304 BULLETIiSr 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



on the forehead much more extensive, in adult males always reaching 

 beyond the middle of the eyes, and not infrequently to the occiput; 

 the yellow frontal stripe broader, lighter, and brighter than in 

 suahelicus. As I have already pointed out in another paper ^^ the 

 extent of the green on the forehead and crown has been said by some 

 investigators to be very variable and, consequently, not a reliable 

 subspecific character. The point that seems to have been overlooked 

 is that in all the forms it is more extensive in males than in females, 

 and care should be taken to compare only correctly sexed birds with 

 others of the same sex. Then the difference between fiicki and 

 suahelicus becomes apparent. Another difficulty is that the region 

 in Kenya Colony in which perhaps more collecting has been done 

 than in any other — the Ukamba and Kikuyu country north to Mount 

 Kenya — is inhabited by intermediates between these tw^o races, and, 

 like all intergrades, the birds there are very variable and taken by 

 themselves appear to successfully repudiate the validity of geographic 

 races. 



The present series indicates that the pectoral band averages darker 

 in frichl than in suahelicus. In immature birds it is rather faint 

 and often has wavy, narrow blackish bars running transversely across 

 it. Immature birds likewise lack, or almost lack, the greenish on 

 the forehead and crown. 



Three of the Gato River specimens show a melanistic tendency, 

 having the ordinarily blue-gray occiput, nape, and upper back 

 sprinkled with blackish. The birds in fresh plumage were collected 

 between December 21 and April 24; a freshly plumaged bird just 

 finishing the tail molt w^as taken on April 9 ; birds in abraded condi- 

 tion were taken from April 2 to June 3. 



The size variation of this subspecies may be seen from table 59. 



In his notes on the labels, Mearns records that on April 1 and 

 April 26 he collected mated pairs, an indication that the birds were 

 in breeding condition, Erlanger ^^ writes that the breeding season 

 appears to be over by the middle of May, and that newly fledged 

 young may be seen from then until July. Stoneham -° found a nest 

 in northeastern Uganda in February. The nest was in process of 

 building and was in a tall thornbush about 12 feet from the ground. 

 I have seen no birds from northeastern Uganda and can not say 

 whether they are fncki or modestus or intermediate between the two. 



In addition to the specimens collected, Mearns recorded this bird 

 as follows: Loco, near Lake Abaya, March 13-15, 2 seen; Gidabo 

 Kiver, March 15-17, 10 birds ; North or "Black" Lake Abaya, March 

 18, 20 noted ; South or "White" Lake Abaya, March 24-26, 4 seen ; 



M Occ. Papers Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 5, p. 252, 1930. 

 i» Jouin. fiir Orn., 1905, p. (195. 

 20 Ibis, 1928, pp. 269-270. 



