- 147 — 



(Ibis 1915, p. 547) considers it to be a "rare bird" at Matopo 

 (southern Rhodesia). 



It is not rare in the environs of Mombasa, and at Kilindini 

 I observed it in the jungle and even in the cocoa plantations. 

 The specimen is moulting, like the preceding birds, and 

 has the two outer rectrices entirely yellow. 



Wing, tarsus, culmen, tail, 



131 mm. 22 mm. 29 mm. 80 mm. 

 Irides, bill and legs as in the preceding. 



Oriolus larvatus rolleti Salvad. — Rchw. II. p. 659. 



1 (5 ad. 18. 4. Kiambu. — S6 ad. 22. 4. Lake Naiwasha. — 1 Q ad. 16. 5. 

 environs of Mount Elgon, 7.000 ft. — 1 § juv. 22. 4. Lake Naiwasha. 



Reich enow (op. cit.) gives the distribution of this race 

 to East and South-west Africa and that of 0. e. larvatus to 

 South-east Africa. — Neumann (J. f. 0. 1905, p. 235) on the 

 other hand, considers that the former occurs from South Africa, 

 through Mozambique and Nyas?a-land, in the interior of German 

 East Africa to Victoria Nyanza, but Z e d 1 i t z (J. f. 0. 1906, p. 3) 

 comes to the conclusion that the range of the race is South 

 Africa to the Niassa districts. 



The same author also gives the range of 0. I. rolleti from 

 the White Nile to the south Shoan Lake district. This race, 

 according to Z e d 1 i t z ' s investigations, should have a wing- 

 measurement of 125—129 mm., but the former 135 — 145 (maxi- 

 mum 140 — 145 mm.). 



Z e d 1 i t z begins his analysis of the Oriolus family by 

 saying that the systematisation of the Oriolus races is rich in 

 difficult problems, the solution of which is by no means made 

 easier by the hybridising which appears to characterise these 

 birds. And no doubt he is right. But I cannot acknowledge 

 him to be correct in what he writes about 0. I. rolleti. For 

 L n n b e r g in his excellent analysis of rolleti and percivali has 

 already established (Birds coll. by Swed. Zool. Exp. B. E. A. 1911, 

 p. 95) that the former is found in the Nairobi districts. Later 

 V. Someren (Ibis 1916, p. 399) also found it here, whence its 

 southern boundary must be moved further southwards. 



Reichenow has later on (Vogelf. d. Mittelafr. Seengeb. 

 1912, p. 317) come to the conclusion that an established area of 

 distribution for 0. I. larvatus and 0. I. rolleti cannot be given, 

 but he considers that rolleti seems to occur in the central Afri- 

 can lake districts north and west of Victoria Nyanza. 



Jackson (Ibis 1910, p. 678) mentions the bird from 

 Takaungu (north of Mombasa) and Mackworth-Praed 

 (Ibis 1917, p. 366) has met it at the Tsavo River (near Kilima 



10* 



