138 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The present species has four subspecific forms, of ■which I have 

 seen only two — the present one and the nominate race. The latter 

 occurs in Palestine and northern Arabia and is pale ashy gray above ; 

 the present form, lypirra^ inhabits the Ked Sea Province of the 

 Sudan to eastern Eritrea, British Somaliland, and the Hawash Val- 

 ley in Ethiopia. It has the gray of the back strongly tinged with 

 brownish. 



In southwestern Arabia another form, erlangeru with a dark 

 smoky-gray (but not brownish) back, occurs, while in Asben and in 

 north and central Darfur, a light cinnamon-brown backed race, 

 oire7isis^ is found. 



Of the three specimens listed alcove, the one collected in November 

 is in fresh plumage; the December bird less fresh; the February 

 specimen much abraded. Their dimensions are as follows: Males — 

 wing, 79, 78; tail, 59.5, 57; culmen, 15.5, 16.5 mm. Female — wing, 

 77; tail, 60; culmen, 16.5 mm. Neumann and Zedlitz give wing 

 measurements of 76 to 79 mm for males and 71 to 74 mm for females. 

 Their bill measurements (12 to 13 mm) are apparently of the ex- 

 posed culmen, while mine are from the base of the bill. 



I am not aware of any published notes on the breeding season of 

 this rock-chat in Ethiopia, but in the Red Sea Province of the 

 Sudan, Butler ^- found a fledgling only a few days out of the nest 

 on ^lay 7 at Khor Arbot. At this place he found this species was 

 common, especially near streams. The juvenal plumage appears to 

 be similar to the adult stage even to the black rectrices. 



CERCOMELA SCOTOCERCA TURKANA van Someren 



Cercomela tinkana van Someren, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club., vol. 40, p. 01, 1920: 



Turkana country. 

 .Specimens coleected : 



1 liiaie, Boues-sa, Erhiopia, May 31. 1912. 



1 male, Mar Mora. Ethiopia, June 14, 1912. 



2 females, 18 miles southwest of Hor, Kenya Colony, July 1, 1912. 



4 male.*:, lo miios south of Lake Rudolf, Kenya Colony. .July 9-10, 1912. 

 2 males, southeast of Lake Rudolf. Kenya Colony, July 11-12, 1912. 

 2 females, Induuuraara Mountains, Kenya Colony, July 14. 1912. 



Sclater " recognizes five races of the brown-tailed rock-chat. As 

 I have seen only the present series of one of these forms, I follow 

 Sclfiter 5 arrangement unquestioningly. 



I must confess that I do not understand just what the characters 

 of tnrJcana are, as van Someren ^* writes that it resembles the typical 

 form of Eritrea and adjacent parts of the Red Sea Province of the 



'"^ Ibis. 1909, p. 399. 



■^ Systema avium .TIthiopicaruin. pt. 2, pp. 457-458, 1930. 



&<Nov. Zool., vol. 29, p. 242, 1922. 



