— ^09 — 



J. f. 0. 1916, p. 391. - Hartert: Nov. Zool., vol. 13, 1906, p. 391. - 

 Sjostedt: Wiss. Erg. Zool. Exp. Kilimandjaro-Mern 1905—1906, Stockholm 

 1910, p. 141, 



1 (5 ad. 26. 4. ; 1 e ad. 26. 4.; Mombasa. 



In the Mombasa districts this form was common and was 

 found in the palm groves on Kilindini Gulf as well as in the 

 scrub areas everywhere in the coastal-belt. 



Opinions concerning the species and forms of the genus 

 Fycnonotus are very divided among ornithologists and it is dif- 

 ficult to obtain any positive information from the numerous 

 works. 



Lonnberg (Birds coll. Sw. Zool. Exp. B. E. A., 1911, 

 p. 116) considers this micrus to be synonymous with the South 

 African layardi, because he has found that the largest East 

 African specimens attain the measurement of the smaller South 

 African. This view is shared by Reichenow (Journ. f. Orn. 

 1918, p. 95), although he has expressed himself wrongly, for he 

 certainly means that the limit between the smaller South 

 African forms and the larger East African is difficult to draw, 

 instead of between "the larger South African and the smaller 

 East African". 



For my part I agree with Zedlitz (Journ. f. Orn. 1916, 

 p. 69) that it is surely not layardi which inhabits East Africa. 

 But 1 cannot acknowledge him to be right in saying that micrus 

 inhabits the whole of British East Africa, for he then overlooks 

 fayi, which is the highland form. Hartert (Nov. Zool., vol. 13, 

 1906, p. 391) also considers that micrus inhabits British East 

 Africa and Kilimandjaro and that it differs from layardi in being 

 darker on the upper surface and smaller. As regards L o n n - 

 berg's investigations (op. cit.), he has certainly not, among the 

 6 individuals, of which he gives careful measurements, a single 

 micrus which, of course, inhabits the coast-land of German and 

 British East Africa westwards to Kilimanjaro (Sclater and 

 Mackworth-Praed: Ibis 1918, p. 697) but P. tricolor fayi 

 Mearns, which inhabits the highlands of western British E. Africa 

 to Elgon (S c 1. Mackw. -Pr.: op. cit.). 



This latter: fayi, Reichenow considers, however, to be 

 synonymous with micrus, but this again, from what has been said 

 above, is a synonym of layardi, and in this manner, according 

 to Reichenow and Lonnberg, the form occurring from 

 the coastland up to Elgon should be layardi, i. e. the same 

 as in South Africa. 



v. Somereu (Ibis, 1916, p. 440) also styles his specimens 

 from Nairobi and Kiambu micrus, which should be incorrect too. 

 On the other hand he is right when he calls the Mombasa spe- 

 cimens so (Journ. E. Afr. Ug. Nat. Hist. Soc, vol. VI, No. 12, 

 1918, p. 259). The specimen which Mackworth-Praed 

 (Ibis, 1917, p. 383) shot at Thika is thus to be referred io fayi 



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