378 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



1 female, Le-se-dun, Kenya Colony, July 26, 1912. 



2 males, Northern Guaso Nyiro River, Kenya Colony, August 2-3, 1912. 

 1 immature male, Lekiundu River, Kenya Colony, August 8, 1912. 



1 male, 2 females. Tana River, Kenya Colony, August 1&-17, 1912. 



The name Textor dinemelli is credited by Sclater ^^ to Kiippell, 

 1845, but it appeared in the original, 1844, edition of Gray's "Genera 

 of Birds." While it is true that no description appears with the 

 name at that point the colored plate of the 1849 edition was first 

 issued with the original draft of the text in 1844, and therefore the 

 name must date from Gray, 1844. The bird from which the plate 

 was drawn was one obtained by Harris in Shoa and brought to 

 Europe not long before 1844, as Riippell speaks of it as "einem von 

 Major Harris vor Kurzem aus Schoa nach England iiberbrachten 

 Exemplare." 



I have seen no material from southern Somaliland and so can not 

 form an opinion as to the validity of ruspoUi Salvadori. Sclater 

 recognizes it, but Erlanger,^^ Zedlitz,^^ van Someren,^" and other 

 students of this group have all declared it to be identical with 

 dinemelli. 



In Tanganyika Territory a much larger race, hoehmi, replaces 

 dinemelli. The typical form occurs from Shoa and Somaliland west 

 to the Mongalla district of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, south to 

 northern and northeastern Uganda, and Kenya Colony to the Teita- 

 Taveta district. 



The white-headed buffalo weaver appears to be a common bird in 

 Shoa and in the Galla countries, in Somaliland, and in Kenya 

 Colony, going about in loose flocks of from 10 to 20 individuals. It 

 is a denizen of the acacia savannahs, and by virtue of its striking 

 plumage and noisy habits it is one of the first species to force itself 

 on the attention of the observer. Consequently, its range is fairly 

 well known, as it is one of the few birds whose absence is as readily 

 determinable as its presence. 



The species varies greatly in color, but this variation is not corre- 

 lated with season, sex, or age. The upper back varies from pale 

 bufi'y brown to fuscous (on the whole younger birds average lighter 

 above and older ones darker, but this does not hold true invariably) ; 

 the rump varies from flame scarlet to scarlet. Van Someren *^ 

 records two albinistic birds with normal red rumps. 



Of the present series, birds in fresh plumage are distributed among 

 the following months : December, January, June, July, and August ; 



2' Systema avium /Ethiopicarum, pt. 2, p. 716, 1930. 



•8 Journ. fUr Orn., 1907, p. 3. 



••Journ. fiir Orn., 1916, p. 10. 



*> Nov. Zool., vol. 29, p. 134, 1922. 



« Journ. East Africa and Uaanda Nat. Hist. Soc. no. 35, p. 55 (131), 1930. 



