BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 457 



The three specimens collected by the Frick expedition are in 

 fairly fresh plumage, and measure as follows : 



Male: Wing 54.5, tail 30.5, culmen 12.0, tarsus 15.0 millimeters. 

 Female: wing 53.5-55.0, tail 31.0, culmen 12.0, tarsus 15.0-15.5 

 millimeters. 



According to Van Someren "^ this barbet is a common bird in the 

 open forests and plantations (rubber, bananas, etc.) in Kenya 

 Colony, and nests at Nairobi. Unfortunately, no nesting dates are 

 given, but the eggs are described as plain white. Grote says that 

 on February 16 at Mikindani a native boy brought him a bird 

 {■fischerl) and an egg, which he claimed to have taken from a hole 

 in a tree. The egg was very dark blue and very shiny. There can 

 be no doubt but that Grote's informant was quite unreliable. No 

 barbets are known to lay any but white eggs. Roberts ^° found a 

 nest with three eggs at Myiai, west of Dar es Salaam, January 6, 

 1917. The eggs were pure white, rather glossy, and measured 18.3 

 by 12.2, 18.3 by 13.0, and 18 by 12.T millimeters. He comments on 

 Grote's record and decides, as I have, that the identification of the 

 blue eggs must be wrong. 



TRACHYPHONUS ERYTHROCEPHALUS JACKSONI Neumann 



Trachyplionus erythrocephalus jacksoni Neumann, Jouvn. f. Ornith., 1928, 

 p. 785 : Wajheir, Kenya Colony. 



Specimens collected: 



Two males, near Gardula, Ethiopia, March 28, 1912. 

 One female, Gato Eiver near Gardula, Ethiopia, April 18, 1912. 

 Two males, one female, Bodessa, Ethiopia, May 29-30, 1912. 

 One male, 3 females, Tertale, Ethiopia, June 7-10, 1912. 

 Four males, 1 female. Mar Mora, Ethiopia, June 14, 1912. 

 One male, immature, Endoto Mountains, South Kenya Colony, 

 July 24, 1912. 



One female. Tana River, Kenya Colony, i^ugust 14, 1912. 



Soft parts (female) : Bill, brownish red tipped with plumbeous 

 black of which there is a light border to the lower edge of the maxil- 

 lae ; feet and claws, plumbeous olive. 



Professor Neumann ■•'^ has recentlj^ examined a long series (about 

 100 specimens) of this barbet and has recognized five subspecies, 

 two of which are new at that point {jacksoni and gallarum). In 

 studying the present species I have brought together the combined 

 series of the United States National Museum, the Museum of Com- 



^''Ibis, 1916, p. 238. 



wArin. Trans. Mus., vol. 11, pt. 4. 1920, p. 2:;t. 



"Journ. f. Ornith., 1928, pp. 785-786. 



