BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 



139 



Sudan, but is paler, less deep grayish brown, more ashy, with an 

 ochraceous tinge on the crown, and with buffy edges on the rectrices, 

 instead of rusty-rufous ones. 



Lynes," on the other hand, characterizes turhana as a dark form. 

 On the whole, judging by the present series, which come from the 

 range of turJcmia, it seems that Lynes i^ correct and van Someren 

 wrong. Recently, van Someren ^^ has studied new material of this 

 bird and finds that the range of turkana extends from Karamoja to 

 the Northern Guaso Nyiro River. He says: 



There is a further bird, which ranges from the Koroll mountains to Kulal 

 and south to the Northern Guasso Nyiro and is not turkana. It is a very dark 

 ashy chocolate-browu, with paler edges to the wing-feathers and rusty buff 

 edges to the rectrices. The lower surface is grayish buff, with a strong vinous 

 tinge on the breast, flanks, and throat. The under tail-coverts are blackish 

 brown with rusty buff edges. They are slightly larger than turkana, wings 

 74-81 against 70-76 mm. A larger series of turkana from the type locality is 

 required to clear up the relationship of the two. 



It seems that the present birds are these dark ones and not true 

 turkana. Lacking adequate material I can not do anything other 

 than call attention to them and to van Someren's statement in the 

 hope that he or someone else with sufficient material may settle the 

 issue. 



The size variations of the present series are given in table 29. 



The bird from Bodessa has the edges of the rectrices much more 

 rufescent, less buffy, than any of the others. It, and the Mar Mora 

 specimen are in fairly fresh plumage ; the remainder of the series are 

 abraded. 



Table 29. — Measurements of 12 specimens of Cercomela scotocerca turkana 



«Ibis, 1926, p. 391. 



«Nov. Zool., Tol. 37. p. 378, 1932. 



