92 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAT^ MUSEUM 



grayish, sometimes almost blackish, while in smithii these parts are 

 grayish white. Furthermore, the present race has well-developed 

 whitish superciliary stripes, which are not present in lacuum, and 

 the latter has the rvunp less pure whitish than smithii. 



Zedlitz ^* has reviewed the forms of the white-rumped babbler and, 

 on the whole, his conclusions seem fairly sound as far as the available 

 material indicates. There appears to be some confusion, however, 

 with regard to the northern limits of the range of Ihniata. Zedlitz 

 claims that this race inhabits northern Shoa (the drainage area of 

 the Blue Nile) and also the western Hawash Valley, and that typical 

 leucopygia inhabits northern and central Ethiopia (Tigre district, 

 etc.). Sclater, on the other hand, concludes that leucopygia occurs 

 only in the Danakil coastal area and on the eastern slope of the 

 eastern Ethiopian escarpment, while limhata occurs from northern 

 Shoa to Lake Tsana and the Anseba Valley in Eritrea. Reichenow ^^ 

 records leucopygia from Bogosland and the Tigre district of extreme 

 northern Ethiopia. Finsch ^^ records lliiibata from Bogosland and 

 leucopygia from northeastern Ethiopia (Undel Wells and Rayray- 

 guddy) but considers the former the immature plumage of the latter. 

 The total evidence available to me substantiates Sclater's statement 

 of range rather than Zedlitz's. 



In northeastern Africa tliere are then five subspecies, as follows : 



1. T. I. leucopygia: The Danakil and Eritrean coastal belt, and 

 inland to about 8,000 feet on the eastern Ethiopian escarpment. 



2. T. I. limhata: Bogosland south through the Tigre country to 

 northern Shoa. Similar to the nominate race, but only a small 

 frontal white band, as against the whole forehead and fore-crown 

 white in leucopygia. 



3. T. I. smithii: British Somaliland to Harrar and the Arussi-Galla 

 countries. Like limhata but with no transverse white frontal mark 

 on the forehead; the superciliary stripes, chin, upper throat, and 

 cheeks grayish white. 



4. T. I. lacuum: The lake region of the soutliern Hawash region 

 from Lake Swai south to approximately the southern end of Lake 

 Abassi ; in other words, to the demarcation line between the Havrash 

 region and the southern Shoan area as given by Erlanger.^'' This 

 form resembles smithii but lacks the whitish superciliaries, and has 

 the chin and upper throat dusky grayish. 



5. T. I. omoensis: The drainage basin of the Omo and Sobat 

 Rivers, northeast to the Sidamo district, north of Lake Abaya in 

 southern Shoa. This form is like lacuum. but has the gray of the 



" Journ. fiir Orn., 1911, pp. 7n-74. 

 16 Die Vogcl Afrikcai?, vol. 3, p. 665, 1905. 

 "Traus. Zool. Soc. London, 1870, pp. 243-244. 

 ".Tourn. fur Orn., 1904, map 5. 



