54 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



for 45 miles, July 27-30, 280 birds recorded ; Northern Guaso Nyiro 

 River, July 31 to August 3, 800 ; Lekiundu River, August ^8, 200 ; 

 Meru and Kilindini, August 9-10, 20 seen ; Tharaka district, August 

 12, 10 birds ; Thika River, August 26-27, 100 seen ; west of Ithanga 

 Hills, August 28, 50; Athi River, August 29 to September 1, 109 birds 

 noted. 



At Bodessa, Mearns wrote of this bird : 



* * * In usual abundance and constant iu attendance, perching in flocks 

 in large dead trees, or singly or in small numbers on smaller, green trees. 

 Often they remain on the ground, or, occasionally, one is found taking a siesta 

 in the dense foliage of trees in the canyons. I shot one at the same time I 

 killed a Pseudogyps on the carcass of a mule. 



MILVUS MIGRANS PARASITUS (Daudin) 



Falco parasitus Daudin, Trait6 d'Orn., vol. 2, p. 150, 1800: South Africa. 



Specimens collected: 



Female adult, Dire Daoua, Ethiopia, November 27, 1911, 

 Six male adults, 1 female adult. Dire Daoua, Ethiopia, December 

 6-29, 1911. 



Female adult, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia, January 9, 1912. 

 Female adult, Gidabo River, Ethiopia, March 16, 1912. 



Of the 10 birds collected, 8 are typical examples of parasitus, 

 and 2 are somewhat intermediate between parasitus and aegyptius. 

 These two are both females; one (U.S.N.M. 243633) is from Dire 

 Daoua, and the other (U.S.N.M. 243641) comes from Gidabo River. 

 The former is more reddish below than the latter, but both have the 

 head lighter and more reddish in color than any of the other eight. 

 In this connection it should be noted that Sclater and Praed ^- record 

 five kites in very worn plumage from Erkowit, Anglo-Egyptian 

 Sudan, which, " * * * apjjear to be an intermediate race be- 

 tween M. 111. aegyptius and M. m. par^asitus, as is suggested by Har- 

 tert." ^^ However, the Erkowit birds have small wings (average 

 405 millimeters) while the present two have wings 445 and 454 mil- 

 limeters, respectively, being practically as large as aegyptius. 



Mearns recorded the measurements of the specimens he collected 

 as follows: 



«2 Ibis, 1919, p. 691. 



»s Vog. pal. Faun., p. 1172. 



