— 4°2 — 



Andropadus gracilirostris gracilirostris. 



Andropadus gracilirostris Strickl., Proc. Zool. Soc, 1844, 

 p. loi. — Tvpe localitv : Fernando Po. 



Mr LowE shot eight examples of the Slender-billed Green 

 Bulbul at Iju water-works, S. Nigeria in Deceinber and January. 



Several races of this Bulbul hâve been described, three of which 

 must be considered as synonyins of the typical form i. e. A, g. 

 liberiensis Reichw (Nov. Zool., 1895, p. 160 : Libéria) which 

 Reichenow himself sank in his Vôg. Afrikas, III. p. 411; A. g. 

 poensis which Alexander described in Bull. B. O. C, XIII, 1903, 

 p. 35 : Fernando Po. According to Alexander's remarks in the 

 Ibis, 1903, pp. 363-364, the Fernando Po bird was separated from 

 the continental form on account of the island bird having a darker 

 head in comparison with the continental bird, the head of which, 

 Alexander believed, from examination of the séries at his disposai, 

 to be always uniform in colour with the back ; a statement which 

 with our added material we now know to be incorrect. Alexander 

 believed that A. gracilirostris gracilirostris had never been 

 obtained in Fernando Po by Fraser, as stated by Strickland in 

 the original description of that bird, but that the tvpe had been 

 obtained on the mainland. In anv case, if the island and continental 

 forms had been difierent, it is the continental form upon which 

 Alexander should hâve bestowed a new name. As however both 

 Alexander's and Strickland's birds were both shot in Fernando 

 Po, and as I can see no différence between the mainland and 

 island birds, both must be known as A. g. gracilirostris. 



Still a third race has been named by Neumann A. g. perccvali 

 (Orn. Monatsber., 1903, p. 185; type localitv: Nairobi) mainly 

 on account of its purer grey under parts. The lighter grav colora- 

 tion of the three birds upon which Neumann founded this race is 

 certainlv verv apparent, and no one hav'ing seen the spécimens in 

 the British Muséum will accuse Neumann of having made an 

 « obviously rotten race ». We hâve now however, eight more 

 skins from Uganda and Kenya Colonv, some from Nairobi itself, 

 which agrée exactlv with tvpical A. gracilirostris gracilirostris, 



