BIEDS OP ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 237 



Kenya Colony, on August 19, Lynes obtained a female ready to lay 

 at Fasher on March 19, and a nest and two eggs at Zalingei on 

 October 30. 



The widespread abundance of this little dove is attested by the fact 

 that it was observed almost daily on the march from Aletta, Ethiopia, 

 to the Atlii River, Kenya Colony. The definite records found in 

 Mearns' field notes are : Aletta, March 13-15, 4 birds ; Loco, March 

 15-17, 25; the Abaya Lakes, March 18-26, 310 seen; near Gardula, 

 March 26-29, 4 birds ; then comes a break which is rather surprising. 

 During the seven weeks spent at Gato River (March 29 to May 17) 

 none of these birds were recorded. This probably does not mean 

 that none were seen, but that, wearying of constantly entering this 

 bird in his notes, Mearns omitted it during this period. The next 

 records are: Turturo, June 15-17, 6 seen; Anole, June 17, 10 birds; 

 Wobok. June 18, 50; near Saru, June 19, 100 seen; Yebo, June 20, 

 200 noted; Boran, Lower Chaff a Village, the Indunumara and 

 Endoto Mountains, Er-re-re, Le-se-dun, Malele, the Guaso Nyiro 

 River, and Meru, June 23 to August 9, seen in numbers every day; 

 Tana, Thika, and Athi Rivers, August 23 to September 1, seen in 

 small numbers daily. 



TYMPANISTRIA TYMPANISTRIA FRASERI Bonaparte 



Tympcmii<tria frascri Bonaparte. Consp. Av., vol. 2, p. 67, 1857 : Fernaiulo Po. 



/Specimens collected : 



Male and female, Aletta, Ethiopia, March 9, 1912. 

 Female, Meru Forest, near Mount Kenia, Kenya Colony, August 

 10, 1912. 



The two birds from Aletta appear to be the fifth and sixth known 

 records for Ethiopia and the northernmost for the species. This 

 dove was first taken in Ethiopia by Lord Lovat, who obtained a 

 male at Wama, in the southern part of the country, March 12, 1899.*'^ 

 Two years later (March 17, 1901) Oscar Neumann procured a female 

 at Anderatscha in Kaffa,'"'* which was the most northerly record until 

 the present birds were captured at Aletta. At about the same time 

 Erlanger *^^ obtained two more, a male at Gigiro, Djamdjam district 

 (December 25, 1900) and a female at Wonda, Abaya Lakes region 

 (December 5, 1900). As far as I have been able to discover these 

 four are the only Abyssinian specimens known other than the present 

 two. However, Hartert "'^ says in his notes on the races and nomen- 

 <;lature of this bird, that the combined series in the Tring Museum 



«» See O. Grant, Ibis, 1900, p. 334. 

 «*.Tourn. f. Oinith., 1904, p. 349. 

 •^Idom, 1905, p. 132. 

 ■««Nov. Zool., vol. 2.5, 1918, p. 435. 



