BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 243 



Bannerman ^^ has reviewed the species and races of this genus, 

 and, in the absence of sufficient material, I follow his conclusions. 

 The present species has two geographic forms, the typical one rang- 

 ing from South Africa (except the western portion) north through 

 eastern Rhodesia, Nyasaland, Tanganyika Territory, and Kenya 

 Colony to Mount Kenia and Mount Elgon; while another smaller 

 form, hronzina, which I have not seen, is said to occur in the high- 

 lands of Ethiopia and Shoa. This pigeon is entirely restricted to 

 dense forests and its range is therefore a very discontinuous one. 

 A-lthough true forest areas in tropical East Africa are largely con- 

 fined to mountainous spots the bird is not to be considered a highland 

 form as it has been taken in the Taveta forest in Kenya Colony, and 

 in the lowland forests in Natal, the Cape Province, and the 

 Transvaal. 



Neumann's race Jdlwiensis is identical with la/rvata and the 

 former name is a straight synonym of the latter. 



Aflopelia la/rvata larvata is definitely known from the following 

 localities in Kenya Colony: Taveta, Nairobi, Ngong, Kyambu, 

 Kakamegos, Mau, Escarpment, Cherangani, West Elgon, Meru, and 

 Mount Kenia. In Tanganyika Territory it has been recorded from 

 only four mountain masses — Kilimanjaro, Meru, the Usambara 

 (Mlalo), and the Uluguru (Bagilo, Madazi, and Nyange) ranges. 



This species is said to go through a sequence of three plumages 

 in the course of its life, the full adult type being acquired at the age 

 of two years. The ju venal plumage is described by Van Someren ^^ 

 as rufescent brown, more ochraceous on the head, throat, and abdo- 

 men, more blackish on the mantle and wings, each feather with two 

 or more blackish bars. This plumage is represented in the series 

 examined by a young male (Mus. Comp. Zool. 237531) from Nyange, 

 Uluguru Mountains, Tanganyika Territory. It has the forehead 

 ochraceous white, the feathers barred subterminally with fuscous; 

 the crown and occiput deep fuscous narrowly tipped with rufous 

 brown, the hind neck and nape deep fuscous brown indistinctly 

 barred with fuscous black ; the scapulars, interscapulars, back, wings, 

 rump, and upper tail coverts very dark olive fuscous brown, each 

 feather terminally banded with rufous; central rectrices dark olive 

 fuscous brown, the lateral ones similar, but very broadly tipped with 

 slate gray; sides of head ochraceous barred with brown; chin and 

 throat ochraceous white, unbarred; lower throat and breast rufous 

 banded with fuscous black; abdomen, flanks, thighs, and under 

 tail coverts fuscous basally, widely tipped with rufous, the tips 

 being so wide that the basal color is entirely concealed by the over- 



« Ibis, 1916, pp. 1-16. 



*» Journ. East. Afr. and Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, January, 1928, p. 170. 



94312—50 17 



