obtained in British East Africa. 43 



No. 287. 6 ad. Njeraps, 3700 feet, Aug. 18, 1896. 

 Bill black ; feet horn-blue ; iris brown. 



No. 288. 3 ad. Njemps, 3700 feet, Aug. 18, 1896. 



[Mr. Oscar Neumann (J. f. O. 1899, p. 395) lias divided 

 this well-known species into four races. The typical Cos- 

 mophoneus sulphur eipectus , according to him, is from West 

 Africa, has a yellow forehead, a well-developed yellow super- 

 ciliary streak, and black ear-coverts. This last is the only 

 character of any value in Mr. Neumann's diagnosis. 



The South-African form (C. similis) is supposed to differ in 

 its orange-coloured frontal baud and in having the ear-coverts 

 black or greyish black. The latter character again holds 

 good only to a certain extent. The larger and more developed 

 breast-spot, on which Mr. Neumann relies, is not a character 

 of importance, a Fantee bird not being distinguishable in this 

 respect from a Swazi-land example. The orange-colour on 

 the edges and tips of the tail-feathers is also a character found 

 in West- and South-African specimens. These last features 

 are not of specific value, and seem to me to depend upon 

 age; the older birds having more orange on the frontal 

 band and breast and more of an orange tint on the tail. 



The East-African form (L, suahelicus) has, according to 

 Mr. Neumann, a yellow frontal band, while the yellow super- 

 ciliary streak extends only a little above the eye, and the 

 ear-coverts are grey. After comparing Mr. Jackson's series 

 with a number of specimens from difierent parts of South 

 Africa, I must confess that I have failed to discover the 

 slightest cause for separating the two forms. A Landana 

 bird also seems to be L. similis and not true L. sulphure/pectus, 

 nor do I believe L. modestus, Bocage, to be different [cf. 

 Neumann, /. c. p. 396).— R. B. S.] 



143. Laniarius approximans. 



Laniarius approximans (Cab.) ; Reichen. Vog. deutsch. Ost- 

 Afr. p. 159, fig. 71 (1894) ; Jackson, Ibis, 1898, p. 137 (Witu). 



Malaconotus approxitnans Shelley, B. Africa, i. p. 57 

 (1896) ; O. Nenm. J. f. O. 1899, p. 392; id. op. cit. 1900, 

 p. 269. 



