— 48 — 



The bird was common on Elgon and occurred both in the 

 forests and in the small vegetation colonies, which as a rule, 

 follow the small or large waterways in the acacia steppe. They 

 were frequently seen in large flocks. 



Quite considerable differences occur in this dove. Some 

 have the back and the whole of the upper surface of the body 

 behind the grey neck- band (even the upper tailcoverts included) 

 yellowish olive-green, others greyish green. In some the grey 

 neck-band is pale and inconspicuous, but in the majority it is 

 pronounced. In a few specimens the rectrices are bordered with 

 green, but in the majority this border is lacking. Even the 

 yellowish green colour of the under surface varies much in in- 

 tensity. 



Wing tarsus 



165—175 mm. 25—26 mm. cfcf 



170 mm. 24-25 mm. 99 



The irides have outermost a red, lilac, ring, within this 

 another of clear blue. Culmen, bluish grey with coral-red cere. 

 Legs coral-red. 



Columha guinea longipennis Rchw. — Rchw. I. p. 402. 

 1 2 ad. 25. 8. Eisumu. 



In the regions of Kisumu (on the Gulf of Kavirondo, Lake 

 Nyanza) this dove was rarely met with. It frequented the scrub 

 and bush vegetation near the shores of the lake. 



This specimen might almost be taken as an intermediate 

 between C. g. guinea and C. g. longipennis, the rump being 

 whitish grey as in the former, but the lower surface of the body 

 darker grey as in the latter. 



Wing 230 mm; tarsus 28 mm. 



Columha arquairix arquatrix Tern. — Rchw. I. p. 403. 



2 S6 ad. 18. 4. Kiambu. — 2 (55 ad. 27. 6. aud 24. 7.; 

 3 QQ ad. 3. 6. — 5. 7.; 1 2 juv. 6. 6.; Mount Elgon. 



This dove was found quite commonly almost everywhere. 

 In the dense forests around Nairobi large flocks were seen in 

 the middle of April. On Mount Elgon I met with this species 

 as far up as 9.000 feet above sea-level. It frequents the dark 

 and moss-clad trees, where it will remain quite still until one 

 gets right up to it. 



Congreve says of this bird (Journ. East. Afr. and Ug. 

 N. H. Soc, vol. Ill, No. 6, 1913 p. 47) that it is the commonest 

 pigeon in the Mau forests and probably in the other forests of 

 British East Africa. 



The 6 Elgon specimens are rather diflerent from each other 

 in colour. Erl anger has (J. f. 0. 1915, p. 115) already remarked 



