192 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



been confused himself as to the difference between young and old 

 birds of this species. The name, however, must hold for the resi- 

 dent form of northeastern Africa, as Heuglin's material came from 

 there, although the characters on which he based linibata mean 

 nothing. 



Since 1905 the resident African birds have been found to include 

 three rather slightly differentiated, but yet recognizable, forms, as 

 follows : 



1. GlareoJa pratincola limbata. — Senegal to the Sudan, Ethiopia, 

 British Somaliland, and southern Arabia. 



2. Glareola pratincola fvlleborni. — Eastern Belgian Congo, 

 Uganda, and Kenya Colony, south through Tanganyika Territory 

 and Mozambique to South Africa (Natal and Cape Province). 



3. Glareola pratincola erlangeH. — South Somaliland coastal area. 

 The limits of the ranges of all three are still poorly understood as 



the races are very similar and very few distributional data based on 

 breeding birds are available. The present series from extreme north- 

 ern Kenya Colony are here referred to linibata but are in reality 

 intermediate between this form and fulleborni although nearer the 

 former. Van Someren '^° has recorded the latter as far north as 

 Lake Rudolf. 



In studying the specimens collected by Mearns, I have assembled 

 a series of some 63 birds representing all the races of this species 

 except erlangeri. The Asiatic form nialdivarum is here considered 

 with the races of pratincola as it is obviously closely related al- 

 though probabl}^ a distinct species as Hartert ^^ has rated it. The ma- 

 terial indicates that Umbata is by far the least certain of all the forms, 

 and is only doubtfull}'- distinct from the typical race. The darker 

 color of the former and its somewhat smaller size are only average 

 differences. 



The immature birds collected by Mearns indicate that the males 

 are darker than the females in this stage. Two young males, taken 

 at Hor, Kenya Colony, June 26 and 30, have the forehead, crown, 

 back, and wings spotted or edged with golden buff. The anterior 

 undcrparts are washed with clay color, the lower throat striped 

 with black, and the chest heavily spotted with black. On the other 

 hand, two young females of about the same age, from Hor, June 26, 

 and Lake Rudolf, July 5, differ in being paler and drab above, the 

 feathers edged and spotted with buff, and with the throat plain pale 

 clay color bordered below by a broken ring of blackish spots suc- 

 ceeded on the chest by a broad, grayish area containing a few 

 darker spots and paler edgings to the feathers, kw. older female, 



""Nov. Zool., vol. 29, 1922, pp. 11-12. 

 «i Vog. pal. Fauna, p. 1529. 



