— 247 - 



permistus (Orn. Monatsber., 1906, p. 146). Moreover, Reiche- 

 n w has described one from Adamaua, gularis (Orn. Monatsber., 

 1910, p. 7) and another from A.madi (by Uelle in the Congo), 

 hypohrunneus (Journ. f. Orn., 1915, p. 129) But Neumann 

 includes two more new forms in the circle, platycircus Sws, and 

 iogoensis, thus we have to reckon with at least 13 allied forms. 



Opinions concerning these forms are so widely different, 

 that there can be no question of discussing all of them here. 

 Reichenow (Journ. f. Orn., 1918, p. 106), for instance, con- 

 siders Tcilcuyuensis synonymous with hypostictus and according to 

 Og. -Grant (Zool. Res Ruw. Exp., 1910, p 377) kirki coin- 

 cides with the latter. But Reichenow points out that hypo- 

 stictus, which in Vog. Afr. Ill, p. 660 he makes a synonym of 

 emini, is an East African bird, occurring also in Angola, while 

 kirki is found in Nyanza and the Sambesi regions (Vogelf. Mittelafr. 

 Seengeb , 1912, p 366) Meumann again considers that 

 kikuyuensis is a mountain form, restricted to the Kikuyu country, 

 while not far from there, west of the Massai graves, occurs 

 cinereus and at Lake Naiwasha to the north-east emini. Thus, 

 three diflFerert forms within a rather small area of British East 

 Africa. 



It is not easy to form a definite opinion as to the different 

 forms and their distribution and this "form -circle" therefore 

 seems to stand in need of a further careful, reducing revision. 



I have, however, compared ray specimen with those in the 

 Berlin Museum and found that it agrees entirely with those 

 bearing the name of hypostictus there, therefore I give it this 

 name for the present. 



Neumann's character for this form is, that the tail is 

 distinctly furnished with transverse bands (Journ. f. Ornith., 1904, 

 p. 549), but the specimens of kirki found in Berlin have these 

 transverse bands as well. In my specimen these bands are cer- 

 tainly not distinct, but are nevertheless visible. The lower sur- 

 face is pale-brown with a rusty-brown wash. 



Wing 105 mm.; culmen 21 mm.; tarsus 34 mm. 



Irides yellowish white; bill black, legs dark-grey (almost 

 black). 



Crateropus melanops sharpei Rchw. — Rchw. III. p. 661. 



1 (5 ad. 16. 5.' Soy. - 3 5(5 ad. 18. 5., 7. 6., 20. 6.; 2 gp ad. 6. 6., 19. 6. 

 Mount Elgon. — 1 C juv. 14. 5. Soy. — 2 QQ juv. 6. 6. Mount Elgon. 



In the acacia- country and scrub below the eastern slopes 

 of Mount Elgon this race was very common. It always appeared 

 in small flocks of 4 — 5 in number — probably in families, as 

 out of such a flock I once shot four, three of which were young 

 birds and the four.th an adult. — and at times they associated 

 with Eurystomus afer rufohuccalis. 



