— Ill — 



Irrisor erythrorhynchus niloticus Neum, — Orn. Monatsber. 

 1903, p. 181. 



Irrisor niloticus Neum. — v. Someren: Journ. East Afr. & TJg., N. H. Soc, 

 No. 16, 1921, p. 30. 



1 (5 ad. 27. 7. Mount Elgon. 



This individual was shot below the eastern slopes of Mount 

 Elgon. In one respect this specimen puts one in mind of 1. e. 

 marwHsi, i. e., in the predominant green wash on the inside of 

 the wings. But the purely steel-blue tail-feathers make me 

 place it under 1. e. niloticus. If this is a good subspecies and 

 not an age -form my individual — in spite of its resemblance 

 to 1. e. marwitzi in the colour of the underside of the wings, ~ 

 belongs to this sub-species. 



Neumann states (op. cit.) that the race has its range 

 from East Soudan, near White Nile, to the valleys of the Blue 

 Nile. Grant adds (Ibis 1915, p. 285) that it extends south- 

 wards to Lakes Stephanie and Rudolph, v. S o m e r e n also 

 mentions the bird from Kobua River, W. Lake Rudolph (Journ. 

 E. Afr. & Ug., N. H. S., 1921, No. 16, p. 30). The southern 

 boundary of the race is thus moved somewhat farther south to 

 the eastern slopes of Mount Elgon. 1. e. marwitzi occurs here 

 more commonly and thus there are prospects of finding inter- 

 mediate forms between the two in these districts. 



Neumann states (Journ. f. Ornithol. 1905, p. 194) that 

 he has come across 1. e. niloticus in Schoa, which proves that 

 this form extends northwards, reaching the region of 1. e. neg- 

 lectus Neum. [G rant (op. cit.) considers the latter, however, 

 to be only a synonym of 1. e. niloticus']. 



Irrisor hollei jacksoni Sharpe. — Rchw. II. p. 343. 



1 (5 ad. 8. 5. Londiani. - 8 6<5 ad. 21. 5.-2. 7. Mount Elgon. — 

 1 Q ad. 8. 5. Londiani. — 6 QQ 21. 5.-2. 7. Mount Elgon. 



The first time I saw this race was in a little grove — two 

 days' march from Londiani in the direction of Eldoret — at an 

 altitude of about 9.00o ft. A few specimens were shot here. 



In the forests on the eastern slopes of Elgon, up to 9.000 

 ft., this race was very common. Going into the forest at any 

 time of the day one could be certain of seeing large or small 

 flocks everywhere noisily flying about. As a rule 4 or 5 appeared 

 together, but frequently I saw crowds of them, amounting to 

 more than 20 in number. 



1 once shot a female from a large flock in the bamboo 

 forest at an altitude of 10.000 ft. As soon as the female had 

 fallen to the ground all the others began to shriek and to make 

 a noise, flying in a agitated manner about the spot where the 

 female had fallen. Suddenly one of them settled beside the 



