240 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



ing. It is widespread in Tanganyika Territory but stops at the 

 Kenya border, penetrating into that country only in the Kavirondo 

 and Kisii districts, extending northward through Uganda. 



3. T. afer mearnsL — The highlands of Ethiopia and Shoa. 



Rothschild ^- confused T. afer and T. abyssinicus (as did all work- 

 ers until Sclater pointed out the differences) and described the 

 West African bird as T. afer sclateri on the differences between it 

 and T. abyssiniaus. Sclater and others naturally considered sclateri 

 a synonym of hiliniensis with which the original description agreed 

 most closely. Recently Gyldenstolpe ^^ decided that sclateri is dis- 

 tinct from kiUmensis although very similar to it, differing from the 

 latter in having darker brown upper parts and in having the flanks 

 and abdomen more whitish, less tinged with cinnamomeous. In 

 attempting to decide the validity of sclateri, I have studied a series 

 of 8 birds from Cameroon, 3 from Liberia, 1 from " West Africa," 

 2 from the eastern Belgian Congo, 1 from Uganda, 1 from " East 

 Africa," 2 from Tanganyika Territory. I find that the characters 

 given by Gyldenstolpe do not hold any too well. The color of the 

 abdomen in birds from Cameroon and Liberia varies from noticeably 

 cinnamomeous to practically pure white. The shade of the upper 

 parts is also variable. According to Gyldenstolpe sclateri ranges 

 across Africa as far east as Tanganyika Territory. A specimen from 

 Bungu, Usambara Mountains, eastern Tanganyika Territory is more 

 or less intermediate between the characters of sclateri and kilimensis, 

 having the lighter upper parts of the latter, and the whiter under 

 parts of the former. LTntil more adequate series are available it 

 seems more in accordance with the facts to consider sclateri a syno- 

 nym of Jdlimetisis. 



In his field book Mearns entered a great many observational records 

 of what he called " Chalcopelia afra?'' These probably refer to the 

 present species. If so, he observed two races, nieanisi in Ethiopia 

 (Aletta to Boran, March 7 to June 23), and kilimensis in Kenya 

 Colony (Endoto Mountains to Athi River, July 21 to August 31). 



Erlanger ^* found the breeding season to be in May in Ennia- 

 Gallaland. where, at Ali Dera on May 28, he found a nest with two 

 eggs. 



TURTUR CHALCOSPILOS CHALCOSPILOS (Wagler) 



Columba chalcospilos Wagler, Syst. Av. C<»Iunil)a. p. 82. 1827 : " Terra Caf- 

 frorum " ; i. e., Eastern Cape Province. 



Specitimns collected : 



Two males and one female, one immature. Dire Daoua, Ethiopia, 

 October 17 to December 21, 1911. 



''a Bull. Brit. Orn. CI., vol. 38, 1917, pp. 1^5-20. 

 ''Kungl. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handler.. 1924, p. 312. 

 'iJouru. f. Ornith., 1905, p. 133. 



