BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 371 



Erlanger ^^ found that his birds, collected during June, were not 

 yet in breeding condition, and he thereby assumed that the breeding 

 season probably was in late summer. Zedlitz writes that the nest- 

 ing time is in the middle and later parts of summer, but his evidence 

 is merely the statement made by Erlanger as to the condition of the 

 gonads of June birds. Zedlitz suggests that the species may be 

 migratory and breed only in eastern Gallaland and western Somali- 

 land, and shows that all records from Kenya Colony and coastal 

 Somaliland are in the dry season (January, February, and March). 

 However, the present series taken in June and July successfully 

 refutes this hypothesis, at least as far as Kenya Colony is concerned. 



Family CORACIIDAE 



CORACIAS ABYSSINICUS Hermann 



Conwias abyssinica Hermann, Tabula Affin. Anim., p. 197, 1783: Ethiopia 

 (from Buffon, Oiseaux, vol. 3, p. 143, and Daubenton, pi. 626). 



Specimens collected: 



Male and female, Bilan, Ethiopia, December 19, 1911. 

 Male and female, Sadi Malka, Ethiopia, February 3, 1912. 

 Female, Hawash River, Ethiopia, February 10, 1912. 



Besides these five birds I have seen three from the Blue Nile and 

 one from Gallabat. Ethiopia. The Sudanese (Blue Nile) specimens 

 are somewhat smaller and fit the requirements of G. dbyssinicus 

 mmor, the so-called western race of this roller. The name minor 

 was applied to birds from Senegal by Neumann *^ to replace the 

 name senegalensis of Reichenow (not Gmelin). Reichenow separated 

 the western birds on the basis of their having the top of the head 

 and the hind neck tinged with greenish ; the blue of the cheeks and 

 throat paler and greener ; and the general size somewhat smaller than 

 eastern ones. When renaming the bird Neumann commented to the 

 effect that the color differences were nonexistent, and that the size 

 alone was the distinguishing character of minor. Reichenow also 

 separated the birds of southwestern Arabia under the name arabicus, 

 on the basis of their having the back, neck, and top of the head light 

 blue more or less mixed with brown. Neither of these races appears 

 to be recognizable. Sclater ^^ writes that arahicus appears to be in- 

 distinguishable from typical ahyssinicus. Inasmuch as I have seen 

 no Arabian material I follow Sclater in this matter. With regard to 

 ininor, however, I am able to form my own opinion. Through the 

 courtesy of the Cleveland Museum I have had the opportunity 

 of examining seven males and three females from Senegal, now 



"' Journ. f. Ornith., 1905, p. 455. 



" Idem, 1917, pt. 2, p. 201. 



*^ Syst. Avium Ethiop., 1924, p. 206. 



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