444 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL. MUSEUM 



Ogilvie-Grant * * * Lagonosficta rubricata rhodopareia Heug- 

 lin, from Keren, in Bogosland, differs in having the top of the head 

 brownish gray without any wash of red — the opposite condition from 

 hildebrancUV As a matter of fact, Ogilvie-Grant ^^ showed that 

 some birds from the Gessima River, in the Laikipia country of Kenya 

 Colony, are very similar to rhodopareia^ and he synonymized hilde- 

 hrandti with Heuglin's Bogosland race ! The birds named f7ichi by 

 Mearns are intermediates between typical rhodopareia and hilde- 

 Irandti (which is a barely recognizable race), but are closer to the 

 northern form. I follow Sclater*" in calling fncki a synonym of 

 rhodopareia. 



Ogilvie-Grant noted that the color of the upperparts changes a 

 little with wear, freshly plumaged birds being grayer, becoming 

 browner with abrasion. 



The Abyssinian fire-finch occurs from Eritrea south across Ethio- 

 pia, northern Uganda, the Rendile country, and Mount Uraguess. 

 The birds of the last-named locality are intermediate between rhodo- 

 pareia and hildebrandti and are w^hat van Someren has named unibrl- 

 venter.^^ 



On the whole these birds are less reddish on the heads than hilde- 

 hrandti, of central and southern Kenya Colony and northern Tan- 

 ganyika Territory. The latter form occurs from Kaimosi, Mount 

 Kenya, Kikuyu, etc., to Mount Kilimanjaro and the Usambara 

 Mountains. 



The present series are partly in very worn, partly in rather fresh, 

 plumage. A few signs of molt are visible in a few April birds. The 

 size variations are as follows: Males — wing, 47-51 (average, 49.1); 

 tail, 42-45 (43.6); culmen, 10-11 (10.1); tarsus, 13-14.5 (13.6 mm). 

 Females— wing, 48-50 (48.8); tail, 40.5-45 (42.8); culmen, 10 each: 

 tarsus, 13-14.5 (13.4 mm). 



This fire-finch has been taken in only a few places in Ethiopia, 

 where it appears to be unknown in the highlands. Erlanger *^ met 

 with it between Harrar and Adis Abeba. 



According to Mearns, a mated pair was collected on April 22 ; the 

 female had a fairly large ^gg nearly ready to be laid. 



Mearns noted this bird on the following occasions : Gato River near 

 Gardula, March 29-May 17, 200; Anole village May 18, 2 seen; Kor- 

 mali village. May 19, 10 birds; Bodessa, May 19-June 3, 50; Sagon 

 River, June 3-6, 30 noted; Tertale, June 7-12, 20 birds; El Ade, June 

 12-13, 20 birds seen. 



89 Ibis. 1908, pp. 272-273. 



*" Systema avium ^T^thiopicarum, pt. 2, p. 789, 1930. 

 *i Bull. Eiit. Orn. Club, vol. 40, p. 54, 1919 : Embu. 

 "Journ. flir Orn., 1907, p. 21. 



