obtained in British East Africa. 637 



Z. kikuyuensis Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 594 (pt. : spec, 

 no. 276). 



Nos. 119, 120. 6 $ ad. Ravine, June 24, 1896. 



No. 123. 6 ad. Nandi, 6500 feet, June 29, 1896. Iris 

 hazel ; bill black ; feet liorn-blue. Plentiful. 



Nos. 484, 485. S $ ad. Ravine, Feb. 25, 1897. Iris 

 bright hazel ; bill black, base of lower mandible bluish white 

 just at the angle ; feet horn-blue. 



Very plentiful. At present breeding. Found a nest on 

 the 21st in the drooping branch of a tree with small leaves. 

 It was suspended between a small fork to which it was 

 woven by the upper edges. Built entirely of grey hard 

 moss, and lined with the finest of fibre. It contained two 

 eggs of a palish blue. As I wished to get the pair of birds, 

 I left them and returned later on, only to find the eggs gone. 

 I suspect they were taken by a pair of Bush-Shrikes [Dryo- 

 scopiis albofasciatus), as on going to the spot these birds were 

 making a great noise in a bush close by and repeatedly flew 

 on to the bush close to the nest, and compelled me to throw 

 sticks at them to prevent tliem, as I hoped, from taking the 

 eggs, which, however, were already gone before my arrival. 

 This little bird is the most diligent that it is possible to 

 imagine in its search for caterpillars and other insects, and 

 after the breeding-season, when two or more family parties 

 congregate in a flock, the amount of insects tliey destroy 

 must be very great. Except towards evening, when they 

 have filled themselves to repletion, they are rarely if ever 

 still, but keep darting about among the foliage of both 

 bushes and the tallest trees, twisting and turning their heads 

 in all directions and getting into all sorts of fantastic posi- 

 tions like a Tit, all the time keeping up an incessant chirrup 

 not unlike that of our Goldcrest. As soon as the apparent 

 leader of the flock leaves a tree, perhaps thinking there is little 

 or nothing left worth looking for in the way of food, it darts off 

 to another tree with a chirrup, when it is followed by the rest 

 one after the other, all of which keep up the same soft little 

 chirrup. These birds will be invaluable when fruit-trees are 

 introduced into the country, and orchards are established. 



