— 240 — 



and he adds that "these birds are quite distinct from B. cinna- 

 momeus from Kikuyu and Mau". 



But Neumann's specimens originate from the Gurui 

 Mountains in German East Africa and the author says that bet- 

 ween these birds and those from Mau there is a considerable 

 difference, whence they might possibly be a distinct intermediate 

 form. Now, as Elgon specimens in their turn, according to v. 

 Someren, are quite distinct from the latter there should 

 thus be two good forms besides salvadorii. 



I have made the same observations as v. Someren, i. e, 

 that the Elgon specimens have a much darker tail (dark-brown) than 

 that from Londiani (not far from the Mau mountains) for in the 

 latter specimen the tail is rusty-brown. Neumann (op. cit.) 

 states that all the specimens examined by him were different 

 from each other, and under these circumstances it seems to me 

 to be audacious to advance these probable individual differences 

 as characters for the different forms. 



I assume, however, that the author's description of his own 

 form is correct, and although the measurements for the wing of 

 female specimens agree more with salvadorii, and that of male-speci- 

 mens with the one form just as well as the other, the measurements 

 of the length of the tail approach those of cinnamomeus, and so 

 I have called my specimens with that name. 



The young bird's plumage differs greatly from that of the 

 adults. The head is dark greyish brown and the whole of the 

 upper surface dark-brown without the rusty-red wash found in 

 the adult. The throat and sides of the head are olive-grey with 

 dark streaks and the lower surface, otherwise olive-yellow, olive- 

 brown along the tlanks. 



Upper mandible dark brownish grey, lower mandible brown- 

 ish yellow. 



Wing, tarsus, tail, 



65 mm. 24 mm. 76 ram. cf Elgon. 



61 mm. 23 mm. 68 mm. Q 



63 mm. 23 mm. 71 mm. 9 E6ndiani. 



Irides dark-brown; bill dark grey-brown; legs pale yellow- 

 ish grey. 



Frinia mystacea immrdahilis v. Someien. — Bull. Brit. 

 Orn. Club, vol. XL, 1920, p 93. 



Prinia mystacea Riipp. Reichenow: Vog. Afr. Ill, p. 590. — Neumann 

 Journ. f. Orn., ]906, p. 276. — Zedlitz : Journ. f. Orn., 1916, p. 87. — 

 V. Someren: Ibis, 1916, p. 457; Nov. ZooL, XXV, 1918, p. 288. — Grote : 

 Journ. f. Orn., 1921, p. 408 u. 457. 



Mbusu . . . Ndetee . . . ki kamba. 



1 (5 ad. 11. 4. NgoDg. — 3 ,5(5 ad. 18. 4. Kiambu. — 1 5 ad. 22. 4. Lake 



Naiwasha. — 8 ($5 ad. 20. 5.— 10. 7. Mount Elgon. — 1 5 ad. 11. 8. Eldoret. — 



3 QQ ad. 16. 7., 24. 7, Mount Elgon. — 3 QQ ad. 11. 8. Eldoret. 



