( 380 ) 



3. Poicephalus robustus robustus (Gm.)- 



This form, which may at once be recognised by the narrower bill, especially 

 lower mandible, as compared to that of the other snbspecies of robustus, is 

 distributed over the eastern parts of Oape Colony, cast of the 25° of longitude to 

 Zululand, and the south-east corner of Transvaal. It seems to be restricted to the 

 coast regions, and never to occur in the Orange River Valley. 



The female has generally a pink forehead. 



The following specimens are in the Tring Museum : 

 * J ? . King ^Villiam's Town District, S. Africa Smith coll. 



(?. S. Africa e.\ Mus. Sliiiri)e. 



?.jnv. Etchowe, Zululand .... 15. x. 83. Gitiard coll. 



4. Poicephalus robustus suahelicus Rcliw. 



This form is distributed over the northern parts of German Soutii-west Africa 

 and the whole of the West African Portuguese Colony, and goes north as far as 

 Loango. To the eastward it is distributed to the Zambesi Valley in the south, 

 and to Kakoma in the north. 



Through the series collected by Ansorge, who is one of the most careful of all 

 collectors in sexing birds, it is proved now that not the male but the female has 

 the whole vertex red, while previously the red-headed birds were thought to be 

 either the males or very old birds of both sexes. Ausorge's dissections are also 

 confirmed by the fact, that the birds with a red vertex have a somewhat smaller 

 bill than those with a silvery grey head, in which the basal parts of the feathers 

 have a red suffusion. Young birds are distinguished by wanting the red feathers 

 on the bend of the wing and on the metacarpal edge. The thighs are entirely 

 green, or have only a few red feathers. Even in the young birds the sexes can 

 mostly be distinguished, as young females have the edges of the feathers on the 

 forehead and vertex mostly red. Young males in the first plumage have also 

 these red edges of the head-feathers, and therefore resemble more the females. 



These characters, to distinguish male, female, and young, hold ijood for all the 

 subspecies oi robustus, but not for the subspecies oi' (/uiliel mi, iu which in both sexes 

 the front and sometimes the vertex are scarlet or orange yellow in adult birds. 



1 cannot find that the western birds are lighter coloured than the eastern ones. 



1 therefore do not recognise P. r. anyolensis Rchw. as a distinct subspecies. 



The following specimens of P. r. s/ia/ieliriis are in the Tring Museum : 



2 cJ ad., 3 ¥ ? ad., 3 cJ cJ juv. Fort Quilenge.s, 



Benguella 20-24. i 05. Ansorge coll. 



S ad. Bonga Mountain, near Quilenges, „ „ 



Benguella 27. i. 05. 



cj. ad. Tinyaraba River, Benguella . . 16. ix. 06. Ansorge coll. 



? juv. Cajala, Bihe, Angola . . . 16. x. 04. „ „ 



+ ? ad. Lindi, German East Africa . . Schnorreni)feil coll. 



? juv. Mlangi, Nyassa Land . . . Brown coll. 



In one of the old males from Quilenges, collected 20. i. 05, the upper half of 



* Specimens not sexe<l b\' the collector ; but by the sections of Atmore and Claude Grant it is prove<l 

 that the birds with the red frcnt are the females, the .^ame as proved for P. r. angvloiih iiy Ansorge. 

 t These birds are not sexed by the collector. 



