1917-] Birds from British East Africa. 375 



Drepanorhynchus reichenowi. 



Dre.panorhijnchus reichenowi Fischer, J. f. 0. 1884, p. 56 

 [Naivasha], 



Neciarinia reichenowi Shelley, B. Afr. ii. 1900, p. 28. 



^ . Thika. 5th September. Wing 73 mm. 



Reichenow^s Sunbird was only seen on one occasion, by 

 the side of a papyrus-swamp. 



Iris dark brown ; bill and legs black. 



Nectar inia melanogaster nectar into ides. 



Cinni/rls nectar inioides Richmond, Auk, xiv. 1897, p. 158 

 [Kilimanjaro]. 



Nectarinia nectarinioides Reich w. Vog. Air. iii. 1905, 

 p. 496. 



c? ? . Tsavo River. July. Wing, ^ 84, ? 48 mm. 



The Long-tailed Sunbird was quite common in the thick 

 bush-country. 



This species appears to be rather a rarity in collections. 

 Although it does differ in size and in the amount of yellow 

 in the pectoral tufts from N. melanogaster of Fischer & 

 Reichenow, I should not be surprised to find that the latter 

 was merely a large and brightly-coloured form. Certainly 

 the specimens procured by Hunter in the Teita country are 

 this form, and not, as supposed, typical N. melanogaster. 

 Consequently I am considering this bird as a subspecies of 

 N. melanogaster. 



Tlie female, which does not appear to have been described, 

 answers exactly to Reich enow's description of N. melano- 

 gaster, but is smaller. Wing 48 mm.; culmen 15 ; tail S5 ; 

 tarsus 13. 



There is also a bird in the Museum, a male, from the Juba 

 River, in southern Abyssinia, which is very like this species, 

 but has no trace of a yellow pectoral tuft. This may be 

 N. erlangeri Reichvv., but is some way south of the locality 

 given for that species ; so it would seem that there is a 

 complete gradation from the large yellow-tufted bird of 

 Lake Natron to the tuf tless bird of southern Abyssinia. 



