NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXV. ISIS. 278 



2.. Melittophagus pusillus cyanostictus Cab. (Little Yellow-throated Bee-Eater). 



<J 1, Juv. I. This specimen from Elgon has the superciliary stripe blue, 

 which colour extends well over the forehead in a broad blue line. The neck band 

 is as in M. cyanostictus. I am compelled to put it under this heading and not 

 M. meridionalis. It is interesting to note, however, that birds agreeing to both 

 descriptions have been collected together at Kisumu. In this locality I have 

 collected a bird with the whole of the forehead and front of crown blue. 



I might again call attention to a small Bee- Eater collected on the Wabegenji 

 River, Uganda, which is neither typical M. meridionalis nor M. cyanostictus 

 nor M . oreohates. 



In general scheme of colour it resembles M. meridionalis, but differs from 

 this bird in having the crown and mantle shot with copper and having the chest- 

 nut of the upper breast extending well on to the abdomen as in M . oreohates. It 

 has no white Line under the black ear-coverts. Wing measurement = 90 mm. 



3. Merops persicus persicus Pall. (Great Green Bee-Eater). 



(J 1, ? 1. Plentiful at times. The area of and the intensity of the yellow 

 on the throat varies considerably. 



UPUPIDAE. 



1. Irrisor erythrorhynchus marwitzi Rchw. (Eastern Green Wood-Hoopoe). 



S \, S Juv. This male is abnormal in that the feathers of the throat are 

 brown with small triangular green tips. Furthermore it has only the two outer 

 tail feathers spotted, the third pair not at all. Cf. my note Ibis 1916, under 

 this heading, where one specimen has three feathers spotted on one side and only 

 two on the other, all the tail feathers being present. Vide C. Grant's /. e. ruiven- 

 zorae, Ibis 1915, p. 286. 



Is the bird from Elgon /. e. ruwenzorue ? I am inclined to think that the 

 Ruwenzori bird, being unique, is simply an aberrant /. e. marwitzi. 



The young bird is in the " bronzy " stage and has the bill black. 



2. Irrisor erythrorhynchus ? Subsp. nov. 



S 1. This specimen cannot be placed in any of the three groups defined 

 by C. Grant, Ibis 1915. It has the wings and tail uniform as in /. b. jacksoni, 

 but the head is green almost as in /. e. marwitzi. The wings are bluish, not greenish 

 as in /. 6. jacksoni. Bill red, feet dark red. The rectrices are narrower than in 

 /. b. jacksoni. 



3. Irrisor bollei jacksoni Sharpe (Elgon White-headed Wood-Hoopoe). 



cJ 5, $ 4. In this series the coloration is uniformly the same. The wing 

 measurement in the males is 123-133 mm. and in the females 122-130 mm. long. 

 These birds are considerably smaller than birds from Kikuyu country, which 

 have the wings 1 40-144 mm. long, and tails of 240 as compared to 200 in Elgon 

 birds. 



Another interesting difference is that Elgon birds lack the coppery bronze 

 patch on the lesser coverts but have the feathers of the rump broadly tipped 



18 



