Birds from the White Nile. 425 



a. S' Fashoda, 22nd March. No. 163. 

 Iris hazel ; bill black ; legs and feet black. 

 [Only a single example of the Red-rumped Swallow was 

 seen.— R. M. IL] 



74. Mesopicus pceocephalus. 



Mesopicus goertan Hargitt, Cat. B. Brit Mus. xviii. 

 p. 368 (1890) [part.] ; Witherby, p. 265 ; N. C. Roths. & 

 VVollast. p. 54. 



Dendrobates poicephalus Swains. B. W. Afr. ii. p. 154 

 (1837). 



a. $ . Kaka, 23rd Feb. No. 64. 



6, c. c? ? . 20 miles N. of Fashoda. 11th April. Nos. 

 313, 314. 



d. ? . Kaka, 23rd April. No. 398. 



Iris hazel ; bill and legs dark slate-grey. 



Dr. Reichenow (Orn. Monatsb. viii. p. 58, 1900) discusses 

 this species and its allies, and recognises the typical species 

 from Senegal and three subspecies : — 



1. Mesopicus goertan poicephalus (Swains). Ilab. W. 



Africa, Gambia to Loango. 



2. Mesopicus goertan abessinicus Reichenow. Hab. Abys- 



sinia, Kordofan, and Sennar. 



3. Mesopicus goertan centralis Reichenow. Hab. Bahr- 



el-Ghazal to Niam-Niam and Silk. 



An examination of the fine series in the National 

 Collection shews that the typical birds from Senegal 

 certainly have, as stated by Dr. Reichenow, the hack of a 

 more golden-olive colour ; but we cannot agree with him as 

 regards the other subspecies : the characters ascribed to 

 them do not hold good, and birds from Gambia, the White 

 Nile, and Abyssinia are indistinguishable from one another, 

 and all should be included under the one title, M. pceo- 

 cephalus (Swains.). 



[The Goertan Woodpecker is a fairly common bird. — 

 R. M. H.] 



