330 



BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



is a single taxonomic entity throughout its range, the former divides 

 into two well marked races, as follows: 



1. C. I. leucocephcdus. — Southeastern Kenya Colony (Teita and 

 Taveta districts) south to Kilimanjaro and Aruscha, north along the 

 coast to Witu and the lower reaches of the Tana River. 



2, C. I. turneri. — Distinguished from the tjrpical form by having 

 the cheeks more grayish, less brownish ; and the vinous pink restricted 

 to the upper breast and sides. This form inhabits the country from 

 north of Mount Kenia to Lake Rudolf and east to southern Somali- 

 land. I have not seen any specimens from Witu or Pokomoni, but 

 they are probably not typical turneri. Van Someren ^° gives several 

 other characters for tumeric namely, the darker gray of the wings, 

 back, and rump, slightly darker throat, and more clearly defined 

 barrings on the hind neck and mantle. However, none of these 

 characters seems to hold, as a bird from Maktau (from which region 

 Van Someren records typical leticoc&phalus) agrees in these respects 

 with the present series. In fact, it is slightly darker (not paler) 

 on the back, wings, and rmnp than the northern birds. 



The measurements of the birds collected by Mearns are as follows : 



Five of these birds were molting when collected. Inasmuch as 

 little has been written on the molts of colies, the following obser- 

 vations may be of interest. The wing molt not only precedes that 

 of the tail but the two do not overlap ; that is, the first is completed 

 before the second begins. The remigial ecdysis begins at the carpal 

 joint and proceeds both proximally and distally from that point. 

 One specimen is replacing the next to the outermost primary while 

 the two proximal to it are old, so it may be that a second ecdysial 

 center appears later. The caudal molt is centripetal and rather pro- 

 longed as each pair of feathers grows to its full length (or nearly 

 so) before the next pair are shed. The body molt appears to be 

 irregular, but more material is needed for its elucidation. 



Sclater ^^ correctly states Kinakomba as the type locality of the 

 typical race, but then limits the range of this form to the " country 



*oNov. Zool., vol. 29; 1922, p. 71. 

 '^ Syst. Avium Bthiop., 1924, p. 266. 



