BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 165 



breeds in fresh plumage. Erlaiiger found a nest with three eggs on 

 April 26 at Burko, on the mountain trail between Harrar and Adis 

 Abeba, and another nest on March 28 at Gara Mulata. 



SEICERCUS UMBRGVIRENS MACKENZIANA (Sharpe) 



Cryptoloplm mackenziana Shakpb, Ibis, 1892, p. 153 : Kikuyu. 

 Specimens collex^ted: 1 male, Escarpment, 7,390 feet, Kenya Colony, September 

 7, 1912. 



The range of this subspecies has already been outlined and need 

 not be repeated here. 



This specimen is slightly darker above, especially on the head, 

 than any of a good series (24) from Mount Kenya, but a series from 

 Escarpment is needed to determine whether this difference is con- 

 stant. Granvik ^^ collected a small series on Mount Elgon and found 

 that — 



* * * only one of the 4 specimens has the throat greyish white, in the 

 other 3 it is more yellowish-brown on a pale greyish white ground. 



Reichenow states * * * that the length of the wing of this bird is 55 

 mm. In my specimens the wings have a measurement of 59 and 64 mm. for the 

 S $ and 55 and 57 mm. for the ? 2. It is therefore possible that the 

 Elgon bird represents a larger form, which should thus have a separate nanie. 



The size measurements I find are of no significance. Thus, the 

 present bird from Escarpment has a wing length of 57; tail, 44; 

 culmen, 11; and tarsus, 21 mm; while Mount Kenya birds range 

 as follows: Males— wing, 57.5-62.5; tail, 47-50; culmen, 10.5-12; 

 tarsus, 20.5-22 mm. Females — wing, 55-58; tail, 4S-47; culmen, 

 11-12.5 ; tarsus, 20-21.5 mm. 



Like all the races of this species the present form is a denizen of 

 the highland forests. Granvik found it on Mount Elgon up to 

 11,000 feet, even above the true forest. He writes that it "was among 

 the few that followed the slopes of the mountains right up to the 

 highest summits, * * * even among the old and withered trees 

 of the Erica forest. Only once did I observe the bird down at the 

 foot of Elgon * * * but otherwise it was found in the subalpine 

 regions." On IMount Kenya it has been taken up to 12,100 feet. 



Little is Imown of the breeding time of mackenziana. Van 

 Someren ^^ shot a male on November 17 in the Londiani forest and 

 says: "At the time that it was shot it was holding a piece of bark- 

 fibre in its bill, probably for nesting purposes, as, on dissection, the 

 testes were found to be large." 



Mearns recorded seeing 10 of these birds at Escarpment, Sep- 

 tember 4-12. 



»»Journ. fiir Orn.. 1923, Sonderheft, p. 124. 

 "Ibis, 1916, pp. 379-380. 

 106220 — 37 12 



