(28) 



U. Grallinula chloropus (1^.) 

 <??. in nuptial plnmage, Lake Varangot in .Torn, Uganda Protectorate, 

 13. 4. 1899. 



IT). Limnocorax niger ((iiu.) 

 (f. Lake Varangot, Torn, 13. 4. 1S99. 



Ki. Pterocles exustus Temm. 



cJ?. Campi-ya-Simba, British East Africa, 14. 1. 1^99. "In both sexes iris 

 dark brown : feet bluish grey ; bill greyish white." 



Temminck described his P. exusttts from West Africa and North-East Africa. 

 The African Birds were therefore the " typical " ones, which means that they must 

 be called /'. exustus exustus, if subspecies are distinguished, and there is no doubt, 

 in my opinion, that this can be done. 



I have not been able to compare a series of Abyssinian skins, but as several 

 writers have declared that they are like those from North-Eastern Africa, and in 

 view of the close relationship of the fauna of North-Eastern Africa and Senegambia, 

 I must take their similarity for granted at present. The North-East African birds 

 (Abyssinia, Egypt) and those from Eastern Tropical Africa (Kilimanjaro, Machakos, 

 Campi-ya-Simba) do not seem to differ and are above rather dark olive-brown, while 

 the greater wing-coverts are much more yellow, especially on the tips. This is 

 evidently pigment, and not at all due to staining. Bogdanow's name P. ellioti 

 {Bull. Ac. Sci. Petersb. v. XXVII., p. 167, 1881) is based on one (!) Abyssinian 

 example collected nearly seventy years ago by Riippell. The differences lie mentions 

 are evidently dne to the faded condition of this old veteran of a mounted specimen, 

 and the white patch he describes is found in all adult males. P. ellioti is therefore, 

 for the present, to be regarded as a synonym of P. exustus. 



The wing of Central African adult males measures about 185 inm. 



From this form differs the bird inhabiting the deserts of Somaliland, in being 

 smaller, paler and more sandy isabelline on the upperside, chest and breast. The 

 under tail-coverts in the one male at Tring are unspotted. The female is less 

 thickly spotted on the foreneck, less blackish and more reddish on the upperside. 

 The wings of two adult males and two females measure about 170 mm. This form 

 might be termed 



Pterocles exustus somalicus subsp. nov. (Type Donaldson (Smith coll. Milmil, 



30. T. 1894.) 



A third distinct form is the Indian bird, which is lighter above than P. exustus 

 exustus, not so dark olive-brown, but not so bright yellowish isabelline as P. exusttts 

 somalicus. The larger wing-coverts are paler and not so yellowish. The females 

 show the same differences. This form might be named 



P. exustus orientalis snbsp. nov. 



We have thus, for the present : — 



P. exustus exustus : West and N.E. Africa generally, south to the Masai- 

 steppes, Kilimanjaro and Arnsha. 



P. exustus somalicus : Somaliland. 



P. exustus orientalis : India. 



