BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 475 



from much of Gallaland, It seems to be found chiefly in pairs or in 

 mixed flocks of other birds. 



Erlanger *^ found two nests with eggs at Adis Abeba, one on 

 September 30 and one on October 31. In Kenya Colony, kikuyuensis 

 breeds from May to July and in December; in Uganda, frontalis 

 nests in May and June and probably later as well. 



SPINUS NIGRICEPS (Ruppell) 



Serinus nigriceps Ruppell, Neue Wirbeltliiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien 

 gehorig, etc., Vogel, p. 96, pi. 34, fig. 2 ; 1840 : Simen ProA'ince. 



Specimens collectbjd: 



3 males, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia, December 31, 1911-January 9, 1912. 

 2 males, near Ankober, Ethiopia, January 21, 1912, 



5 males, 9 females, Arussi Plateau, Ethiopia, February 15-29, 1912. 



The black-headed siskin inhabits only the very high altitudes of 

 Ethiopia from the Simien Mountains south to western Arussi-Galla- 

 land and Shoa. 



The present series contains birds in fresh and others in worn 

 plumage, collected at the same time. 



This bird is abundant in the cultivated or semiopen areas in the 

 mountains and plateau regions of Shoa and western Arussi-Galla- 

 land, where numbers of specimens have been collected by Lovat, 

 Pease, Ragazzi, Antinori, Neumann, Erlanger, Zaphiro, and others. 

 It seldom occurs below about 8,000 feet and ranges as high as 12,000 

 feet. Except during the nesting season, the birds remain in large 

 flocks, some of which contain many hundreds of individuals. 



Erlanger ^^ found nests with eggs near Adis Abeba in September 

 and October. 



EMBERIZA POLIOPLEURA (Salvadori) 



Fringillaria poliopleura Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova, vol. 26, p. 269, 1888 : 



Sodde, Shoa. 

 Specimens collected : 



1 adult male, Wadi Malka, Ethiopia, December 22, 1911. 



1 adult male. Iron Bridge, Hawash River, Ethiopia, February 5, 1912. 



1 Juvenal unsexed, Bodessa, Ethiopia, May 24, 1912. 



1 Juvenal female, Bodessa, Ethiopia, June 1, 1912. 



2 adult males, Tertale, Ethiopia, June 8, 1912. 

 1 adult male, Wobok, Ethiopia, June 19, 1912. 

 1 adult male, Saru, Ethiopia, June 19, 1912. 



1 adult male, Yebo, Ethiopia, June 21, 1912. 



1 adult male ( ?), south of Lake Stefanie, Kenya Colony, April 17, 1912. 



1 adult male, Nyero Mountains, Kenya Colony, July 13, 1912. 



6 adult males, 2 juvenal males, 1 adult female, ludunumara Mountains, 

 Kenya Colony, July 13-18, 1912. 



^iJourn. fur Orn., 1907, pp. 32-33. 

 " Ibid., p. 32. 



