DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW BIIIDS FROM SOMALI LAND. 



Hy Harky C. Oberholseti, 



Assistant OrnllJiotix/lst, Dcpdrtmnit of .lijrinilture. 



The two birds described below were included with a collection of 

 African ])lrds some time since presented to the United Stat(\s National 

 Museum by Dr. A. Donaldson Smith. Their apparent distinctness 

 from hitherto recognized forms was recently detected, and the}'^ are 

 accordingl}" herewith brought properl}" to the notice of ornithologists. 



MEROPS SUPERCILIOSUS DONALDSONI, " new subspecies. 



CJutrs. sul).y>. — Resembling Merops superciliosus sitjoei^ciliosua^ but 

 upper parts paler, the contrast between the color of the head and that 

 of the l)ack less pronounced; brown of head more gold(Mi; green of 

 remaining upper suface more j^ellowish; lower parts lighter, more 

 3'ellowish green, usualh' with less wash of ])luish. 



/A.sYvv>/'/V>y/.— Type, adult male, No. 1T7H0S, U.S.N.M.; Bar Maihi, 

 Ganana River, Somali Land, February 19, 1895; Dr. A. Donaldson 

 Smith. Pileum golden olive brown w4th a wash of greenish, shad- 

 ing imperceptibly into the yellowish green of the remainder of the 

 upper surface — all with a pronounced satiny luster; tail like the back, 

 though rather duller, the feathers, excepting the middle pair, mar- 

 gined on their outer webs with dusky; wings of the same uniform 

 yellowish green, save for dark brown tips to nearly all llic »|uiils, 

 fuscotis edgings on the distal portions of the inner vanes, a l)luisji 

 wash on the innermost secondaries (tertials), and a broad area of ochra- 

 ceous on the basal part of the interior webs of both primaries and 

 secondaries; narrow frontal line greenish white; sui)erciliary stripe 

 pale green, somewhat mixed with whitish and bluish; lores, sub- 

 ocular region, and broad postocular stripe brownish bhick. slightly 

 washed with green; chin white, sufi'used with olive )>urt'; broad malar 

 stripe white, washed anteriorly with olive buti", posteriorly with bluish: 



"Named for the collector and donor, Dr. A. Donaldson Smith, of Philadelphia, Pa. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXVII— No. 1373. 



