BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 391 



1 female, Yebo, Ethiopia, June 21, 1912. 



1 female, Malata, Ethiopia, June 22, 1912. 



2 males, 1 female, Chaffa, Ethiopia, June 23^25, 1912. 



2 males, 1 female, 18 miles southwest of Hor, Kenya Colony, July 1-2, 1912. 

 1 immature male, 18 miles south of Malele, Kenya Ck)lony, July 29, 1912. 

 1 male, 24 miles south of Malele, Kenya Colony, July 29, 1912. 



1 male, 2 females, Northern Guaso Nyiro River, Kenya Colony, August 2^3, 

 1912. 



2 males, 1 immature male, 2 females, Lekiundu River, Kenya Colony, August 

 4-8, 1912. 



1 male, Guaso Mara River, Kanya Colony, August 9, 1912. 

 1 male, 1 female, Tana River, Kenya Colony, August 14, 1912. 



Soft parts : Iris pale reddish brown ; bill slate black, palest at base 

 of mandible ; feet pale grayish olive, claws black. 



The thick-billed sparrow would certainly be called only a race of 

 P. griseus were it not for the fact that the two occur together in 

 southeastern Kenya Colony and in southwestern Ethiopia and adja- 

 cent areas. 



Besides the above series, I have seen 10 other specimens from south- 

 central Kenya Colony and I agree with Lynes*'^ in finding no evi- 

 dence of the intermediate race bridging the gap between gongonensis 

 and swainsonii reported by van Someren ®* from the country between 

 Ukamba and Lake Rudolf, said to be characterized by smaller size 

 and smaller bill dimensions. Van Someren gives larger dimensions 

 for his coastal birds (wings, males, 95-102; females, 91-96 mm) than 

 I get for subcoastal and inland specimens, but a male from Chan- 

 gam we is the smallest one I have seen (wing, 86 mm), so I can not see 

 where to draw a line, Lynes states that western specimens aver- 

 age smaller than coastal ones, "but retain the same outstanding 

 characteristics." 



This bird occurs in the scrub and thornbush country from Mombasa 

 north to southern Somaliland (Daua) west to Lake Baringo, southern 

 Shoa, and the Omo region, southwestern Ethiopia. 



Most of the specimens collected are in rather worn plumage. The 

 dimensions of the males are as follows: Wing, 89-98; tail, 59.5-71; 

 cuhnen, 14-15 ; tarsus, 20-22,5. 



On August 2, Mearns collected a mated pair, Lonnberg '° obtained 

 birds with swollen gonads in January and February, "But on the 

 * * * Itiolu river these sparrows had just fledged young the first 

 days of February. Their propagation appears thus to be lively but 

 somewhat irregular." 



Mearns found this bird abundant from the Ethiopian-Kenyan 

 boundary south to the Tana River. 



"' Ibis, 1926, p. 386. 



«' Nov. Zool., vol. 29. p. 168. 1922. 



'"Kongl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1911, pp. 108-109. 



