BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 389 



numerous at Berbera, where it was nest-building in January. Ham- 

 merton "^ writes that it was a scarce bird "but now (1904) swarms 

 along the lines of communication, following the ration convoys from 

 post to post." 



That this sparrow is very numerous in northern Kenya Colony is 

 indicated by the following observational records in Mearns's note- 

 books: Malata, June 22, 10 birds seen; Chaffa, June 23-25, 220; Hor, 

 June 26-30, 500; Dry Kiver 18 miles southwest of Hor, July 1-2, 50 

 noted; Indunumara Mountains, July 14-18, 500 birds observed. 



PASSER GKISEUS SWAINSONII (Ruppell) 



Pyrgita swainsonii Ruppell, Ncue Wirbeltliiere, zu der Fauna von Abyssinien 

 gehorig, etc., Vogel, p. 94, pi. 33, 1840: "Abyssinia, Sennar, Kordofan." 



Specimens collectiit*: 



2 males, 3 females, Dire Daoua, Ethiopia, November 11-December 21, 1911. 



2 females, Sadi Malka, Ethiopia, December 21, 1911. 



1 male, 3 females, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia, December 30, 1911-Janury 2, 1912. 



1 male, Botala, Sidamo, Ethiopia, March 5, 1912. 



1 male, Konso Hills, Ethiopia, March 6, 1912. 



1 male, 1 female, Aletta, Ethiopia, March 10-31, 1912. 



3 males, 1 female, near Gardula, Ethiopia, March 27-28, 1912. 



13 males, 2 females, Gato River near Gardula. Ethiopia, March 31-May 8, 



1912. 

 1 male, Kormall, Ethiopia, May 38, 1912. 



In northeastern Africa there are three forms of this sparrow and 

 also the closely allied P. gongonensis, which must be kept as a species 

 although it looks like nothing more than a large-billed race of griseus. 

 The relationship of gongonetisis and gi^iseus recalls the case of Em- 

 heriza schoeniclus and ^''Pyrrhulorhyncha^^ 'pyrrhuloides. 



The three races in northeastern Africa are as follows : 



1. P. g. eritreae: Northern Uganda and the Upper White Nile Prov- 

 ince of the Sudan through the drainage basins of the White and 

 Blue Niles to Eritrea. This form, which I have not seen, is consid- 

 ered a synonym of griseus by Lynes "* but I follow Sclater ^^ in list- 

 ing it as a valid race. The figure of it given by Zedlitz ®^ certainly 

 indicates a well-marked subspecies, characterized by its pure white 

 chin, lower breast, abdomen, sides, flanks, and under tail coverts, and 

 fairly large size. 



2. P. g. sioainsonii: The highlands of Somaliland and of Ethiopia 

 from Asmara to southern Shoa, in the southern part of which it 

 occurs together with gongonensis. This is a fairly large bird (as 

 large as eritreae) but dusky grayish on the entire underparts — the 

 darkest of all the forms here under consideration. 



a^Witherby, Ibis, 1905, p. 518. 



"Ibis, 1926, p. 383. 



** Systema avium .iEthiopicarum, pt. 2, p. 724, 1930. 



««Journ. fiir Orn., 1911, pi. 1, fig. 1. 



106220—37 26 



