obtained in British East Africa. 641 



dition, and in a greater or less degree by other examples from 

 Somaliland and the Niam-Niam country. — R. B. S.] 



348. Mesopicus pqeocephalus. 



Mesopicus goertan (part.) Hargitt, Cat. B. Brit. Mus, xviii. 

 p. 368 (1890) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1892, p. 308 (Turquel). 



Mesopicus goert(S centralis Reichen. Orn. MB. viii. p. 59 

 (1900). 



Mesopicus pceocephalus (Swains.) ; Grant, Ibis, 1902, 

 p. 425. 



a. S afl. Entebbe, March 13, 1895. 



h. S ad. Entebbe, May 18, 1895. Bill greenish horn- 

 coloured; feet scaly slate-coloured ; iris cinnamon-brown. 



[Dr. Reichenow (Orn. MB. 1 900, p. 58) has proposed to' 

 separate this species into four races, the first being the true 

 M. goertan from Senegal. This is a bird with light olive- 

 yellow back, while the under surface is very pale ashy, with 

 a yellowish patch on the abdomen, sometimes indistinct and 

 sometimes absent altogether. The light coloration, however, 

 distinguishes this form, which is confined to Senegal. 



M. goertan pceocephalus is said by Dr. Reichenow to differ 

 in the paler and greyer tone of the olive-yellow of the upper 

 surface, and in the middle of the belly being only slightly 

 washed with a tint of orange-yellow. Hab. West Africa 

 from Gambia to Loango. 



M. goertan abyssinicus, from Abyssinia, Kordofan, and 

 Sennar, is said to be distinguished by the darker olive-green 

 of the npper surface and the scarlet abdominal spot, which is 

 surrounded by a wash of yellow. 



There is certainly more of a red spot on the abdomen 

 in Abyssinian and Sudanese birds, but it is often absent 

 altogether, and then there is no tangible difference between 

 Eastern and Western birds. It is impossible to distinguish 

 between a bird from Fashoda and one fron the Fantee 

 country. 



M. goertan centralis is another race, according to Dr. 

 Reichenow, found from the Gazelle River to the Niam-Niam 

 and Siik countries. It is said to be like M. g. abyssinicus, but 



