BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA A^^D KENYA COLONY 365 



shot a pair of birds, which he entered in his note book as " mated pair 

 killed hj same shot." Erlanger says that in May, June, and July, he 

 collected 3'oung birds in fresh, plumage. The three juvenal speci- 

 mens obtained by Mearns Avere procured on May 13, May 14, and June 

 3 respectively. Blanford -^ found the birds molting in July in the 

 Anseba Valley (subspecies ocularis). Lynes-- writes of ocularis that 

 in Darfur the complete molt is in the autumn, so the breeding season 

 probably is in summer, which corresponds fairly well with records of 

 the typical race in Nigeria and Liberia. 



Antinori found this bird commonly distributed throughout Shoa 

 but not ascending to great heights. It is characteristically an in- 

 habitant of the Acacia-Mimosa thornbush country and, not being 

 confined to the vicinity of water, is found throughout most of the 

 territory in its geographic range. 



Mearns found this bird in the following localities : Loco, March 

 13-15, 4 seen; Gidabo River, March 15-17, 10 birds; Abaya Lakes, 

 March 18-26, Y5; near Gardula, March 26-29, 4 seen; Gato River, 

 March 29 to May 17, 50 ; Bodessa and Sagon River, May 19 to June 

 6, 87; Tertale, June 7-12, 75; El Ade, June 12-14, 20 birds; Mar 

 Mora, June 15, 10 seen ; Turturo, June 15-17, 20 seen ; Anole, June 

 17, 40; Wobok, June 18, 40; near Saru, June 19, 25 birds; Yebo, 

 June 20, 20 seen; Karsa Barecha, June 21, 25 birds; Chaffa villages, 

 June 22-25, 38 birds noted. 



MELITTOPHAGUS PUSILLUS CYANOSTICTUS (Cabanis) 



Merops cyanostictus Cabanis, in Vou der Decken's Reisen, vol. 3, 1860, p. 

 34 : Mombasa. 



Specifnens collected: 



One adult male. Lake Stefanie, south, Kenya Colony, May, 1921. 



One adult male and one adult female, Nyiro Mountain, Indunu- 

 mara Mountains, Kenya Colony, July 13, 1912. 



Two immature males, Endoto Mountains, south, Kenya Colony, 

 July 22-24, 1912. 



One adult male, Guaso Nyiro River, Kenya Colony, August 2, 

 1912. 



One adult male, Lekiundu River, Kenya Colony, August 6, 1912. 



One adult male and one adult female. Tana River, camp No. 5, 

 Kenya Colony, August 19, 1912. 



One adult female. Tana River at mouth of Thika River, Kenya 

 Colony, August 24, 1912. 



The distribution and plumage variations of this race have already 

 been dealt with under sharpei and need not be repeated here. 



siQeol. and Zool. Abyss.. 1870, p. 322. 

 »Ibis, 1925, p. 376. 



