— 210 — 



and not layardi (wing 93 mm.) and those from the Tsavo River 

 (78, 84 mm.) probably to micrus not dodsoni. 



Sclater & Mackworth-Praed (op. cit.) have in a 

 successful manner — it seems to me — given an exposition of 

 the different forms and their distribution. From these investi- 

 gations it appears that micrus has, on the average, the wing 

 below 90 mm,, whereas fayi has a wing-measurment of 90 — 100 mm., 

 average 97 mm. Mearn s gives (op. cit.) the wing for cTcf of micrus 

 as 88.7 mm., for 99 84 mm and for cfcT of fayi 94.3 mm., for 

 99 88.2 mm. 



I agree with Lonnberg (Arkiv f. Zool., Bd. 9, No. 14, 

 p. 21) that at times it is extremely difficult to maintain the sub- 

 species, as specimens from the same place vary both in colour 

 and in size. Still there is a rather good and constant difference 

 in size between the coastland micrus and the highland fayi. 



This can be clearly seen in the series of 21 specimens from 

 different parts of the highlands of British East Africa by com- 

 paring them with the 2 specimens from the coastland. It would 

 have certainly been better, however, if a large series had been 

 procured from the coastlands, for then my figures would have 

 given better support to Sclater and Mackworth-Praed's 

 views. 



In my two from Mombasa the measurements are as follows: 

 Wing, culmen, tarsus, 



88 mm. 17 mm. 22 mm. cf ad. 



81 mm. 16 mm. 21 mm. 9 ^.d. 



Irides dark-brown ; bill and legs black. 



Along with this micrus there is another Fycnonotus occurring 

 in the coastland of British East Africa, namely, P. dodsoni Sharpe, 

 the range of which (according to Scl. M.-P.) goes from S. Somali- 

 land and desert country of British East Africa to the Kilimanjaro 

 region. 



Fycnonotus tricolor fayi Mearns. — Smithson. Misc. Coll., 

 vol. 56, no. 20, p. 7. 



Ayalera . . . ki-kavirondo. — Uoloi . . . ki-kamba. 



1 (3 ad. 11. 4. Ngong. - 2 (5(5 ad. 13. 4., 19. 9. Nairobi. - 1 ^ ad. 17. 4. 

 Kiambu. — I (5 ad. 20. 4. Lake Naiwasha. — 1 (5 ad. 4. 5. Molo. — 2 (5(5 ad. 

 5. 5., 8. 5. Londiani. - 1 (5 ad. 10. 5. Eldoret. — 1 c5 ad. 16. 5. Soy. — 

 4 (5(5 ad. 21. 5., 25. 5., 6. 6., 12. 7. Mount Elgon. - 1 (5 ad. 23. 8. Kendu. - 

 1 Q ad. 11. 4. Ngong. - 1 Q ad. 17. 4. Kiambu. — 2 QQ ad. 20. 4., 22. 4. 

 Lake Naiwasha. — 1 5 ad. 12. 7. ; 1 ^ juv. 17. 6. Mount Elgon. 



This form of Fycnonotus tricolor was one of the very com- 

 monest birds at the above-mentioned places. On Elgon 1 came 

 across it up to about an altitude of 8000 feet. 



