BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 127 



At Gato River several sets of eggs were obtained, as follows : 



April 24, set of seven eggs. 



May 7, set of four eggs. 



May 11, set of four eggs and a set of five eggs. 



PTERNISTES LEUCOSCEPUS INFUSCATUS Cabanis 



Pternistcs infui<catus Cabanis, Journ. f. Ornitli., ISGS, p. 413: I^ake Jipe, 

 near Kilimanjaro. 



jSpecimens collected: 



Female, Tana River, below Camp No. 3, Kenya Colony, August 

 16, 1912. 



Female, Tana River, at mouth of Thika River, Kenya Colony, 

 August 25, 1912. 



Male and female, Thika River, southwest of big bend, Kenya 

 Colony, August 28, 1912. 



Soft parts : Chin and sides of face red f throat yellow ; iris brown ; 

 bill olive brown, reddish at base; upper edge of nostrils red; feet 

 and claws black (both sexes). 



This race is quite variable and may eventually be considered as 

 including keniensis, which is only questionably distinct. The four 

 birds collected vary considerably in the amount of reddish brown 

 on the underparts, and, to a lesser degree, the width of the white 

 shaft stripes on the feathers of the upper back. 



Birds of this race were noted on every day of the march from the 

 Tharaka district to the Athi River, August 11-31. About 10 birds 

 a day was the usual observation. 



PTERNISTES LEUCOSCEPUS KENIENSIS Mearns 



Pternistcs leucoscepus keniensis Meiabns, Smiths. Misc. Coll., vol. 56, No. 20, 

 p. 1, 1911 : west slope of Mount Kenya. 



/Specimens collected: 



Female adult, Guaso Nyiro River, 10 miles northeast of Archer's 

 Camp, Kenya Colony, August 3, 1912. 



One male adult, five female adults, one female immature, one 

 female young, Lekiundu River, Kenya Colony, August 4-8, 1912. 



Doctor Van Someren ^^ has produced evidence which casts no 

 little doubt as to the validity of this race. However, the type, and 

 the six adults listed above collected by Mearns and seven others in 

 the Museum of Comparative Zoology are generally darker than speci- 

 mens of infuscatus and lack white edges on the feathers of the 



"'Nov. Zool., vol. 29, 1922, p. 26. 



