— 50 - 



In one specimen the chin is distinctly white, whereas in the 

 others it is a beautiful, pale wine-colour. Further, the occiput, 

 fore-neck and breast are light wine-coloured, while, on the con- 

 trary, these parts in the Kikuyu and Ngong specimens are darker, 

 distinctly shading into rusty-brown. They were all shot in April 

 and were in about the same stage (except one juv.). 



The specimens from the Nairobi district (Kikuyu, Ngong) 

 are very different from one another. Of those from the latter 

 place, one (in moult) has the back and sides of the head almost 

 brownish red and the upper tail-coverts greyish-brown, the 

 same colour as the back, while the other (also in moult) has 

 the back and sides of the head wine coloured, and upper tail- 

 coverts bluish grey. 



In the Mombasa specimens the iris was bright reddish-yellow, 

 but in those from Ngong and Kikuyu it was dark-brown with a 

 red ring nearest the pupil. The bill almost black in all. 



Wing culmen tarsus 



175, 175 mm. 19, 18 mm. 24, 27 mm. Mombasa. 



190, 186, 178 mm. 18, 18.5, 18 mm. 25 — 26 mm. Ngong, Kikuyu. 

 178, 160 mm. 16 mm. Elgon. 



In the Mombasa specimens the lower rump and undertail- 

 coverts are deep-blue, but in those from Kikuyu and Ngong they 

 are considerably darker, while in the Elgon specimen they are 

 almost of the same dark-grey colour as that of the under wing- 

 coverts. The difference between the Mombasa and the Elgon 

 specimens is so pronounced that even this character alone should 

 be enough to establish a special Elgon sub-species. 



The same thing is noticeable with respect to the wine-red 

 colour of the neck, crop and breast, i. e. considerably darker in 

 those shot inside the country; and in the Elgon-form the rusty- 

 brown feathers are more numerous than the pale wine-coloured ones. 



In the Elgon specimen, again, the crown is dark grey and 

 not pale grey as in those from the coast or the Kikuyu country. 



The lesser wing-coverts, which in the Elgon specimen are 

 all predominantly brown, are greyish in the other specimens. 



Reichenow states, p. 410, that the young bird has rust- 

 coloured edges to the feathers of the head, throat etc. This is 

 also in agreement with the juv. specimen I have, but all the 

 primaries are rust-coloured in the points and also along the edge 

 of the outer-web as well, whereas these parts are greyish-white 

 in a full-grown individual. 



Grote (Journ. f. Ornith., 1921, p. 423) names specimens 

 from Ukerewe-Island erythrophrys Sw. According to Grant 

 (Ibis 1916, p. 42) this bird is known from West Africa and Fernando 

 Po, but probably Grote bases his opinion on statements made 

 by Zedlitz (Journ. f. Orn., 1914, p. 644 and 1916, p. 113), 

 who gives the range of erythrophrys as extending from S. Abyssinia, 

 Central, East, West to South Africa. The true Streptopelia s. 



