466 



BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



In the absence of material adequate for a review of the forms ot 

 this species, I follow Sclater ^ in referring the present specimens to 

 maculicollis. Van Someren,^ however, considers birds from Archers 

 Post (not far from Lekiundu River) as "near taruemisy Further- 

 more, the south Somali form hartcrti is said by Zedlitz * to be smaller 

 than maculicollis (wing, males 68-73, females 65-71 mm in maculi- 

 collis; males 64-69, females 62-64 mm in harterti). One of the pres- 

 ent males from Dire Daoua (where Zedlitz records maculicollis) has 

 a wing length of only 65 mm and is therefore as near to harterti as 

 to maculicollis. The other males and the three females from Dire 

 Daoua are larger (wings, 66-73 mm) and are obviously maculicollis. 



Inasmuch as size is an important character in this canary, the 

 measurements of the present adult birds are given (table 79). 



Molting specimens were collected in December and August ; a bird 

 in worn plumage in December; freshly feathered birds in Decem- 

 ber, July, and August. 



This race of the white-bellied canary occurs in British Somaliland, 

 Gallaland, and northern Kenya Colony, west to Lakes Stefanie, Ru- 

 dolf, and Baringo. It is rather common in many places throughout 

 its range and has been obtained by a number of collectors, such as 

 Donaldson Smith, Elliot, Lort Phillips, Hawker, Zaphiro, and 

 Erlanger. 



Erl anger ^ found a nest with three eggs on April 27 at Erer Tal 

 near Harrar. 



Mearns observed this bird at intervals during his journey from 

 Dire Daoua to Adis Abeba. 



Table 79. — Measurements of 11 specimens of Serinus dorsostriatus maculicollis 



2 Systema avium .iEthiopicarum, pt. 2, p. 815, 1930. 



' Jouru. East Africa and Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, no. 35, p. 61 (137), 1930. 



* Journ. fiir Orn., 1916, pp. 47-51. 



'' Journ. fiir Orn., 1907, p. 31. 



