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172. Turdus pelios saturatus (Cab.) 



Saint Emma (Bnsiro) in Uganda, 23. 3. 1899; Kabangi and Bntiti in Torn, 

 7 and 8. 4. 1899 ; Fort George on Lake Albert Edward, 29. 4. 1899. 



I believe that tliese four TLrnslies arc satiirati/s, and that also the si)ecimeus 

 from Unyoro which I recorded as Tiuy/iik hocagei in the Appendix to Ansorge's 

 " Under the African Sua," p. 354, belong to saturatus. They seem to difl'iT 

 very little from typical T. pelios from North-East Africa, but the wings are 

 said to be shorter, and it seems that the riist-coJour on the sides is less extended, 

 while the chest and npperside are equally dark or darker. If tliis form is separable 

 it can only stand as a subspecies. We have thus : — 



1. 2\ir(Ius jjelios pelios. Large, with much rust-colour on the sides, brownish 

 chest : N.E. Africa. 



2. T. pelios saturatus (Cab.) A little smaller, the rnst-colour less extended, 

 at least as dark or darker above and un the chest ; W. African forest-region to 

 Uganda. 



3. T. pelios chiguancoiiles Seeb. Without or with very little rnst-colour on 

 the sides, chest paler. Senegambia, jirobably to Niger district, but birds from there 

 are perhaps slightly intermediate. 



4. T. pelios hocagei (Cab.). A little larger than 2 and 3, as large as 1, chest 

 more or less rnfous. Angola (cf. Cah. J. f. 0. 1882 p. 320, Sharpe in Seebohm's 

 Monagr. TurcUdae, part VII.). 



A series of Thrushes of this grouj) in the Tring Museum from Grand Cape 

 Mount, Liberia, labelled by Dr. Biittikofer, diti'er remarkably in their deep coloura- 

 tion and a very different rufous rust-colour under the wings. No one would hesitate 

 to separate this form (which by the extent of rnst-colour is clearly chiguancoides^, 

 on account of its singular colouration as a new subspecies, if it was not for the fact 

 that they have been in spirits and are skinned in Leyden. No remark to this eft'ect, 

 however, is on the labels ! Unfortunately many hundreds of such skins which have 

 been in spirits have been sold to various Museums in Europe, where they were 

 accepted in good faith, withont an idea that they had been in alcohol. The greatest 

 caution must therefore be used with regard to all Liberian skins in judging their 

 colour, and it is to be feared that Xenoricliln. hartcrti lieichenow (Nov. Zool. IS'.i."), 

 p. 60) is the first and probably not the last mistake which resulted from such 

 specimens. It is well that every ornithologist should be aware of the historr of 

 these Liberian skins. 



