362 BULLETIISr 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Adults vary very noticeably with regard to the length, shape, and 

 color of the elongated middle rectrices. The actual length is difficult 

 to study because of wear and because different specimens have these 

 feathers in different stages of growth. However, some birds have 

 them considerably narrower than others, even basally. The former 

 have the terminal narrowing more in the form of a gradual tapering, 

 the latter more a matter of sudden, but rounded, indentation of the 

 webs causing a definite and very local difference in width of the 

 vexillse. 



MELITTOPHAGUS PUSILLUS SHARPEI Hartert 



MelUfopJuKjus sharpel Hartert, Bull. Brit. Orn. CI., vol. 10, 1899, p. 27: 

 The Haud, Soraaliland. 



^Specimens collected: 



Seven adult males, two adult females. Dire Daoua, Ethiopia, 

 November 28 to December 17, 1911. 



Two adult males, two adult females, Sadi Malka, Ethiopia, Decem- 

 ber 21, 1911 to January 30, 1912. 



One adult female, Gardula, Ethiopia, March 27, 1912. 



Three adult males, three adult females, two young ( ?), Gato River 

 near Gardula, Ethiopia, April 9 to May 14, 1912. 



Two adult males, one immature male, Sagon River, Ethiopia, June 

 3-4 1912. 



Soft parts : Iris, red ; bill, black ; feet and claws, purplish brown. 



The races of this bee eater have been reviewed three times in the 

 last 20 years. It might therefore seem that little could be gained 

 from another study of the systematics of this species, but such has 

 not proved to be the case. Zedlitz" recognized four races — pusillus, 

 ocularis, ci/anostictvs, and meridionalis. Claude Grant ^- considered 

 ocularis a synonym of tneridionalis, and concluded that there were 

 but three valid races. Finally, Sclater ^^ after having previously ^* 

 agreed with Grant, recognized four forms with the same names and 

 ranges as in Zedlitz's paper. In 1899 Hartert ^^ separated sharpei^ 

 while under the impression that Cabanis' type of cyanostictus came 

 from Natal and was therefore the same as cyanostictus. Reiclie- 

 now ^'^ showed, however, that Cabanis distinctly stated that this type 

 came from IVIombasa. Both Zedlitz and Grant therefore considered 

 sharpei as a synonym of cyanostictus and gave the range of the latter 

 as eastern Africa from southern Ethiopia and Somaliland to north- 



11 Journ. f. Ornith., 1910, p. 771. 



"2 Ibis, 191.5, pp. 294-295. 



i^'Syst. Avium Ktliiop., 1924, pp. 221-222. 



"Ibis, 1919, p. G62. 



IS Bull. Brit. Orii. CI., vol. 10, p. 27. 



"Orn. Monatsb., 1900, p. 8G. 



