276 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



1 male, Iron Bridge, Hawash River, Etliiopia, February 5, 1912. 



1 male, Hawash River, Ethiopia, February 12, 1912. 



1 male, 1 female, Serre, Ethiopia, February 13, 1912. 



1 immature male. Black Lake Abaya, Ethiopia, March 25, 1912. 



1 male, near Gardula, Ethiopia, March 30, 1912. 



9 males, 9 females, Gato River near Gardula, Ethiopia, March 31-May 11, 



1912. 

 1 immature female, Bodessa, Ethiopia, May 23, 1912. 

 1 male, Bodessa, Ethiopia, May 30, 1912. 

 1 female, Sagon River, Ethiopia, June 4, 1912. 

 1 female. Mar Mora, Ethiopia, June 14, 1912. 



1 immature male, Malata, Ethiopia, June 22, 1912. 



2 females, Endoto Mountains, Kenya Colony, July 21, 1912. 



1 adult female, 1 immature female, 18 miles south of Malele, Kenya Colony, 



July 29, 1912. 

 1 immature male, Tharaka District, Kenya Colony, August 12, 1912. 



Soft parts : Iris dark brown ; bill, feet, and claws black. 



I have examined 74 specimens of this species in the present study 

 and have come to the conclusion that there are three subspecific forms, 

 all of which, while recognizable, are rather poorly defined. In other 

 words, the slight differences in size and color are appreciable only in 

 series. Furthermore, as Reichenow °^ pointed out, not only is there 

 extensive individual variation to be taken into consideration, but 

 also females are usually smaller and paler than males from the same 

 locality. I recognize three forms, as follows : 



1. L. f. fimebris: Eastern Africa from the Nyasa-Tanganyika 

 Plateau north through the interior of Tanganyika Territory and of 

 Kenya Colony to eastern Uganda and to southern and central 

 Ethiopia (Shoa northeast to the Hawash Basin). This is the darkest 

 of the three races and it is also large in size (although not larger 

 than atrocoeruleus) ; wing, in adult males, 85-97 mm (very rarely 

 81 mm) , in adult females 81-93 mm. Of this race, the following are 

 synonyms : Laniarius hergeri Reichenow ^^ and L. funebris rothschildi 

 Neumann. ^^ 



Zedlitz^^ considers rothschildi a valid form, although he admits 

 that its status is none too secure. Hartert,^^ in his comments on the 

 avian types at Tring, considers it valid also, but the fact remains 

 that no Avorker Avho had a really extensive series to study has been 

 able to uphold the supposed Ethiopian form. The character on 

 which rothschildi was based is the absence, either entirely or nearly 

 so, of white, subterminal spots on the long rump feathers. Wlien 

 describing this race, Neumann listed five specimens from Tertale 



55 Journ. fiir Orii., 1909, p. 235. 



5« Orn. Monatsb., 1911, p. 34: Lake Barinso, Kenya Colony. 



" Jouru. fiir Orn., 1907, p. 595: Sagon River, southern Sboa. 



w Journ. fiir Orn., 1915, p. 59. 



WNov. Zool., vol. 27. p. 450, 1920. 



