BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 437 



(45); ciilmen, 10.5-11.5 (10.9); tarsus, 13.5-15.5 (14.7). Females- 

 wing, 57-60 (58); tail, 45-47 (46); culmen, 10-11 (10.7); tarsus, 

 13-15.5 (14.4 mm). 



This species appears to be generally uncommon, and little has been 

 recorded of it. The breeding season and habits seem to be unknown. 



AMADINA FASCIATA ALEXANDERI Neumann 



Amadina fasciata alcxandcrl Nextmann. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 23, p. 4.3, 



1908 : Waram, Hawasli River. 

 Specimens collected : 



7 males, 3 females. Dire Daoua, Ethiopia, December 7-lS, 1911. 



2 males, Sadi Malke, Ethiopia, December 22, 1911. 



2 males, near Saru, Ethiopia, June 19, 1912. 



1 female, Chaffa, Kenya Colony, June 24, 1912. 



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



14 males, 8 females, Indunumara Mountains, Kenya Colony, July 15, 1912. 



Some years ago ^^ I separated the birds of southern Kenya Colony 

 and northern Tanganyika Territory under the name Candida^ on the 

 basis of the somewhat browner coloration of the back and the heavier 

 black bars below and stripes above, than in alexanden. Van 

 Someren ^* noted the same differences in his south Kenyan birds. 

 Sclater,^^ however, considers Candida as a synonym of alexanderi. I 

 have seen much material since 1926 and have come to the conclusion 

 that Candida is a very poorly marked race, and I therefore follow 

 Sclater in sinking the name into synonymy. 



When in captivity these birds frequently become very dark brown- 

 ish, especially on the underparts. This color phase was described 

 by Sharpe ^® as J., marginalis^ but it is not a species or even a racial 

 form. It is of interest, however, inasmuch as it carries to a much 

 greater degree the incipient tendency toward brownishness shown by 

 '"''Candida.'''' However, birds from all parts of the range of the species, 

 wlien kept in captivity, are equally apt to produce the marginalis 

 type of coloration. 



According to Sclater, the nominate form ranges east to Lake 

 Rudolf, Avhile alexanderi is said to occur from Eritrea south to 

 north-central Tanganyika Territory. Neumann ^^ writes that inter- 

 mediates between fasciata and alexanderi occur in parts of western 

 Ethiopia and between the White Nile and Lake Rudolf. This has 

 led to a wonder whether the birds from Hor and the Indunumara 

 Mountains might be also such intermediates, but a critical examina- 

 tion of the material reveals them as typical alexanderi. The latter 



"Oce. Papers Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 5, p. 218, 1926. 



" Nov. Zool., vol. 29, p. 146, 1922. 



^"' Systema avium iEthiopicariim, pt. 2, p. 782, 1930. 



^^ CatJiloguG of the birds of the British Museum, vol. 13, p. 290, 1890. 



"Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. vol. 23, p. 44, 1908. 



106220—37 29 



