98 Mr. D. A. Baimerman on rare Birds [Ibis, 



colour, the coppery gloss being very apparent in certain 

 lights. The underparts are huffish white, the throat, breast, 

 and flanks narrowly handed with blackish, each feather 

 having a narrow subtcrminal bar. On the belly tlie bars are 

 either entirely wanting or only faintly indicated. The under 

 tail-coverts are barred in four out of six specimens to a lesser 

 or greater extent. 



These birds from Angola have only recently been in- 

 corporated in the National Collection, and hence former 

 workers have been unable to compare birds from other parts 

 of Africa with typical specimens. Had they been able to do 

 so, they would have seen that a very noticeable difference 

 exists between them. 



We have in the British Museum twenty-one skins from 

 other parts of Africa — 13 birds from Cameroon collected 

 by ]Mr. Bates (6 in old collections, 7 in the present series), 

 4 from Uganda and Kuwenzori, 3 from the Gold Coast, and 

 one from Nyasaland. I have also examined one bird from 

 Poko on the Uelle River (Christy coll.). 



First, to deal with the series from Cameroon, Uganda, and 

 E/Uwenzori, which I have named C. m. ivellsi : — These birds 

 differ from ('. m. mechowi in having the upper parts slate- 

 brown, a distinct dark bluish grey taking the place of the 

 copper colour. The most noticeable difference is, however, on 

 the under surface, which in C. m. ivellsi is whitish or huffish 

 white, closely banded with brownish black, the bars much 

 Avider and closer togetlier than in C. m. mecliowi. The under 

 tail-coverts are generally unbarred or unspotted, but this, 

 as in the Angola bird, is subject to variation. 



We have still to deal with birds from the Gold Coast, of 

 whicli I have only three specimens ; and these, while exhibit- 

 ing the coppery gloss of C m. mecliaivi, which they resemble 

 on the upper parts, have the under surface closely barred 

 (though not quite so heavily) as in C. m. wellsi. With such 

 small material 1 can only point out the somewhat inter- 

 mediate position which the Gold Coast birds seem to hold. 



There remains the biid from Nyasaland. It is quite a 

 young female, the upper parts barred with rufous and brown 



