140 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



CERCOMELA DUBIA (Blundell and Lovat) 



Mijrmecocichla dubia Bll'ndell and Lovat, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 10, p. 22, 



1899: Fontaly, Ethiopia. 

 Specimens collected: 1 adult (unsexed), Chobi, Ethiopia, December 23, 1911. 



This appears to be the fifth known specimen of this rock-chat. 

 Lynes °^ writes that there are two specimens in the British Museum 

 and two in Berlin, all from the middle and upper Hawash Valley 

 (Fontah', Dire Daoua, and Abassuen). The present example ex- 

 tends the known range westward to Chobi. 



The somber rock-chat is the least wide-ranging species in its genus, 

 being wholly confined to the Hawash Valley. If one may judge 

 by the results of the various expeditions that have passed through 

 that area, dubia would seem to be a very scarce bird, but this is 

 probably due to the fact that C ercoinela scotocerca enigma and C. 

 melanura lypura are common birds there and the present one is over- 

 looked, as in life the three appear much alike. Thus, Lynes made a 

 special study of this bird before going to Ethiopia and was able to 

 recognize it in the field. He writes that it was "a big upstanding 

 bird, and except for the dark brown colour of its tail and body, 

 looked and behaved like an enlarged edition of the TnelanuraP 



The single specimen collected has a wing length of 83 mm and a 

 tail length of 70 mm. Unfortunately, the tip of the bill was shot 

 off, so I can not give its culmen length. The bird is in worn 

 plumage. 



PINAROCHROA SORDIDA SCHOANA Neumann 



Pinaroch7-oa sordida schoana Nextmann, Orn. Monatsb., vol. 13, p. 78, 1905: 



Abuje, Gindeberet, Shoa. 

 Specimens coixected: 



4 males, 3 females, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia, December 31, 1911-Jauuary 10, 

 1912. 



5 males, 7 females, Arussi Plateau, Ethiopia, February 15-29, 1912. 

 1 male, Cofali, Ethiopia, March 3, 1912. 



At the same time that he described schoana, Neumann also named the 

 birds of the Djamdjam Mountains east of the Abaya lakes djamdja- 

 mensis. These were said to differ from schoana in having the under- 

 parts purer and brighter reddish isabelline ; the auriculars dark brown 

 sharply set off from the paler cheeks; the upper wing coverts with 

 more whitish, less buffy, edges ; the black tips of the rectrices usually 

 broader than in schoana. The present specimens from the Arussi 

 Plateau and from Cofali should be djanfidjamensis if we may judge 

 from geography. However, these 20 birds show no constant char- 

 acters by which they differ from the 7 Adis Abeba examples 



"Ibis, 1926, p. 396. 



