420 Mr. C. H, B. Grant on a Collection of 



by Finscli [cf. Notes Leyden Museum, vol. xxiii. 1901, 

 p. 156). 



Since Neumann's remarks were publislied a young speci- 

 men has been taken by Bates in Cameroon, and two 

 young birds by Boyd Alexander near Lake Chad ; this 

 places the occurrence of this bird on the west side of Africa 

 beyond question. 



Two races of this Cuckoo have been described, Centi'opus 

 thierryi Reichw. (Orn. Monatsb. 1899, p. 190 : Mangu, Togo- 

 land), and Centropus grillii cceruleiceps Neura. (Journ. fiir Orn. 

 1901', p. 380: Gandjule See, i.e. Lake Abaya). The former 

 is said to differ from C. g, (/rillii in having the lesser under 

 wing-coverts black, but this character is observable in a speci- 

 men from Nyasaland, taken with others having wholly brown 

 under wing-coverts. Through the l<indness of Mr. Rotli- 

 schild and Dr. Hartert I have been enabled to examine and 

 compare the type of C. g. ceeruleiceps with the series in the 

 British Museum collection, and find that it certainly differs 

 in the coloration of the head from birds taken in German 

 East Africa and Nyasaland, which Neumann for purposes of 

 comparison has taken as Hartlaub's C. grillii, but is very 

 closely matched by a bird from Port Natal. This Port 

 Natal bird differs from Nyasaland specimens in having the 

 whole head, except for the ear-coverts, glossy blue-black, 

 without the green sheeu, but not quite so deep a blue as 

 shown in the type of C. g. ca-ruleiceps ; the mantle is chest- 

 nut, rather darker than the wing-coverts, but altogether 

 lacks the dark blackish coloration of the Nyasaland bird. 

 The blue head is sharply defined and does not grade into 

 the coloration of the back as in Nyasaland birds. These 

 characters seem to me worthy of subspecific differentiation, 

 and I have therefore proposed the following name : — 



Centropus grillii wahlbergi. 



Centropus grillii wahlbergi Claude Grant, Bull. B. O. C. 

 x\xv. 1915, p. 99: Umslango, Port Natal. 



Type in the British Museum. ? not quite adult. Um- 

 slango, Port Natal. 28,11.49. Wahlberg Coll. Wing 

 173 ; culmen 27 ; tail 189; tarsus 38 mm. 



