— 106 — 



tween the birds from these districts. The only thing that can 

 possibly be adduced is that the two from the last-mentioned 

 locality have the base of the culmen darker than the rest. 



N e u m a n n says (op. cit ) that this form is distinguished 

 from C. c. thomensis in that it lacks the small, black spots at 

 the base of the upper mandible found in the latter. In some of 

 my specimens, however, these spots are present, and thus it 

 seems as if this character is not sufficient to separate these 

 forn)s. Not having been in a position to examine any specimen 

 of C. c. thomensis 1 cannot, however, express any definite opinion 

 on the matter. 



Wing cTcf 53, 56, 56, 60, 60 mm., tarsus 7—9 mm. 



Wing 9 59 mm., tarsus 8 mm. 



Irides dark-brown; bill and legs coral-red. 



Ceryle rudis rudis (L.). — Rchw. II. p. 295. 



Opingo . . . ki-kavirondo. — Kalamindo . . . ki-kavirondo. 

 4 ^(5 ad. 21. 8.; 1 (3 juv. 21. 8.; 2 QQ juv. 21. 8. Kendu. 



In Kendu on the Gulf of Kavirondo, Victoria Nyanza, this 

 Kingfisher was the most common met with on the shores. It could 

 be seen everywhere in flocks or singly flying along the water-edge 

 or sitting, in company with doves, on the branches of the trees 

 growing in the water. 



Erlanger (Journ. f. Orn., 1905, p 445) has expressed the 

 opinion that the males have two black breast-bands, the female 

 only one. Reichenow (Vogel Afrikas II. p. 296) however, 

 doubts the correctness of this. 



I have carefully sexed all my specimens and have found 

 that three mature cfcT have two breast-bands, whereas the fourth 

 has only one, therefore I agree with Reich en ow's statement. 

 All the young birds (2 99i 1 cT) have only one, more or less 

 greyish black, breast-band. 



The four male adults have the following measurements: 

 wing, total length, tarsus, culmen, 



137,140,140,140 mm. 265- 280 mm. 10-11 mm. 60— 62 mm. cfcf 

 134, 138 mm. 250—260 mm. 10, 12 mm. 49,50 mm. 99 



The young birds have all the feathers of the lower part of 

 the fore-neck edged with grey (sometimes only a little grey spot 

 on the tips of the feathers), and the lower mandible is yellowish 

 towards the tip of the bill. The bill varies beween 48—50 mm. 

 in length. 



Not one of the four full-grown males has the under-surface 

 of the body purely white, but here and there are black longi- 

 tudinal streaks, chiefly along the flanks. 



Irides dark-brown; bill and legs black. 



