56 BULLETIN" 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



immature male from Morogoro, Tanganyika Territory) is unusual 

 in its plumage in that all the feathers of the breast and abdomen are 

 pure white with broad, dull earth-brown margins. The thighs and 

 under tail coverts are pale sandy earth brown. Above, this bird is 

 somewhat grayer, less brownish than other immature specimens. 



Madagascan birds (12 specimens examined) are like examples 

 from continental Africa. 



The African kite was observed in large numbers throughout the 

 course of the expedition. Mearns recorded it as very abundant from 

 the Red Sea up to Adis Abeba. At the latter place, on December 

 26 he observed a pair building a nest. On his journey along the 

 Hawash River, January 26 to February 12, this species was always 

 in sight everywhere he went. More explicit records are: Aletta, 

 March 7-13, 100 birds ; Loco, March 13-15, 100 seen ; Gidabo River, 

 March 15-17, 100; the Abaya Lakes, March 18-26, 1,000 seen; near 

 Gardula, March 26-29, 80 birds; Gato River, March 29 to May 17, 

 1,000; Sagon River and Bodessa, May 17 to June 6, 260 birds seen; 

 Tertale, June 7-12, 150; El Ade, June 12-14, 65; Mar Mora, June 14, 

 40 birds; Turturo, June 15-17, 90; Anole, June 17, 50; Wobok, 

 June 18, 40 seen; near Saru, June 19, 20 seen; Yebo, June 20, 20 

 birds; Karsa Barecha, June 21, 20; Malata, June 22, 10 noted; the 

 Chaffa villages, June 23-24, 6 birds ; Lake Rudolf, July 5-9, 55 seen ; 

 Indunumara Mountains, July 14-18, 4; Endoto Mountains, July 

 21-24, 4; Northern Guaso Nyiro River, July 31 to August 3, 40 

 birds; Lekiundu River, August 4-8, 60; Meru and Kilindini, August 

 9-10, 29 seen; Tharaka district, August 11-13, 30 birds; Tana and 

 Thika Rivers, August 23-27, 50 birds observed. 



ELANUS COERULEUS COERULEUS (Desfontaines) 



Falco coeruleus Desfontaines, Hist. (i. e., Mem.) Acad. Roy. Paris, for 1787, 

 p. 503, 1789 : near Algiers. 



Sjjeci'mens collected: 



Male adult, Tana River, Kenya Colony, August 19, 1912. 



The color of the soft parts was recorded by Doctor Mearns as 

 follows: Iris red; cere, basal three-jfifths of commissural line, and 

 extreme base of mandible pale yellow; maxilla and nearly all of 

 mandible bluish black ; feet pale yellow ; claws black. 



This is one of the relatively few hawks in which the two sexes 

 are fairly similar in size, the difference between them being an 

 average rather than an actual one. The largest female examined 

 has a wing length of 267.5 millimeters, while that of the largest 

 male is 264. A bird marked as a male with a query, which may be 

 either a male or a female, has the longest wing of any specimen 

 seen — 274.5 millimeters. 



