— 201 — 



At all the above-mentioned places this beautiful Yellow- 

 breasted Pipit was very common, and, like v. Someren (Ibis, 

 1916, p. 433), I have found it in the scrub, acacia and open 

 grass country. On Elgon it was not seen above 7.000 ft. On 

 the 23 rd June I found a nest, containing 3 rather highly in- 

 cubated eggs, on the eastern slopes of Mount Elgon. The nest 

 was built on a rocky slope where a few isolated acacias grew 

 among the grass vegetation. It lay half concealed under a pro- 

 jecting tussock but the eggs were visible at a distance. It mea- 

 sured transversely 16 cm. and was about 6 cm. high. The inner 

 frame was about 10 cm. in diameter. 



The outer cup consisted only of dry grass-blades, which had 

 been plaited together into a rather liimsv and loose structure. 

 The inner nest consisted exclusively of fine root-fibres. (Com- 

 pare Jackson: Ibis, 1905, p. 102). 



The eggs had the following measurements 



1. 24 X 18 cm. 



2. 24 X 18 cm. 



3. 23 X 18 cm. 



In colour they are dirty-white (one of them has a yellowish 

 grey ground colour) with yellowish brown, grey and violet spots 

 spread closely over the white surface. The shell faintly glossy. 

 The form is oval and the most conspicuous spots are the greyish 

 ones and the yellowish brown. The violet or greyish violet are 

 chiefly gathered at the thick end. 



On the same day I found another nest of this bird, which 

 contained two more than half-grown young, which ran out of the 

 nest as soon as I came near it 



There is uo noteworthy difference in the dresses. The 

 two outer tail-feathers have a narrow, yellow edge along the 

 outher web, in other respects they are as Reichenow (op. 

 cit.) has described them. 



Wing, tarsus, 



92, 93, 97 mm. 35— 36 mm. cfcf Nairobi, Ngong, Nai- 



washa. 



93, 97, 97, 98, 98, 98, 35—38 mm. (S<S Eldoret, Soy, Elgon 

 102, 100, 104, 98 ram. Kisumu. 



91 mm. 34 mm. 9 Nairobi. 



94, 97, 99, 99 mm. 35-38 mm. §9 Eldoret, Elgon. 



It seems as if the Elgon specimens have in general a larger 

 measurement than those from the Kikuyu country. 



The young birds are in different stages of development and 

 finely exhibit the change to the full plumage. All the feathers of 

 the upper surface are widely edged with rusty-brown, the super- 

 ciliary stripe rusty-brown, the chin and throat brownish yellow. 



