BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 141 



(schoayw). Consequently, I do not recognize djamdjamensis, a con- 

 clusion in which I am anticipated by Sclater.^^ Hartert, however,^^ 

 considers it a valid form. 



I have seen no material of the nominate form or of the Harrar race 

 erlange7% but they both appear to be valid. On Mount Kilimanjaro 

 a distinct form hypospadia is found. The birds inliabiting Mount 

 Elgon are very similar to ernesfi, the race found on Mount Kenya 

 and the Aberdare Range, but have been separated by Madarasz ^'^ 

 under the name mdolfl. Unfortunately, Madarasz compared rudolfl 

 only with hypospodia and not with ernesti. Of recent authors the 

 only one who recognizes rudolfl is Granvik,"^ who also failed to com- 

 pare his birds with ernesti. Van Someren®^ had no Elgon material, 

 but wrote that i^udolfi "appears to be very close to ernesti?'' 



It seems, then, that there are five valid races, as correctly given in 

 his list by Sclater. I assume that he has examined the type of 

 schoana and found it to be the same as djamdjavicnsis, as other writers 

 have synonymized schoana with sordida and used the name djam- 

 djamensis for the south Shoan birds. Still, Neumann ^^ records seven 

 specimens from Adis Abeba as schoana and others from farther south 

 as djaTndja^nensis. 



The size variations of the present series (table 30) indicate a slight 

 average difference between the birds from Adis Abeba and those 

 from the Arussi Plateau {djamdjamensis). 



Practically all these birds are in fresh plumage. One specimen 

 from Adis Abeba (January 2) is in molt. On February 15 Mearns 

 shot a male and female, which he recorded as a mated pair. The 

 only other data available as to the breeding season are the observa- 

 tions of Erlanger,®* who observed parents with fledged young early 

 in August. 



This hill chat is wholly a bird of the mountains and occurs up to at 

 least 11,000 feet in the Arussi country. Mearns collected specimens 

 at altitudes of 8,500 to 11,000 feet in that region. Adis Abeba is, of 

 course, lower down, but probably the lower limits of the bird's range 

 must be about 6,000 feet. On Mount Kenya it is known from 

 10,700 to 14,000 feet ; on Mount Elgon from 12,000 feet to the summit 

 (a little over 14,000 feet) ; on Mount Kilimanjaro, from 10,000 to 

 14,000 feet. No form of this bird has been found on Ruwenzori or 

 Mount Cameroon. 



^* Systema avium ^thiopicarum, pt. 2, p. 461, 1930. 



'8 Nov. Zool., vol. 27, p. 471, 1920. 



^oOrn. Monatsb., vol. 20, p. 175. 1912. 



" Journ. fiir Orn., 1923, Sonderheft, p. 251. 



« Nov. Zool., vol. 29, p. 243, 1922. 



•"Journ. fur Orn., 1905, p. 292. 



" Ibid., p. 745. 



