NO. 14 TEN NEW AFRICAN BIRDS iM EARNS 3 



Material. — Three specimens from Nyeri and W'amhu^u, 1 British 

 East Africa. 



NECTARINIA JOHNSTONI IDIUS, new subspecies 



Mount Kenia Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird 



"Ncctarinia deckciii Lorenz," HohnEl, narrative of Count Teleki's 

 "Expedition to Lake Rudolf," English translation, vol. i, 1894. p. 

 374, note, ttoinen nudum; Ibis, 1894, p. 452. 



Ncctarinia jolinstoni Sh.\rpe. Bull. B. O. C. No. 12, 1893, p. ix (Mount 

 Kenia). 



Type-Specimen. — Adult male. Cat. No. 215664, U. S. K. M. 

 Collected on Mount Kenia at 14,000 feet, British East Africa, Sep- 

 tember 26, 1909, by Edgar A. Mearns. Original number, 16909. 



Characters. — Similar to Ncctarinia johnstoni johnstoni Shelley, 

 but slightly larger ; adult male with metallic feathers of upper parts 

 more golden and less bluish green, this being exactly reversed in the 

 coloration of the under parts ; crissum more intense black. Adult 

 female decidedly darker brown than the female of Ncctarinia john- 

 stoni johnstoni. 



Measurements of type. — Adult male. Wing, 84 mm. ; longest tail- 

 feather, 215; culmen (chord), 31.5; tarsus, 19. 



Couiparativc uieasu')-euients. — Average of ten adult males of Ncc- 

 tarinia johnstoni idiiis: Wing, 82.6 mm. ; longest tail-feather, 

 195.7; culmen (chord), 31.3: tarsus, 18.6. 



Average of eight adult males of Ncctarinia jolinstoni johnstoni 

 from Mount Kilimanjaro: Wing, 81.2; longest tail-feather, 175.9; 

 culmen (chord), 30.9; tarsus, 17.7. 



One adult male (Cat. No. 21 1929, U. S. N. M.) of Ncctarinia 

 dartnionthi from Mount Ruwenzori : Wing, 82.5; longest tail- 

 feather, 175; culmen (chord), 26.2; tarsus, 19.5. 



xAverage of seven adult females of Ncctarinia johnstoni idins: 

 Wing, 74.1 ; tail, 55.9; culmen (chord). 29.3; tarsus, 17.7. 



Average of two adult females of Ncctarinia johnstoni johnstoni: 

 Wing, '/2: tail, 52; culmen (chord), 29.2; tarsus, 16.8. 



One adult female (Cat. No. 21 1986, U. S. N. M.) of Ncctarinia 

 dartnionthi: Wing, y^,: tail, 55; culmen (chord), 26; tarsus, 19. 



Remarks. — Males of this form require no comparison with Ncc- 

 tarinia dartmonthi Grant, but females resemble females of dart- 

 inouthi more than those of johnstoni, although they may be readily 

 distinguished from the former by their longer bill and shorter tarsus. 



