— 267 — 



SynoniiiKjiis. — Dicrurus modestus ugandensis (Van Someren, 

 Bull. B. O. C, XLI, iq2i, p. 102 : Budongo). 



The bird from Uganda andKavirondoDr VanSomeken considers 

 separable on the grounds that it is more blue-black, less purplisli- 

 black, than D. m. coracina. Even a champion « hair-splitter » 

 wonld hâve difRcultv in recognising this race. One or two spéci- 

 mens from Uganda mav be slightly less « purplish-black » on the 

 back (when twisted and turned about under the full ravs of the 

 sun) than the maioritv of West African birds when subjected to the 

 same treatment, but of what value is such a subspecies? What does 

 it teach us? The range of ail the species oi Dicrurus was worked 

 ont verv carefully in the revievi' of the genus cited above, as 

 recently as 1920. Perhaps Dr Van Someren has difficulty in Con- 

 sulting other literature : at anv rate he ignores the fact D. m: cora- 

 cinus besides inhabiting Gaboon, Cameroon, N. and S. Nigeria, 

 Fernando Po and Northern Angola ranges through the Uppcr 

 Congo eastwards to Uganda. A fact which might hâve influenced 

 him Avhen naming his race. 



In the opinion of the writer a geographical race with recogni- 

 sable characters is of permanent value to the svstematist in deter- 

 mining the range of anv given species and due allowance must be 

 made tor thèse characters being less apparent when the spécimen 

 is obtained on the outskirts of its range or where it approaches the 

 range of another geographical race (Cf. mv remarks on Pyrenestes 

 ostriniis ostrinus and P. 0. rothschildi) but when a séries from 

 sav Uganda differ in tlie rainutest points of colourshades or 

 measurements from the race found in Nigeria and Cameroon, and 

 when the bird in question ranges through the North Belgian 

 Congo linking up the West African and East African birds, then 

 I cannot see that anvthing but confusion will arise if we give thèse 

 birds différent names. Spécimens from the actual tvpe-localities 

 should at anvrate show characters which can be seen without 

 subjecting them to microscopic examination. Dr Van Someren 

 has named and continues to name large batches of birds from 

 Uganda and Kenya Colony (some 43 new forms are described in 

 the Bull. B. O. C, iq2i, for March, April and May alone!) wor- 



)3-Xll-1321 18 



