- 114 — 



What is conspicuous, however, in the above table is the 

 great difference in the figures for the length of the bill; 

 36—57 nun. Not less than 6 birds have 50 mm and upwards. 



Only six specimens are in full dress; all the others are in 

 moult. In one individual it appears that the new tail-feathers 

 are dark-blue without any purple gloss; in another they have 

 only such a gloss at the base, and in those in full plumage they 

 are almost to the whole of their length purple-glossy (at least 

 the central tail-feathers). 



The young bird's bill is not such a beautiful coral-red as 

 that of the old birds, but has a more or less deep tint of grey. 

 It is, however, not black as in Rhinoponiastus erythrorhynchus. 



V. Someren says (op. cit.) that "they have the feathers 

 of the rump broadly tipped with coppery bronze". But all the 

 specimens in my series have these feathers blue without a cop- 

 pery bronze. 1 cannot agree with v. Someren' s opinion that 

 the white on the throat is purer, for all mine have a plain 

 brownish yellow wash over the white. In all the specimens the 

 irides were dark-brown (Grant, brown; R e i c h e n o w orange), 

 bill coral-red, legs coral-red with black claws. 



Whether the Elgon-bird, however, forms a special race which 

 differs to size from • the true I. b. jacksoni, should be difficult 

 to decide at present. It seems to me to be so and later in- 

 vestigations may perhaps bring light on the matter. 



Ehinopomastus cyanomelas schalowi Neum, — Journ. f. Ornithol., 



1900, p. 221. 



1 (5 ad. 29. 4. Mombasa. — 1 (5 ad. 9. 5. Londiani, 8.500 ft. — 3 (5(5 ad. 

 26. 5—23. 6. Mount Elgou 7.000 ft. — 1 Q ad. 22. 4. Lake Naiwasha. — 2 52 ad. 

 27. 4. Mombasa. — 1 $ ad. 23. 6. Mount Elgon 7.000 ft. — 1 2 juv. 29. 4. Mombasa. 



In the palm-groves and woods around Mombasa this race 

 was very common and was quite as often seen singly or in pairs 

 as in small flocks of 4 — 6 in number. 



All the specimens from Mombasa are in the moulting stage 

 and the feathers very much abraded and this might be the cause 

 why the respective measurements, which are otherwise rather 

 large, are fairly small in all my specimens. 

 Wing, bill, tarsus, tail. 



