— 76 — 



Irides dark -brown; bill yellow, the base, as well as the 

 frontal part of the uj)per mandible, fed; legs black. 



Turacus hartlauhi tnedius Mearns. ~ Smiths. ]\Iisc. Coll. 

 vol. 65, No. 13, 1915, p. 3. 



1 ,5 ad. 11. 4. Ngong. — 1 (5 ad. 14. 4. Kiambu. — 1 (J ad. 9. 5. Londiani. — 



G (5(5 ad. 19. 5. — 21. 7. Mount^Elgon. — 1 Q ad. 11. 4. Ngong. — 



1 Q ad. 9. 5. Londiani — 4 QQ ad. 20. 5. - 21. 7. Mount Elgon 



In the large series of skins, which I procured of this "turaco" 

 there are specimens from the forests of Ngong and Kiambu, the 

 forests in the neighbourhood of Nairobi, the regions below 

 Elgon and, a great many, from Elgon and I agree with 

 Someren (Nov. Zool. 1918, p. 267) that there is no difference 

 at all between them. 



On the eastern slopes of Elgon this was one of the most 

 abundant birds in the forests and was usually met with in the 

 dense brushwood and maze of under -growth, where it knows 

 well how to conceal itself. But 1 often saw it running about 

 in the branches of the tall trees. 



In males shot in May — July, I have, as a rule, found the 

 testes swollen and developed and grey in colour. 



On the 10th of July 1 found a nest of this turaco for the 

 first time. It was built in a very thick shrub, in an opening in 

 the forest, about 2 Y2 meters from the ground. It was not close 

 to the trunk but out on the edges of the outermost slender, 

 spiny branches, where the foliage was densest and where it 

 was also hidden by a great wealth of climbers. The nest 

 could only be seen by looking up between the branches 

 from below, for then one could espy in the gloom a very imper- 

 fect nest, which reminded one very strongly of the nest built by 

 Columha palumhus. It was quite flat and consisted exclusively 

 of dry twigs, which lay scattered around without any order and 

 were so few in number that the two eggs could be seen between 

 the materials of the nest. 



In the literature on the subject it is generally stated that 

 the Musophagidae lay three eggs (R e i c h e n w II. p. 26) and 

 I therefore waited some days to see if there would be another 

 egg before taking the clutch. But the clutch was not increased. 

 Then I took down the nest and eggs in order to study them 

 more closely. 



The nest measured 36 X 28 cm. and was only a few cm. 

 high (at the highest point, 3 cm.) and so carelessly built that a 

 puff of wind would undoubtedly at first have blown the eggs off. 

 When I found this nest the female was sitting on the already 

 slightly incubated two eggs, but whether the nest contained 3 eggs 

 and one had been lost, is difficult to say. Later one I found 

 another nest of this bird containing two nestlings. 



