- 171 — 



have by no means the longest tail. Judging from my material, 

 one might sooner assert that the opposite is true, for all the Elgon 

 specimens, as compared with those from Nairobi, have shorter 

 tails (compare the table below). 



In proportion as the dress approaches and finally reaches 

 the complete plumage, the light tips of the tail-feathers gradually 

 disappear until the feathers finally become entirely black. 

 Wing, tarsus, tail, 



80 mm. 23 mm. 175 mm. cf Nairobi 10. 4. 



cf ., » (swollen testes). 



cf 



Cf „ 13. 4. 



cT Ngong 11.4. . ■ 



cf Eldoret 12. 4. 



cf „ 



d* Mt. Elgon 20. 5. 



O n ji 11 



cT ,, „ 31. 5. (swollen testes). 

 C? „ „ 2.6. 

 cT „ „ 6.6. • .' 



One of the Elgon specimens differs also from all the others 

 in that the red patch of the head extends on to the fore- 

 head, reaching almost to the base of the bill. 



There are also great differences between the females. 

 Both in the Nairobi country and on Elgon I have found birds 

 with a dark-yellowish brown fore -neck, others with light or al- 

 most greyish-brown. 



Wing, tarsus, 



66—72 mm. 20—22 mm. 99 Nairobi, Kiambu. 

 65-67 mm. 19-22 mm. 99 Elgon. 

 Irides dark-brown; bill in cf black, in 9 brownish yellow 

 or greyish brown; legs in cf blackish brown -black, in 9 dark 

 brownish grey. . - 



Drepanoplectes jacksoni Sharpe. — Rchw. III. p. 143. 



4 (5(5 ad. 11. 4. Ngong. — 1 <5 ad. 20. 4. Lake Naiwasha. — 12 (5(5 ad. 



6. 5. Londiani. — 1 (5 ad. 12. 5. Eldoret. — 3 (5(5 ad. 11. 4. Ngong. — 



9 (5(5 ad. 6. 5. Eldoret. 



Very abundant at all places visited by our expedition. 

 Yet I never saw it on Elgon or below its slopes. Eldoret 

 was the most northern place where the bird was observed. 



As the pairing time seems to fall in the end of April and 

 in the beginning of May, I saw time after time during these 

 periods large flocks of both males and females passing over the 

 grassy plains, and at Eldoret I shot 18 birds, 9 males and 



