BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 257 



The nest was a mere lattice of sticks near the end of a horizontal 

 bough of a large thorn tree; nest about 35 feet above the ground. 

 " When the female was seen sitting it was hard to see any nest at all, 

 the structure being so slight." When the feathers begin to grow 

 they are wholly encased in sheaths as in cuckoos and kingfishers. 

 To judge from Mearns' fragmentary notes, the trichoptiles are pres- 

 ent at the time of hatching. 



Erlanger ^« found the birds breeding during February, March, and 

 April in northern Somaliland, and collected a young bird about 

 eight days old as late as May 27. He also found two eggs to be the 

 clutch, and to be pale grayish green in color. The nest, built of twigs 

 and thorns, resembles a large dove's nest and is so loosely constructed 

 that an observer can look through it and see if it contains eggs or 

 young. The nest is usually placed high up in the crown of a tall 



acacia tree. 



A female collected at the Tana Kiver, Kenya Colony, August 22, 

 had its stomach filled with green vegetation finely comminuted, 

 " * * * like the stomach contents of a SfermoyhilusP 



This species was recorded as follows : Gidabo Kiver, March 15-17, 

 2 seen ; Abaya Lakes, March 18-26, 90 ; near Gardula, March 26-29, 

 20 birds ; Gato River, March 29 to May 17, 300 ; Bodessa and Sagon 

 River, May 18 to June 6, 645 ; Tertale, June 7-12, 220 noted ; El Ade, 

 June 12^14, 55; Mar Mora, June 15, 20 seen; Turturo, June 15-17, 

 30 birds ; Anole, June 17, 20 ; Wobok, June 18, 30 ; near Sam, Jmie 19, 

 30; Yebo, June 20, 25 seen; Karsa Barecha, June 21, 30 birds; Chafi'a 

 villages, June 22-23, 30 seen; Malele and southward for 45 miles, 

 July 28-30, 60 ; Northern Guaso Nyiro River, July 31 to August 3, 

 20; Tharaka district, August 12-13, 8 seen; Tana River, August 

 14r-23, 55 ; Tana River at mouth of Thika River, August 23-26, 36 

 birds; Thika River, August 26-27, 35 seen; west of Ithanga Hills, 

 August 28, 25 birds noted. 



Roberts ^^ has created a genus, Crlniferoides^ for leucogaster, whicli 

 seems fairly well defined and not unnatural. It may be that its adop- 

 tion would be useful, although I personally have little faith in the 

 " naturalness " of most genera and therefore refrain from adding 

 to their number. 



GYMNOSCHIZORHIS PERSONATA (Ruppell) 



Chizaerhis personata Ruppell, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. for 1842, p. 8, June 

 1842: Ethiopia. 



Specimens collected: 



Male, Duletcha, Ethiopia, January 24, 1912. 



Female, Lake Zwai, Ethiopia, March 3, 1912. 



Male and female, Gato River near Gardula, April 26, 1912. 



"Journ. f. Ornith., 1905, pp. 433-434. 

 "Ann. Transv. Mus., vol. 11, 1926, p. 218. 



