyes on the first of this smaller species, which I never saw in southern New Guinea. At Manokwari and surroundings M. amboinensis could be seen as well without enabling me to find out clear differences in habitat. 44. Charmosyna placentis(Temm.) Yellow-cheeked Parrakeet or Lorikeet This lorikeet was known only from the Oriomo and Fly Rivers so far as it concerns south New Guinea. This range can be extended to the area between the Maro and Bian Rivers where six specimens were secured from the thin Eucalyptus-Melaleuca forest surrounding Kurik’s ricefields and the Gali Ephata swamp and from high trees in the immediate neighbourhood of Kurik’s Estate Yard. The species was also at Agatz (Mappi Region) about 240 miles north-west of Kurik where it could be observed daily in- the afternoon (April, 1960) visiting a termite nest high up in a tree of the mangrove association. Females obtained on 19th March and 21st June showed small gonads as was the case with a male shot on 2nd September but a second male from that same date had the reproductive organs well developed: testicles 2 x 4 mn, whereas males obtained on 21st June and 31st August had medium- sized gonads. Trichoglossus haematod and this Charmosyna are the most common of the Psittacidae within the area dealt with in this paper, where also Opopsitta gulielmi IIT, Probosciger aterrimus, Kakatoe galerita, Larius roratus and periodically Aprosmictus erythropterus and Kakatoe tenuirostris are to be seen, though the usually quickly moving C. placentis and Opopsitta gulielmi III are more difficult to observe and to identify because of their small size and preference for thick cover in the tops of high trees. 45. Kakatoe tenuirostris sanguinea (Gould*) Little Corella This small white cockatoo is not included in Mayr’s list but van Bemmel? mentions it for south New Guinea on account of some specimens which reached the Netherlands as cage birds about 1958. from Mr. R. Kooper, — at that time Navy surgeon at Biak. The occurrence of the species near Merauke was based on a communication from this gentleman “‘that the birds were caught without doubt at Merauke’’ which in my opinion is a rather weak argument. Though van Bemmel does not exclude the possibility that the species settled near Merauke after having crossed the Torres Strait he thinks it more probable that it could have been introduced by man. My experience, however, points to the probability that the settlement in New Guinea of this Corella, as the Australians call the bird, is not of recent date. The erratic occurrence of these birds may be one of the main reasons of late discovery; also the fact that the species, when observed at a distance can be confused with the Yellow-crested Cockatoo, K. galerita. Though during certain periods the Corella is of daily appearance in and around Kurik’s ricefields, occurring periodically in large flocks, sometimes it seems absent as is evident from my diary notes which do not mention the bird during March, April, November and December! Though the presence of this rice consuming cockatoo may be influenced, of course, by * In considering sanguinea a subspecies of tenuirostris I follow G. F. Mees: An annotated catalogue of a collection of bird-skins from West-Pilbara, Western Australia; Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 44, part 4, p. 102/3, Bulletin B.O.C. 155 Vol. 84 the availability of food, its absence during that period cannot be caused by that because attractive rice was often there in those months. At Kurik the species seems to prefer the crop shortly before the harvest, but we observed repeatedly that freshly sown grains were dug up and consumed at once. It was on such a field that, on 19th January, 1960, the maximum number of 384 was counted. Shortly before that, on 8th January, about 200 were seen, feeding on a ripening crop. On 18th June, 1962, there were about 80 looking for grains spilled during the mechanical harvesting but usually the number seen by me varied from a few to about 35, often mixed with the larger Yellow-crested Cockatoo from which it is distinguish- able because of its smaller size, crest and different call. Though we observed this species principally in or around the ricefields where lots were shot and examined by me, in October, 1960, many speci- mens—on 19th October, about 200—were found along the Kumbe River feeding on seed-bearing plants. On that occasion they were with large numbers of the Red-winged Parrot, Aprosmictus erythropterus. The many birds examined by me proved to have poorly developed gonads which makes it evident that the Little Corella only visits the surroundings of Kurik outside the breeding season so perhaps it should be looked upon as a migrant or straggler from Australia. 46. Dacelo tyro Gray Large Jungle Kingfisher The subspecies tyro is only known from the Aru Islands and archboldi from “‘Southern New Guinea between the Morehead and the Wassi Kussa Rivers’’. This last range is too small to be realistic which is proved by the fact that in December and January, 1936-7 more than 20 specimens were secured from the Middle Fly River district as was published after the appearance of Mayr’s list (Rand?®). In view of this, the occurrence of the species in the more western region between the Maro and Bian Rivers seems logical. It is a rather common bird at Kurik and surroundings and far upstream on the Kumbe River: it could also be observed on the small well forested island Pulau Habé between Merauke and the Frederik Hendrik Island where it was one of the most common residents and three specimens were secured (October, 1959). In many places known to me the species frequents the same habitat as the larger Dacelo leachii, which however is less numerous and apparently does not prefer large complexes of forest and shrubbery as does tyro which gives the impression of being a real forest bird, rather like Dacelo gaudichaud. 47. Halcyon nigrocyanea Wallace Black Kingfisher As the range of the subspecies nigrocyanea Mayr states: ““western New Guinea eastward to the head of Geelvink Bay and on the south coast to Princess Marianne Strait’? and for the race strictolaema “‘from the Fly River to Mount Cameron, southeastern New Guinea”’. From the Fly River area the species was recorded anew in October, 1936, when three males were secured according to Rand?°. From this it is evident that the species was not as yet known from the area between Princess Marianne Strait and the Fly River so that the bird we observed and secured on 29th September, 1960—which is the only specimen ever seen by me!—is the first known from that particular area. This bird was observed in the thin Eucalyptus forest along the Gali Vol. 84 156 Bulletin B.O.C. Ephata irrigation tank, where it could be closely approached, behaving as is typical for most members of the family. 48. Merops philippinus (Meyer) Brown-breasted Bee-eater So far as it concerns south New Guinea this bee-eater was known only from Princess Marianne Strait, but after the edition of Mayr’s list it is also mentioned for Lake Daviumba, Middle Fly River (Rand?*). However, there is no doubt that the range of this beautiful bird is much more exten- sive because it was found in nearly all areas visited by me and often proved to be rather common. At Kurik and far surroundings it was common and also breeding; it was found by me in the ricefields and nearby savannahs as well as in the extensive grass wildernesses between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers and besides we often met with it along the beach. Larger concentrations were observed on 31st March, 1961 (North polder), 3rd June (“large flocks, once about 50,”’ North polder) and young birds hardly able to fly were seen on 15th May, 1962. Large, well! feathered young (two) were taken from a nest hole at the Estate’s yard quite close to buildings on 26th November, 1960. Many (15~—20) birds scratching nest holes in the lawns around the staff houses were observed in September, 1962; at that time every day a number of birds could be seen sitting on the electricity wires in front of my house. During my visit to the Frederik Hendrik Island in May, 1960, this bee- eater was observed nearly every day. 49. Rhyticeros plicatus (Blyth) Wreathed Hornbill According to Mayr the range of the subspecies ruficollis should cover western and southern New Guinea, eastward to the Head of Geelvink Bay and to the Noord River, whereas the range of the race jungei should include east New Guinea, westward at least to the Mamberano River in the north and the Fly River in the south. Therefore the species was unknown from the area between the Noord and Fly Rivers, including the territory of our observations. However, this hornbill could be observed regularly in the area of Kurik and it is rather a common bird along the Kumbe River in well-forested regions. On 26th December, 1960, there were six near the mouth of this river; on Ist May, 1962, at least ten in the rather heavy mixed forest east of the South polder and on 15th June perhaps as many; on 18th April, 1961, five were seen in the same forest and on Sth and 24th April, 1962, there were three or four flying across that polder. On Ist June, 1962, a specimen was secured in heavy forest bordering the mouth of the Kumbe River. But perhaps during certain periods these birds are absent from Kurik’s surroundings because of the scarcity of suitable jungle trees for nesting which compels the birds to look for heavier forest which is available up the Kumbe River. Besides the availability of suitable nesting trees the presence of the species may depend on the quantity of suitable food (principally forest fruits). 50. Motacilla flava Linn. Yellow Wagtail From our experience with this wagtail, too, it became evident that the range is much more extensive than stated by Mayr who mentions it only for the ““Mimika River, at the foot of the Nassau Mountains’’. During February till April, 1960, January till April, 1961, and March and April, 1962, it proved to be a regular visitor to the ricefields of Kurik Bulletin B.O.C. 157 Vol. 84 and surroundings and also at Paal Putih along the mouth of the Maro River, it was seen on several occasions. On 7th October, 1962, two were seen on a mudbank along tidal forest at Sorong and in October and November of that year and in February, 1963, representatives were of fairly regular appearance at Manokwari and surroundings, whereas I saw almost daily one or more in the Kebar Valley (Vogelkop, about 500 m. above sea level) when I visited this area in October, 1962. In all these cases there was no doubt about the identity and on Sth, 6th and 21st April, 1962, seven specimens were secured. Usually one or two were seen at the same time, but on 27th February, 1960, five or six, on 27th March, 1962, about 20, on 6th April ten and on 18th April of that same year five were seen together. I did not note later observations than on 22nd April (1960) and 24th (1962). On 26th and 27th March and on five different occasions during April, 1962, very beautiful birds were seen, showing far advanced spring plumage. Contrary to Motacilla cinerea which prefers, when in its winter quarters, dry ground, stony river-beds or stony paths, the present species shows preference for a muddy territory as is available in inundated ricefields but at Manokwari and at the Kebar Valley it was also met with on rather dry native gardens and along the water where we found Tringa ochropus, Tringa glareola and Pluvialis dominica. 51. Megalurus timoriensis (Wallace) Marshbird None of the six subspecies mentioned in Mayr’s list is known from the area discussed in this paper though muscalis was found along the Middle Fly River only about 100 miles north-east of Merauke. Though the species was never found in Kurik’s ricefields it could be regularly discovered within the surrounding seasonal marshes, provided the vegetation, which must consist of high grasses or of grass-like plants, offers the birds enough cover. This Megalurus was rather common in the seasonal marshes north of the North polder, for the greater part grown with the reed-like /schaemum barbatum sparsely covered with shrubs and small groups of higher trees. It was also regularly in the Paal Putih plains showing exactly the same character as many of the savannahs bordering the beach between the Kumbe and Bian Rivers. On some rare occasions I saw it on Frederik Hendrik Island and in the freshwater swamps around Kepi, 175 miles north-west of Kurik, but in both these areas it was much less common than the Red-headed Fantail Warbler (Cisticola exilis) which was met with every day in those rather deep freshwater marshes. Three specimens secured on Ist and 3rd July showed well developed gonads as did a female obtained on Sth August. Another female bagged on 3rd July had the ovary poorly developed. In behaviour the species shows some resemblance to the much smaller Cisticola exilis with which it shared the habitat. As a rule the birds are alone or in pairs and stick almost exclusively to a grassy vegetation with a height between 50 and 100 cm, often but certainly not always, growing on a moist soil or in shallow water. 52. Cisticola exilis (Vig. & Horsf.) Red-headed Fantail Warbler The situation with this warbler is about the same as indicated for Excalfactoria chinensis (no. 17) which, in the dry season, is confined to a Vol. 84 158 Bulletin B.O.C. rather similar habitat, for the range as given by Mayr does not agree with my experience, nor is the situation in our area similar to the one as pictured by Mayr and Rand?” who called the species surprisingly scarce in south-east New Guinea. Cisticola exilis was found in almost any suitable territory visited by me in south New Guinea and most other places. Beyond the localities mentioned when discussing Excalfactoria | saw the species near Kepi (Mappi district) and on the Frederik Hendrik Island and no- where could this warbler be considered rare. In the Kebar Valley it was probably more plentiful than found by me elsewhere including Indonesia. On 19th October, 1962, more than 60 were counted during a walk of about an hour around the Kebar aerostrip amidst the grassy plains of some square miles of that valley. This tiny bird was also observed and secured in the lalang plains west of Ransiki (Geelvink Bay) though there it was by no means so plentiful as at Kebar. At Kurik it was also present in the ricefields when the crop had reached an attractive height, this in contradistinction to our experience on Java where we only found Cisticola juncidis in such ricefields but never the present species which preferred areas covered with lalang or such like vegetation. In south New Guinea courtship flights were observed in February, and in March a freshly built nest was found in Kurik’s ricefields; on 30th May a bird carrying nest material was seen on Frederik Hendrik Island. 53. Artamus cinereus Vieillot Black-faced Wood-Swallow Mayr’s list mentions the species for Princess Marianne Strait only, so far as New Guinea is concerned. Though this dark wood-swallow was observed and secured by me in Kurik’s ricefields in July, 1960, and March, 1961, and in October, 1960, also up the Kumbe River, the number of observations remained restricted to five, all in the months mentioned above and more than three individuals at a time were never seen. All observed birds stayed on dry, open fields preying on insects just above, sometimes even upon the ground, behaving rather like Coracina novaehollandiae, making both these species rather conspicuous in the open areas they frequent. Owing to this behaviour I do not think it probable that this wood-swallow was often overlooked which makes it reasonable to suppose that it is rather a rare visitor to the part of New Guinea discussed here. The observed birds were perhaps migrants or stragglers from North Australia where I found the species locally very common. 54. Chlamydera cerviniventris Gould Fawn-breasted Bower Bird The few particulars available to Mayr when composing his list of New Guinea birds formed the reason that also in this case the recorded range ‘““eastern New Guinea westward in the south to the Oriomo River, in the north as far as Humboldt Bay and the Sentani Lake, supposedly also Sudest Island’ does not agree with the real situation. Later it also became known from the Fly River area where specimens were found in breeding condition in September, and a nestling in December (Rand?’). I found it regularly, sometimes even plentiful, in south New Guinea but also near Ransiki (Geelvink Bay) and in the Kebar Valley (Vogelkop, 500 m. above sea level). Though this uniformly coloured bowerbird may be considered common Bulletin B.O.C. 159 Vol. 84 during certain months at Kurik and surroundings, there were long periods during which I failed to see even a single specimen. During January and August I cannot find any observations in my notes about its occurrence and observations during March, May and December were scarce. But in July, September, October and November it was common and encounters with small flocks, sometimes mixed with certain other species, were not very rare. The habitat description given by Mayr “grasslands up to 500 m., occasionally up to 1,400 m.”’ does not quite agree with my experience because I have known these birds as inhabitants of light forest, not appearing in grass wildernesses or a similar habitat when lacking the necessary plots of shrubs or low trees, which are a conditio sine qua non. I never saw them amidst large complexes of heavy forest. At Kurik I not only observed this often noisy species in shrubs and trees surrounding the ricefields but also in such vegetation far from them and periodically numerous in the light Eucalyptus-Melaleuca forest of the Gali Ephata area and at many places along the Kumbe River as far as 15 or 20 miles upstream (e.g. in October, 1960). I also found specimens in mixed tidal forest along small rivulets not far from the coast of the Arafura Sea. Though I failed to see this bowerbird during the period (October, 1962 till April, 1963) I stayed at Manokwar1i, I had no difficulty in finding it near Ransiki along Geelvink Bay (March, 1963) about 40 miles south of Manokwari, where some were met with in groups of low trees growing in an extensive plain covered with a low vegetation principally of lalang grass and Lantana sp. In October, 1962, it was numerous in an area of light, perhaps secondary forest which covered the slopes of a low hill along the Kebar Valley but—strangely enough—no specimens were seen beyond that particular area! Because the gonads of the secured birds were small and I did not observe bowers or any indication of courtship or of paired birds, I think it reason- able to consider the species as a straggler from other parts of New Guinea or even from Northern Australia, so far as it concerns the southern part of west New Guinea. 55. Ailuroedus crassirostris (= melanotis) (Gray) Green Catbird Of the eight subspecies of this bowerbird of which at the least five should occur at higher altitudes only, not a single one was known from the part of New Guinea discussed here, but the subspecies me/anotis is said to occur on the Aru Islands and in southern New Guinea along the Oriomo and Fly Rivers. Perhaps the species is not at all rare within the area between the Maro and Bian Rivers, but we did not arrive at this conclusion until after—in October, 1960—we discovered it as the source of a series of mewing and hissing notes. These notes are so typical, though not very arresting, that they are difficult to forget. On account of this “‘acte de presénce”’ it was possible to observe the species in rather heavy mixed forest east of the South polder and in well forested areas far up the Kumbe River; also within the rather thin Eucalyptus-Melaleuca forest of the Gali Ephata region. In such a forest usually the thickest foliage of medium-sized trees is chosen where it is often extremely difficult to discover, even after attention has been called to its presence by these remarkable notes. In most cases the birds we observed were alone or in pairs and two Vol. 84 | 160 Bulletin B.O.C. secured in April and October, both males, showed poorly developed reproductive organs. | 56. Philemon novaeguineae (Miiller) Papuan Friar-bird Of the six races of the species known until now, none is recorded for the part of south New Guinea discussed here, but the subspecies brevipennis is mentioned in Mayr’s list for “southwestern New Guinea between Mimika and Eilanden Rivers’. However, this Philemon is of such common and conspicuous appearance everywhere between the Maro and Bian Rivers and several hundreds of miles north-west of this area that we may wonder that it is still not known from Merauke’s surroundings up to the Eilanden River, from whence so many species are already recorded as is evident from Mayr’s list. In my opinion this friar-bird may be considered without doubt among the ten most striking species of the part of New Guinea discussed here and I suppose this to be so in many other regions as it certainly is within the territory between Merauke and the Eilanden River including Frederik Hendrik Island. This applies also to Manokwari and surroundings and many other localities along the Geelvink Bay (Vogelkop). At places where the species occurs it is always in the first place the loud hubbub betraying its presence, which is so ubiquitous that it often proved to be almost impossible to fix the call of any bird on my band-recorder without its being mixed up with the loud, monotonous clamour of this friar-bird within an astonishing diversity of habitats! The species gave us the impression of being very indifferent to its habitat but usually the interior of heavy and closed forest is avoided as are extensive plains devoid of higher vegetation, though encounters even in such places do occur. The birds are seldom alone and calling individuals are often surrounded by 10-20 others of the same species, causing a tremendous racket. A female secured in April had well developed gonads but a second one killed in August showed an ovary not granular. On Frederik Hendrik Island on 13th May, 1960, was a nest containing three young nearly ready to fly; the nest was built in the crown of a beautiful mango tree in the central part of the island’s capital Kimaam. 57. Neochmia evangelinae D’ Albertis and Salvadori Long-tailed Crimson Finch This species too was observed in nearly all suitable localities which I visited in south New Guinea, not only between the Maro and Bian Rivers, but also on Frederik Hendrik Island (May, 1960) and in the Mappi region (e g. along the Obaa River) about 175 miles north-west of Kurik. Though the birds could usually be observed in high grasslike vegetation, preferably amidst or in the neighbourhood of marshes or rivers, they also appeared on a standing crop in Kurik’s ricefields together with Lonchura nevermanni and L. stygia (in May and December, 1959). According to my experience the species lives in small flocks or (family?) groups sometimes together with both other species just mentioned. Nervous and apparently paired birds were met with in June, 1961, and individuals in full nuptial dress on 21st September, 18th October and 30th November, 1960. Of nineteen birds killed in Kurik’s ricefields between 18th and 22nd December, 1959, the gonads were poorly developed; during Bulletin B.O.C. 161 Vol. 84 that time they were rather plentiful there, always with large flocks of Lonchura nevermanni and sometimes with L. stygia. Van den Assem! saw many apparently semi-adult birds at Merauke in September, 1957, and individuals with nesting material in March, 1958 (Frederik Hendrik Island) and in April (Merauke). In view of my observations, the range as indicated in Mayr’s list ““south New Guinea on the Fly River and Oriomo River (Dogwa)’, must be extended. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Mr. J. M. Boutmy and Mr. P. G. van Hemert of the Kumbe Rice Estate, for their kind help in collecting material at Kurik and Paal Putih and during some trips along the Kumbe River and to Pulu Habé; Mr. R. Versteegh, Jnr., official of the Forest Research Station at Manokwari, who was trained by me as a field-collector and taxidermist, for his activities at Kurik. Finally, thanks are due to Dr. E. Thomas Gilliard of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, to Dr. G. F. Mees of the Riyks- museum voor Natuurlijke Historie at Leyden and to Dr. A. L. Rand of the Chicago Natural History Museum for their kind help when preparing this paper. References: 1 Assem, J. van den. Vogelwaarnemingen in Nieuw-Guinea; Ardea 48, afl. 3/4, 1960, pp. 178-182. * Bemmel, A. C. V. van. Een nieuwe vogelsoort voor Nieuw Guinea?; Ardea 46, afl. 3/4, 1958, p. 171. 3 Cayley, Neville W. What bird is that? A guide to the birds of Australia. Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1961. 4 Gilliard, E. Th. and Lecroy, Mary. Birds of the Victor Emanuel and Hindenburg Mountains, New Guinea. Results of the American Museum of Natural History Expedition to New Guinea in 1954; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 123, 1, 1961, pp.1-86. > Gyldenstolpe, N. Notes on a collection of birds made in Western Highlands, Central New Guinea, 1951; Ark. Zool. 8, 1, 1955, pp. 1-181. § — Birds collected by Sten Bergman during his expedition to Dutch New Guinea, 1948/49; Ark. Zodl. 8, 1, 1955, pp 183-397. * Hoogerwerf, A. Enkele bijzonderheden over de op het Vulkaan-eiland Goenoeng Api (Banda Zee) levende Oceaanvogels, eerste gedeelte; Limosa, 12, September, 1939, p. 68, fig. 12. 8’ — Contribution to the knowledge of the distribution of birds on the Island of Java; Treubia, 19, 2, 1948, p. 123. ® Junge, G. C. A. Zoological Results of the Dutch New Guinea Expedition, 1939, no. 5, The Birds; Zodlogische Verhandelingen, no. 20, December, 1953, pp. 1-77. 10 Mayr, E. List of New Guinea Birds. A systematic and faunal list of the birds of New Guinea and adjacent islands. The American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1941. 1 Mayr, E. and Gilliard, E. Thomas. Birds of Central New Guinea, collected in 1950 and 1952; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 103, 4, 1954, pp. 311-374. 12 Mayr, E. and Rand, A. L. Results of the Archbold Expedition, no. 14. Birds 1938/40 Papuan Expedition; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 73, art. 1, 1937, pp. 1-248. 18 Olivier, J. Een geachte najaarsgast (Gallinago stenura); Teysmannia, 24, 1913, pp. 321-331. ™ Rand, A. L. Results of the Archbold Expedition, no. 19; Amer. Museum Novitates, no. 990, May 1938, pp. 1-19. % _ Results of the Archbold Expedition, no. 42 (Birds of the 1936-1937 New Guinea Expedition); Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 49, 1942, pp. 289-366. 16 Slater, K. R. Ibis and Little Whimbrels in New Guinea; *‘Stray Feathers’*; Fru, 58, 1958, p. 256. Vol. 84 162 Bulletin B.O.C. A new subspecies of Spreo albicapillus (Blyth) from Kenya by STUART KEITH Received 7th August, 1964 Spreo albicapillus, described by Blyth from the Warsangeli district of British Somaliland, is one of the least known members of this genus of starlings. Archer and Godman (1961) give its range as ‘‘from the coast of the Gulf of Aden south through the Haud to the Webbe Shebeli and east to the Mijertein country.’’ In other words, the range includes British Somaliland (for convenience I use the old political terms), extreme eastern Ethiopia and extreme northern Italian Somaliland. There is also, however, another population, not mentioned by Archer and Godman, discovered by Benson (1946) in the highlands of southern Ethiopia at Yavello. This is about 400 miles west of the nearest part of the range given by Archer and Godman. In 1962 I discovered a small population of this bird at North Horr, northern Kenya, from which I collected two birds. These differ markedly in size from the Somaliland birds (see photo), there being no overlap in measurements between them and a series of 15 skins examined at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. I therefore propose to name my birds Spreo albicapillus horrensis, subsp. nov. Type: American Museum of Natural History No. 766689; adult male; North Horr, north west Kenya; Ist November 1962; Stuart Keith, col- lector. Measurements of type: Wing 137; tail 93; tarsus 33; total culmen 24 mm. Description: Smaller than the nominate race. 15 skins in the A.M.N.H. collection were examined, 13 from British Somaliland, one from eastern Ethiopia, and one a captive bird with no locality. These skins have the following measurements:— Wing 144-161, average 154.5; tail 107—122, average 114.6. My two birds from North Horr measure: wing 130-137, average 134; tail 89-93, average 91. In addition, I examined the eight skins in the British Museum’s collection taken by Benson at Yavello, southern Ethiopia. These tend to be a little smaller than the Somali birds, especially in the tail, (the 8 birds measured: wing, 143-159, average 152; tail, 99-113, average 106). However, as can be seen, these measurements overlap with those of the Somali birds, but do not overlap with those of my birds. Furthermore, these Yavello specimens are the same dark colour below as specimens from Somaliland (see below under “‘remarks’’ for a note on colour). Distribution: At present only known from the type locality, but this region of extreme northern Kenya near the Ethiopian border is virtually unexplored ornithologically. Vhere is a recent sight record (1963, Leslie Brown, pers. comm.) of Spreo albicapillus subsp. from the Dida Galgalla desert north of Marsabit, Kenya, about 100 miles to the east of North Horr. Remarks: There is a good deal of individual variation in colour among the series of A.M.N.H. skins, particularly in regard to the amount of blue and green gloss on the back and tail. My two birds from Kenya are rather paler below than the A.M.N.H. birds (see photo), but apart from this can hardly be separated on grounds of colour. One of the Kenya birds is a young bird, with the basal half of the lower mandible yellow instead of black (on left in photo). I have therefore : : Bulletin B.O.C. 163 Vol. 84 included in the photograph, for comparison, a young bird, with the same bill colouring, from Somaliland, (second from right). Habitat: In British Somaliland, Spreo albicapillus is found at all levels, from the coast right up to the mountains in the interior. In southern Ethiopia, Benson (/oc. cit.) found it at 4000-4500 ft., in **park-like acacia country’’. North Horr, 1300 ft., is in hot, sandy desert country, with a few scattered palms and thorn trees. The birds were quite tame, living right in around the tiny settlement. I estimated their numbers at between twenty and thirty. My thanks are due to Mr. Peter Walters, Provincial Commissioner, Northern Frontier Province, for allowing me to enter his Province at a time of year when it was closed; and to Mr. David Dale, District Com- missioner, Marsabit, who not only allowed me to collect freely within his District, but also personally accompanied me to North Horr. References : Archer, Sir Geoffrey and Godman, Eva, The Birds of British Somaliland and the Gulf of Aden, Edinburgh, 1961, p. 1417. Benson, C. W., /bis 88, 1946, p. 453. Vol. 84 164 Bulletin B.O.C. Contact behaviour in the Cuban Finch, Tiaris canora (Gmelin) by JOHN H. SPARKS Received 23rd February, 1964 The adults of the many avian species avoid sitting in contact with other conspecifics; this avoidance is maintained by aggression, and leads to the formation of individual distances. Some species do not show this kind of dispersion, and as the members of a flock are preparing to rest, they come Plate I Allopreening in the Cuban Finch showing the ruffling of the head feathers in the allo- preening invitation posture of the male. together and sit flank to flank (clumping); this diurnal clumping may be seen in some tropical species chiefly the Psittacidae, Timaliinae, and Estrildidae. A bird which is clumping may spend some of the time in preening its neighbour (allopreening, Cullen, 1963) and I intend to refer to this complex of clumping and allopreening behaviour as “‘contact”’ behaviour. The four species of grassquit (Tiaris sp.) range from northern South America, Central America to Mexico and through the West Indies. They are placed in the sub-family Fringillinae, and since the palato-maxilliaries are unfused or incompletely fused, Tordoff (1954) considered them to be rather primitive; they may be closely related to the genus Melanospiza. All the grassquits have typical fringillid behaviour patterns, such as wing quivering in the hen’s soliciting behaviour and all show courtship feeding (Goodwin, R., 1959). However, in many ways they resemble the Old World estrildids; the grassquits have a general waxbill-like comportment and the nest is domed: the latter feature may be an adaptation to a tropical habitat. The similarity to the members of the Estrildidae is also accentuated Bulletin B.O.C. 165 Vol. 84 in the Cuban Finch (7. canora) in that this species clumps and allopreens. The Fringillidae is an assemblage of typical “‘distance’’ species, so this makes the Cuban Finch a particularly interesting one to study since it must have evolved contact behaviour quite independently of the Estril- didae. A comparative study was thus made of the contact behaviour of canora and of the Red Avadavat, Amandava amandava (Estrildidae) in order to determine how far the behaviour of the former had converged with that of the waxbills. Observations were made on a pair of Cuban Finches which were kept in a large aviary with up to six pairs of Red Avadavats. DESCRIPTION OF THE BEHAVIOUR Clumping formed a distinct part of the activity cycle of the Cuban Finches; periods of foraging and flying from branch to branch alternated Figure | Bill gaping in the male Cuban Finch, followed by head ruffling. with clumping, and bouts of sitting in contact of up to twenty minutes were recorded. The finches were never seen to clump with the avadavats but in an aviary in the London Zoological Gardens, a cock canora regularly used to clump with a cock Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus bengalus). Both cock and hen Cuban Finches kept in communication with each other by a series of wheezy “‘seeps’’, but these were rarely uttered while they were clumping. Many of the allopreening bouts took place at the beginning of a period of clumping and after a few minutes, both birds would sit quietly with the eyes partly closed and the head feathers slightly raised, as in the avadavats. Very often, one of the clumping finches would hop smartly away from its mate, only to return immediately to the other flank of its clumping partner. These “change rounds” would sometimes go on for ten or more seconds, and it gave the impression that the birds were trying to get ints) a comfortable position. The allopreening behaviour of the Red Avadavat normally consists of the preener drawing the head feathers in turn through the gently mandi- bulating bill; occasionally the bout is preceded by a peck, or else the allopreening can be definitely called aggressive (Goodwin, D., 1960; Sparks, 1962, 1964 a & b). In the Cuban Finch, most of the allopreening Vol. 84 166 Bulletin B.O.C. bouts were noticeably different from that described above; they consisted of a series of stabs delivered sometimes with a partly opened bill to the head of the recipient; the stabs appeared to be “inhibited” at the last moment, and after a number had been delivered, the typical, although rather rough, feather grasping action of preening could be observed; on other occasions little or no overt aggression could be detected. Table 1 compares the number of allopreening bouts which were preceded by hostile behaviour and those in which no aggression could be detected, for the finches and for the avadavats; aggression was far more evident in the former species. TABLE 1 An analysis of the contexts in which allopreening takes place in 7. canora and A. amandava. The results were obtained from 1 pair of canora over 3 hours observation, and from 3 pairs of amandava over 6 hours observation. Allopreening Allopreening Allopreening Allopreening Total preceded by preceded or notpreceded by in response to aggression. followed both aggression or clumping. by the act or autopreening. autopreening. T. canora 28 4 30 8 70 % of Total 40% 6% 43% 11%, A. amandava 13 100 47 35 195 % of total ee 49% 260% 18% The percentages are expressed to the nearest 1 %. On several occasions, the cock finch was seen to pull out some ear-covert feathers of the hen; plucking was rarely observed in the avadavats. For a month or two after the birds were obtained, one would zig-zag up to the other, stopping short, and then lean forward and preen the other’s head region, so that the two birds were a centimetre or two apart. This has been called “‘distance”’ allopreening and it is more typical of allopreening encounters in the Corvidae. One week after the finches had been liberated into the aviary, the number of contact and distance allopreening bouts was noted synchronously for this species and for the avadavats. (Table 2.) TABLE 2 The number of distance and contact allopreening bouts in 7. canora and A. amandava over 6 hours observation. Contact allopreening Distance allopreening Total bouts. bouts. T. canora ay 54 37 24 61 aq Oh hOtal ot ate mn 60% 40% A. amandava .. ay i wi 10 ry or totals. bai 5 F7, The percentages are expressed to the nearest 1 %. Six months later, the percentage of distance allopreening bouts for the finches had dropped to about that recorded for the avadavats. The initially high level may have been due to the aggressiveness of the birds which tended to make them aviod clumping, and which later waned slightly. However, this phenomenon was not recorded for avadavats. As in the avadavat, the feathers which are allopreened are chiefly restricted to the head, but occasionally those of the mantle, flanks and upper breast may receive some attention. If one of the finches starts to preen the other’s wing-coverts it often elicits a hostile response. Bulletin B.O.C. 167 Vol. 84 An allopreening bout may last up to two or three minutes in the avadavat although the average duration is about 15 seconds; this is much longer than the majority of the allopreening bouts observed for the finches, which tend to last only two or three seconds. Perhaps the most interesting part of the social behaviour of the Cuban Finch is its allopreening invitation behaviour. The term ‘“allopreening invitation”’ is useful in describing the behaviour below with the exception of bill gaping, since it tends to be temporarily associated with a neighbour starting to allopreen; by using this term, it is not intended to imply that the “inviting” bird is always attempting to incite this behaviour in another bird. The factors eliciting allopreening behaviour in the Red Avadavat are rather complex (Sparks, 1964 a). In its simplest form, the allopreening invitation behaviour of the finches resembled that of the avadavats in that the only head plumage was ruffled (Plate 1). This behaviour may be given when two birds come together or in response to being attacked or allopreened by the clumping partner. The avadavat tends to assume a horizontal, bill down posture when it ap- proaches its clumping partner, besides raising the head feathers. On other occasions when the finches came together in order to clump, the cock turned his head towards the hen and, with the head feathers sleeked, opened his bill thus showing off the bright pink buccal cavity (Figure 1). This behaviour would be followed by allopreening invitation behaviour in that there would be a full ruffling of the head plumage and an outburst of allopreening by the hen. In Olive Finches (7. olivacea), bill gaping is an aggressive component, and it is usually combined with a head forward threat; this tends to be followed by bill fencing and the subsequent flight of the least aggressively motivated individual. In canora, bill fencing often led into allopreening behaviour but sometimes the hen would interlock her bill with the cock’s as in courtship feeding; bill touching was not preceded by regurgitation movements although on several occasions the cock had a seed between his mandibles after the hen had disengaged her bill. The most interesting component of the allopreening invitation behaviour observed in the finches was wing vibration. These wing movements were given in response to the mate approaching in order to clump; the sitting bird would suddenly assume an upright body posture with the neck stretched upwards and the head plumage erected; the wings would be vibrated in a dorso-lateral plane away from the body. This particular display, which was usually performed by the cock, was observed many times and it usually was concluded by the approaching bird starting to allopreen the actor. Avadavats do not show wing quivering but when they are “attempting” to induce a neighbour to allopreen, an avadavat may resort to butting with the forehead (Sparks, 1964 a & b), and while it is inviting allopreening by the normal, relaxed posture with the head feathers ruffled, it may often mandibulate the bill at a frequency of about 10/second (Sparks, /oc. cit.). A Cuban Finch which is sitting flank to flank with its clumping partner, may respond in a number of ways to being allopreened. It usually fully ruffles the head feathers and it may withdraw the neck and close its eyes. However, vertical neck stretching with the eyes opened and the head plumage ruffled was a common response in the finches but rare in the Vol. 84 168 Bulletin B.O.C. avadavats. Both species occasionally yawn while they are being preened by a clumping partner. An avadavat which is being allopreened rarely reacts aggressively to its preener but a finch often pecked its clumping partner after it had finished allopreening; in this context the aggression was not sufficient to cause the clumping partner to retreat. DISCUSSION It is not altogether clear why some species of birds have developed diurnal as well as nocturnal clumping behaviour, but originally it may have been an adaptation which helped small tropical birds to withstand large daily temperature excursions (Koenig, 1951; Sparks, 1946 a). In the African Estrildidae, habitat seems to be very important in determining whether clumping behaviour should evolve; those species which inhabit forests tend to move about in pairs, or very small parties and tend not to clump, whereas the closely related savannah species tend to be very gregarious and cluster. The Cuban Finch is an inhabitant of open grassland with scattered thorn bushes where it tends to move about in pairs (Lembye, 1850; Grundlach, 1876). From the recent studies by Sparks (1964 a & b) and Harrison (in prep.) the function of allopreening behaviour in facilitating clumping is clear. When two birds approach each other in order to clump, there may be an increase in their fleeing or aggressive tendencies which would prevent them gaining contact. It is thus necessary for these tendencies to be checked in contact species in order to allow the individuals to cluster. This is achieved by the development of allopreening behaviour and the allopreening invitation postures. As an individual approaches to clump, the neighbour will tend to attack it (Sparks, 1962) but the clumping bird, by ruffling its head feathers, counteracts this tendency and elicits a grooming response. Thus the allopreening invitation behaviour acts as an aggression blocking mechanism in contact species. In the Red Avadavat, there seems to be a reduction in intra-specific aggression outside the breeding sesson, and this no doubt helps to facilitate clumping behaviour. In the finches, both birds tended to be very aggressive towards each other and towards the avadavats. Aggression was also very marked in the allopreening of the finches, indeed, very often it was difficult to tell the difference between a bout of allopreening and a series of aggres- sive pecks. This problem was never experienced in the case of the avadavats, or any other estrildid species studied so far. Some Olive Finches which were kept were even more aggressive than the Cuban Finches, and the former species does not indulge in contact behaviour. When avadavats are clustering, they spend much of the time in autopreening, and this behaviour often leads to allopreening (Sparks, 1964 a & b), but clumping Cuban Finches tend to sit very still, and most of their autopreening is carried out when they are apart. The lack of movement may serve to avoid provoking an aggressive or an avoiding response from the clumping partner, and in this species the former response seems to be very easily aroused. The behaviour of the canora gave the impression that they were not very well adjusted contact species in that aggression was not as well controlled by the allopreening invitation behaviour as in the amandava. Goodwin, R. (1959), has stated that wing quivering in the species of Tiaris is restricted to the juvenile begging behaviour, the female courtship Bulletin B.O.C. 169 Vol. 84 feeding invitation behaviour, and in bicolor and olivacea it seems to be incorporated into the cock courtship displays; wing quivering was not observed in the cock Cuban Finch’s precopulatory display. Behaviour resembling juvenile begging may be produced when a bird is subjected to a conflict between a low tendency to withdraw from a more dominant individual and a low tendency to remain near it. In, for example, the Zebra Finch Taeniopygia castanotis (Immelmann, 1962) this motivational state may cause a bird to assume a submission posture. Now, allopreening invitation behaviour may be given by a submissive individual when confronted by a more dominant bird (Goodwin, D., 1960). The wing quivering described here in the allopreening invitation behaviour of the Cuban Finches may well have been induced by a low tendency to flee from the approaching clumping partner (fear) and a strong tendency to remain in order to clump with it. Bill gaping seemed to be an aggressive component. When two Olive Finches came together, they tend to attack each other, and the aggression is preceded by bill gaping. Cuban Finches also gape in this context, but instead of drawing apart they often clump, and one of the gaping birds will start to preen the other. The less dominant individual’s attacking tendency may wane and as it does so, the bill gaping response changes to the ruffled head posture. The elevation of the head feathers may be responsible for inciting an allopreening rather than an aggressive response in the other individual. SUMMARY The contact behaviour of the Cuban Finch has been compared with that of the Red Avadavat. The similarities must be the result of convergent evolution, but the finch is more aggressive than the avadavat and this is reflected by the closer association between aggression and allopreening in the former. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was financed by the Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Re- search, while the author was in the Zoology Dept., Queen Mary College, University of London, and subsequently at the Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London. References: Cullen, J. M. 1963. Allo, auto, and heteropreening. Jbis 105: 121. Goodwin, R. 1959. Breeding of the Black-faced Grassquit. Tiaris bicolor, in captivity “a some notes on the comparative behaviour of the genus. Avicult. Mag. 65:131- 134. Goodwin, D. 1960. Observations on Avadavats and Golden-breasted Waxbills. Avicult. Mag. 66: 174-199. Grundlach, J. 1876. Ornithologica Cubana. Immelman, K. 1962. Beitrage zu einer vergleichenden Biologie australischer Pracht- finken (Spermestidae). Zool. Jb. (Syst). 90:1-196. Lembeye, J. 1850. Aves de la Isla de Cuba. Habana. saat oy ava 1962. Clumping and social preening in the red avadavat. Birds Illustrated, 4 J — (1964a). Ethology of the red avadavat with particular reference to social and sexual behaviour. Ph.D. Thesis. University of London Library. — (1964b). Flock structure of the red avadavat with particular reference to clumping and allopreening. Anim. Behay. (in press). Tordoff, H. B. 1954. A systematic study of the avian family Fringillidae based on the structure of the skull. Univ, Mich. Mus, Zool, Misc. Publ. 81: 1-42, Vol. 84 170 Bulletin B.O.C. The Giant Coot Fulica gigantea Eydoux and Souleyet by A. W. JOHNSON Received 29th February, 1964 Distribution: the high Andes of the extreme north of Chile (Sacaya and Cotacotani), north-western Bolivia (Titicaca) and south-western Peru (Junin). Largest of all the Fulica, with a comparatively small lemon and white frontal shield and dark red legs and feet, the Giant Coot is absolutely unmistakable. A rare and extremely local bird frequenting exclusively high altitude, fresh-water lakes, it has been found in Chilean territory only in the Andes of the extreme north bordering on Bolivia and Peru and, within the past 50 years, only at two particular lakes—Parinacota and Cotacotani —in lat. 18° S. From Lake Caritaya southwards to Atacama, but always within the high altitude zone, it is replaced by the slightly smaller Horned Coot Fulica cornuta. First discovered in 1836 in the Andes of southern Peru by the French “La Bonite” expedition, the Giant Coot was lost sight of for many years until Rahmer in 1886 and Lane in 1890 obtained a few specimens at the localities of Sacaya and Caucosa, east of Lake Huasco, in the puna zone of Tarapaca. During his early years in Chile the author made two expeditions on muleback to the high plateau region where this enormous coot was reported to live, without finding a trace, and it was only in November, 1943, that he finally achieved his purpose as the culminating point of a trip by steamer, train, lorry and mule which took him and two colleagues through the highest cordilleras of Arica on the border between Chile and Bolivia. Our first meeting with this bird was on a small lake in the vicinity of Parinacota (Lake of the Flamingo) an Aymara Indian settlement situated at an altitude of 14,000 feet. On this lake were a pair of Giant Coots, a floating, raft-like nest and three half-grown young. For a while it looked as if we should have to be satisfied with these meagre results, but on talking to a young Aymara who happened to turn up at the settlement that evening, we learned that higher up in the mountains at the foot of two volcanoes, known as Parinacota and Pomarape, was a much larger lake called Cotacotani and that this lake was inhabited by a large colony of “‘Ajoyas’’, the Aymara name for this coot. We decided to investigate and, the author being less subject to mountain sickness than his companions, it naturally fell to his lot to accompany the guide to the lake. After a steep climb to an altitude of 16,000 feet, we topped a ridge and there immediately in front of us lay Cotacotani with the twin snow-capped volcanoes rising majestically beyond. On the lake were dark objects which looked like rafts and standing on them or swimming in the water round about were 30-50 black birds. At this point the guide volunteered the information that, hidden in a hollow at the top of a neighbouring hill, was a boat. The “boat” turned out to be two old fashioned corrugated iron tubs which we put on our backs and carried down to the lake: here the guide proceeded to fasten the two sections together with wire, and, producing pitch and a box of matches Bulletin B.O.C. 171 Vol. 84 from his pocket, caulked these and other holes and thus made our primitive craft reasonably watertight. This took over an hour and just as the work was finished the sun, which had been shining brightly, disappeared behind clouds, a cold wind sprang up, the placid waters of the lake became a sea of racing waves and in no time it was snowing so hard that we could scarcely see a couple of yards in front of us. There was nothing for it but to get on our mules and return to base. Setting out next morning with the first rays of light, we reached the shores of the lake just as the sun was rising behind the peaks and were witness to a scene of such grandeur as, once seen, lingers for ever in the memory. Cotacotani lay placid at the foot of the twin volcanoes which, lifting their snow-clad caps to over 20,000 feet, reflected their crystal-clear images in the tranquil waters of the lake to which they had given birth and which owed its very existence to their continually melting snows. Here, amid this scene of awesome grandeur, of immense and almost terrifying solitude, where the inclemencies of the weather in its moments of anger are such that not a single Indian is bold enough to pitch his camp, the Giant Coot has taken up his abode, a far cry from the world of man, but if we may judge from the size and vigour of the colony, a favourable habitat for the propagation and survival of the species. We pushed off and once we had learned to co-ordinate our paddling so as to avoid going round in circles, were able to visit all of the 36 platform- nests that floated in groups in those parts of the lake where the water-weed came close to or reached the surface. All were empty until on arriving at the twenty-eighth to be visited, it was found to contain three eggs, probably the first of this species ever to be seen by a white man. Subsequently the thirty-third nest visited produced a clutch of four. Meanwhile the coots swam about and around us and in some cases actually came to meet us, showing not the slightest signs of fear and giving vent at frequent intervals to a loud cry, somewhere between the cackling of a hen and turkey’s gobble but with the characteristic overtones of a coot. So distinctive is this call that it rings in our ears even now, 20 years later. At different points on the lake, which covered an area of several acres we counted between 30 and 40 pairs, a few accompanied by large young birds, but the majority alone. Later, at the far end of the lake, we came across a colony of Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax tayagu-guira) nesting on a rocky islet and a group of about 20 young coots swimming about by themselves—undoubtedly birds of the year—thus confirming the guide’s assertion that the ““Agoya” nests twice a year, in August and again in late November or December. Obviously we had arrived in the interval between one laying and the next and this was why almost all the nests were empty and with adult birds standing about on the platforms. These platforms varied a good deal in size, but the largest measured approximately 10 feet by 6 feet: they easily withstood the author‘s weight and were evidently used year after year, gradually increasing in size in the process. Built of strands of the same aquatic plant, Ruppia filifolia, which serve the coots as food—we actually saw them feeding—these platforms are anchored beneath the surface and are used as supports for the actual nests, resting or sleeping places for the adults and havens of refuge or training grounds for the young. It is evident that the nesting cavity or Vol. 84 172 Bulletin B.O.C. depository for the eggs becomes flattened out with use and is built up again with soft fresh material at the same or some other point of the platform before each new laying; the sides of this cavity are so high and steep that it is impossible to see inside until one is alongside, or in some cases actually on the platform itself. The seven eggs, and six others obtained subsequently from the same lake range in length from 62.4 to 72.5 and in width from 43.7 to 46.1 with means of 66.4 + 0.82 and 44.6 + 0.19 mm. respectively. The eggs of the Giant Coot may be described in terms of the Ridgway colour code as follows: Ground colour between “pale mouse grey” and “pale olive grey’’, but paler than either, with numerous fine and a few large spots of “dark vinaceous brown’’. There are also a few underlying markings of “pale lilac’’. Some eggs show overlying areas of light “‘snuff brown” which I am inclined to attribute to nest stain. Acrocephalus dumetorum in Africa by K. D. SMITH Received 27th September, 1964 Kenneth Williamson, when going through material in the British Museum, found two specimens of Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum), previously unknown in Africa, which had been wrongly labelled as Acrocephalus s. scirpaceus. One was collected by myself at Zula, Eritrea, on 26th January, 1952; the other was taken in French Equatorial Africa on 26th March, 1953. The Zula bird was a male with enlarged testes, and was one of many small unstreaked acrocephaline warblers which were found wintering in the mangroves in coastal Eritrea. On the basis of the original identification it was assumed that A. s. scirpa- ceus Was a common winter visitor and recorded as such; however, it seems feasible that the other birds wintering in the swamps may have been dumetorum as well. To the best of my knowledge A. s. scirpaceus is other- wise unknown in Eritrea and should be deleted, although several specimens of A. s. fuscus have been taken inland but not in coastal mangroves. References: Smith, K. D. Recent records from Eritrea, Ibis, 97:65—80 (1955). — An annotated check list of the birds of Eritrea, /bis, 99:307—337 (1957). Williamson, K. Identification for Ringers. 1. The Genera Cettia, Locustella, Acrocephalus and Hippolais (1960, revised 1963). ae Al A + aS ? NAT. HIST. *\ = 2DECI964 | \ {vi PURCHASED . 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AO CHGGMUY ADA = ° ‘ inode fons 22 3200 doidw eedinisa Asad sol. enoitesit: LA, 7 in 6.02 .noboo.l 3392 rorgei vO 82 .yolbaW 40 ip: 2 8 sieps veqwatipa youd rowiw wrx ods to etadnisn toad ‘ we ADs : H 7 On e =| ¢ | — > s batlen } Aah Sse wrrane or AOXPHUR 2632 3h ida ylleus ane eisdmoem-non yd beesdour od ye: Wah of? us SyieaseT 0H af) of ol Idayso #0 YOO Toq 16 (sonevbe mi ‘i ai ery a abn: 3 afS 14997 ‘2 bree if Bp bs : yo oc: i ey a AOFZATAO> gidiDo2? .noFl st on eer orb bhe isd bivosla S2nebn og#s)100 jor ip wut) rm) aha sana mood busi slT oo noariall 0.4 9 ‘ VW .acbnet bod al a. , nl . . J te! AO8 2OMITSAM GMA aavvic She = hee ee Sane Ne en Te ee mr Fm < ~ _——— . . Do? yd betting tins gut’ BV2I)O JOMTIAR . Bei TILA ark vel harteye4 ner. hail ‘clecuagral be by 4 nei meat AGNI Apbeomlull & nore) sAT : me ak i . y ‘ ¥ ¢ >) Fr §% » ae sctis, eer Ser a 7. oan y eet Was °4 +. ae ; qj ' y, 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. 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. 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