obtained in British East Africa. 605 



brown ; bill very dark horn-blue, lower mandible pale horn- 

 blue ; feet horn-blue. 



This species is very plentiful throughout the country in 

 the vicinity of habitations. At Kibwezi it was breeding in 

 March. The nest, which is roughly made of. dry grass and 

 lined with feathers, is generally placed in a table-topped 

 mimosa or other thorny tree, some 10 to 25 feet from the 

 ground. In several cases I have seen the nest within a few 

 inches of a hanging wasps^-nest ; and, although I am not 

 certain on the point, I am inclined to think that the birds 

 began building after the wasps had begun their nest, and 

 that they chose to place their nest in such close proximity 

 to the wasps for the sake of protection against the intrusion 

 of snakes, lizards, mice, or other enemies. 



40. Ortygospiza polyzona. 



Ortygospiza polyzona (Temm.) ; Keichen. Vog. deutsch. 

 Ost-Afrikas, p. 188 (1894: Wembere Steppes) ; Shelley, B. 

 Africa, i. p. 28 (1896). 



No. 1279. ? ad. East of Man, 6500 feet, Aug. 4, 

 1898. Iris ochreous ; bill coral-pink ; feet pinkish flesh- 

 colour. First one seen by me. I found the nest on the 

 ground, hidden in short grass ; it was made of coarse grass, 

 lined with very fine grass and a feather or two. Eggs six, 

 white. 



41. Lagonosticta rhodoparia. 



Lagonosticta rhodoparia Heugl.; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 

 xiii. p. 282 (1890) ; Reichen, Vog. deutsch. Ost-Afrikas, 

 p. 188 (1894 : Dar-es-Salaam) ; Shelley, B. Africa, i. p. 31 

 (1896). 



No. 145. S ad. Nandi, 6500 feet, July 3, 1896. Iris 

 brown ; bill dark horn-blue ; feet slate-colour. 



No. 948. (J ad. Kakamega, Kavirondo, July 4, 1898. 

 Plentiful in the vicinity of the Ichaka river. 



42. Lagonosticta jamesoni. 



Lagonosticta jamesoni Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 355 ; 



Reichen. Vog. deutsch. Ost-Afrikas, p. 188 (1894 : Mom- 

 basa) ; Shelley, B. Africa, i. p. 31 (1896). 



No. 50. S ad. Kibwezi, 3000 feet, March 12, 1892. 



