BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 



385 



is considered as a synonym of typical epops by Hartert, as a syno- 

 nym of major by Claude Grant ^-, and of somaliensis by Sclater and 

 Mackwortli-Praed.^^ I have seen two birds from the Blue Nile, 

 both of which are of the typical race, and, inasmuch as Madarasz 

 described hutleH from winter birds, it seems that Hartert is correct 

 in his disposition of the name. 



Claude Grant ^- writes that in, " * * * * most males the basal 

 two-thirds of the secondaries is pure wdiite, though this is not con- 

 stant, and in most females the white two-thirds of the secondaries is 

 crossed by two black bands, thouoh this also is not always constant." 

 Assuming that the birds available for the present study are correctly 

 sexed, I should say that the degree of variation in this regard is 

 almost enough to destroy the truth of Grant's generalizations. Cur- 

 iously enough, he himself takes pains to show the variability of the 

 birds in this regard when he relegates intermedia to synonymy. 

 The only thing that may be said with reference to the distribution 

 of black and white in the secondaries is that the basal white area 

 (extending distally to the most proximal black band) averages wider 

 in males than in females. A variation that appears to be unrecorded 

 has to do wath the outermost primary. In 8 out of 20 birds exam- 

 ined this feather is wholly black ; in the others it has a white spot of 

 varying size on the inner web. 



The size variations are tabulated below. The small birds of either 

 sex are probably y ung, but as it is difficult to tell the age from the 

 plumages this must be regarded only as a supposition. 



^Mbis, 191.5, p. 278. 

 ^Idem, 1919, p. 666. 



