BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 181 



whytii, minima., and jacksoni. I consider mmima to be a distinct 

 species and recognize four races of whytii — the tj^pical one, jacksoni, 

 loringi, and dbayensls — and feel that probably -fischeri is also valid 

 but have not the material necessary to decide its status. 



My conclusions may be summarized by listing the valid races 

 with their synonyms, characters, and distribution : 



1. S. w. whytii: From Gazaland and Nyasaland to Mozambique, 

 Ihence northward along the coastal areas of Tanganyika Territory 

 (inland to Morogoro) to Malindi and Lamu in Kenya Colony. If 

 jischen Reichenow (described from Malindi) should be found valid, 

 as is claimed by van Someren,^ then the range of whytii would stop 

 somewhere in northeastern Tanganyika Territory. Zedlitz^ writes 

 that fallidior Grote (from Mikindani) is a young specimen of 

 whytii. The characters of whytii, like those of the other forms, are 

 i-elative ones and are therefore difficult to express. On the whole, 

 this form has the forehead, chin, and upper throat more whitish than 

 in any of the others and has pale tawny underparts; wings, 52-57 

 mm. 



2. S. tv. jacksoni: Central and northern Tanganyika Territory, 

 west to Lake Victoria (Ngare Dowash, Sagayo, etc.), north through 

 the Ivavirondo, Sotik, and western Ukamba areas to the Athi River, 

 and the Thika-Tana River junction. Birds from the Athi and Thika 

 Rivers are really intermediate between typical jacksoni and loringi. 

 The form jacksoni differs from tohytii in being more darkly and 

 richly colored beloAv, in lacking the whitish on the forehead, chin, 

 and upper throat ; wings, 58-63 mm. 



Of this race the following are synonyms: Sylviella major Neu- 

 mann,^° SylvieUa distinguenda Madarasz," and Sylmetfa zedlitzi 

 Reichenow.^2 "While on the subject of synonyms, it may be men- 

 tioned that Zedlitz ^^ uses johnstoni instead of jacksoni. This is evi- 

 dently a slip, as there is no described form under this name. Also, 

 Reichenow " lists a few specimens as SylvieUa leucopsis, which are 

 really S. w. jacksoni. 



3. S. w. loringi: The rather dry scrub and plains country of south- 

 central and southeastern Kenya Colony, from Fort Hall to the Taru 

 Desert, the Teita and Taveta districts, and the plains east of Mount 

 Kilimanjaro. This race is someAvhat intermediate in color between 

 jacksoni and whytii but nearer the former, with which it agrees in 



« Nov. Zool., vol. 29, pp. 226-227, 1922. 

 » Journ. fiir Orn., 1916, p. 95. 



"Journ. fur Oin., 1900, p. 305: Usandawe, Tanganyika Territory. 



"Arch. Zool. Hungar. (Budapest), vol. 1, p. 177, 1910: Ngare Dowash, east shore of 

 Lake Victoria. 



"Journ. fiir Orn., 1918, p. 437: Yaida, Tanganyika Territory (immature bird). 



"Journ. fur Orn., 1916, pp. 96, 98. 



"Die Vogel Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas, p. 223, 1894. 



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