1917-] Birds from British East Africa. 385 



on the Tsavo, living in tlie trees over the river ; the red 

 phase was i-are. On the Thik;i I saw many of the red phase, 

 but only one white. 



There seems to be very considerable doubt as to the 

 division of this group into subspecies, and so I have kept to 

 the oldest name. The red bird has ashy-grey under taii- 

 coverts. 



Platystira peltata. 



Platystira pdtata Sund. CEfv. Vet.-Ak. Forh. 1850, p. 105 

 [Kaffraria]. 



Platysteira peltata Reichw. Voir. Afr. ii. 1903, p. 487. 



? . Thika. 26th August. Wing 66 mm. 



Iris chocolate surrounded by white ; eye-wattles red; 

 bill and legs black. 



Male by plumage. Only specimen seen ; in thick forest 

 fringing the Thika River. 



Batis molitor puella. 



liutis piiella Reichw. Jahrb. IIaml)urg, 1893, p. 18. 

 Batis iiuJitor jniella Noum. J. f. O. 1907, p. 355. 

 rj. Ithanga Hills. October. Wing 59 mm. 

 c?. » „ „ 59 mm. 



Both these birds are sexed as males, though one is in the 

 chestnut-banded female dress. 



Chloropeta massaica. 



Chloropeta massaica Fischer & Heichw\ J. f. O. 1884, p. 54 

 [Kilimanjaro]. 



Chloropeta natalensis massaica Reichw. Viig. Afr. iii. 1905, 

 p. 465. 



? . Thika. 29th August. Wing 63 mm. 



Iris dark brown ; bill light brown ; legs black. 



Reichenow treats both this species with a brown head and 

 the plain-headed (^. n. kenya as subspecies of C. natalensis. 

 The two species occur together on the Kikuyu Escarpment 

 and on Kenya, in the same valley of lluwenzori, and at 

 Lake Kivu in the Belgian Congo. In fact, it would almost 

 seem as if one did not occur without the other ; only. 



