( :;i 1 



•"'. Lophocerus fasciatus (Sliaw). 



TambiiL', (i(ivcrijiiient statimi uii the Itiiri River, twenty-second day from Fort 

 Hi'-ni, in (ireat African Forest. " Iris dark brown ; feet pnrplisli black ; bill straw- 

 yellow, with deep red tip, line on npper jaw and nnder surface of lower jaw." This 

 specimen is marked cf, bnt according; to tlie Catalogue of Birrh it is a ?. 



",. Halcyon chelicuti (Stanley). 



Kaboa (Bnckulla), I'ganda and Ilolnhi Kiver (tribntary to the Semliki). Congo 

 Free State. 



(ilanciug over onr series of //. rlnlicuti, it seems to be evident that Sontli African 

 Birds (Transvaal and Natal) are larger and have longer bills, while being generally 

 somewhat ])aler. Tlieir wings measure s-.^, s4, s."), sd, 87. sT mm. Specimens from 

 Sencgambia and SoiualilaiKl are mncli smaller, the wings measuring only 7<'i. ?(!. T'.i. 

 Ml mm., and their bills ;ire smaller. The former WduM be //. chrliciifi (li(ii>'iirii.tix 

 Sfrickl., the hitter //. rlirUi-nti iheUoiti (Stanl.) Is:j4. The difficulty in separating 

 these two forms is presented by the examples from Tropical Africa, ^^'est Africa to 

 East Africa, which are intermediate, their wings measuring 7."i. 7il, 7^, sn. So, ,sl. 

 s2, 83, S3, 83, 84, iso mm., but they have always much smaller bills. Thus it would 

 seem, that all the forms from North-East Africa and Seuegambia to about the 

 Zambesi cannot be separated at present, those from South Africa, however, being 

 iV. chelicuti (lamirensi». 



■■>s. Alcedo quadribrachys guentheri Sharpe. 



S. I'anga, on the Aruwimi Kiver, 1. 6. 1809. "Iris dark brown ; bill black : 

 feet coral red." This form, although easily distinguisliable from true quadnhmrluj!^. 

 can hardly be hioked upon more than a subspecies of the latter, being only smaller 

 and of a lighter green on the back, which is more like cobalt. 



."^ifi. Merops persicus Pull. 

 S ad. Kasesi (Torn), 2-2. 4. 1890. 



110. Merops apiaster li 



Xakabinibii (Torn), ■.'. 4. IsO'.i. 



111. Melittophagus gularis australis lichw. 



? ad. Kitinia, Government station on ilie Ituii liiver, twenty-first day fmni 

 Fort Belli, in (Jrent .\frican ]''iirest, '2."i. -y l>0'.i. •■ Iris lilood-red, feet dark ]iurple- 

 Mn, k : bill lihiek; 



This specimen agrees in evc^ry respect wil;h another ( 'ongn skin, and both differ 

 from twenty skins from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and (iold Coast in the following 

 (•ll;lracter^ : — • 



There are less bine featlu^rs on the forehead. The snpereiliaiy [i.ile cobalt-bine 

 snp<'rciliary streak is ipiite indistinct, and no trace of it is cnutinned beyond the eyes, 

 'riiecobalt-l.lni' longirndinal spots on the breast are smaller, .-md the bliienn the rnm]i 

 is generally darker. 



.1/. //(//</)•(.? '•('^?^-«//.-! is therefore a very distinct sulis]ieeies. (Cf .lotini.f. i>ni. 

 I^s;"), ]i. 22-2 : C'lt. II. rUit. .\f„.i. v. XVII. p. .■>!.) 



