LAMPROTORNIS MEVESI 69 



were plentiful as far as we went south of Duem, but we did 

 not observe them more than ten miles north of that place. 

 Their song is sweet, but they have a perpetual and irritating 

 call-note which is decidedly harsh. We found them in small 

 companies, generally frequenting the tops of the trees ; they 

 were very tame." 



To this subspecies I refer the L. purplujropteyna, Butler 

 ("Ibis," 1905, p. 3t24), which ho found tfl be "common on the 

 Upper White Nile and its tributaries, on the Abyssinian 

 frontier, on the well-wooded parts of the White Nile and 

 Bahr-el-Gazal and in Kordofan." 



Lamprotornis mevesi. 



.Juida mevesii, Wahlberg, J. f. 0. 1857, p. 1 Doucjhc R. 

 Lamprotornis mevesi, Sliarpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 157 (1890) ; Shelley, 

 B. Afr. 1. No. 5'JO (1896) ; Eeichen. Vog. Afr. ii. p. 711 (1903). 



Subspecicii a. L. bctujualcnain (new name). 

 Lamprotornis purpurens (non Miill) Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. 1867, p. 3-31 

 Ciqjiuiijuiubc ; id. Orn. Angola, p. 305, pi. 7 (1881) ; Sharpe, Cat. 

 B. M. xiii. p. 158 (1890) ; Shelley, B. Ah-. I. No. 591 (1896) ; 

 Reicben. Vog. Afr. ii. p. 711 (1903). 



I have been compelled to apply a new name to this last form, as I can 

 find no character for separating Lamprocolius from Lamprotornis. 



Adult male. Glossy parts mostly steel blue ; crown and mantle 

 mottled with coppery violet ; remainder of the back and the upper tail- 

 coverts coppery bronze with a violet shade in front and behind ; tail violet 

 tiuled blue, bluest on the centre feathers and crossed by a number of 

 obscurely marked narrow blackish bars ; wing rather greener, with some 

 very obscure tlusky bars and obsolete subteniiinal blackish patches on 

 a few of the coverts ; under surface of tail and wings black with a 

 gloss of steel blue aud violet on the wing-coverts ; in front of eye black ; 

 ear-coverts blackish with a violet gloss ; breast, thighs and under tail- 

 coverts black, glossed with reddish violet and with a strong shade of copper 

 ou the centre portion. " Ins brown; bill and feet black" (Stark). Total 

 length 13-6 inciies, culnieu 0-75, wing 6'1, tail 8-6, tarsus 16. 3 . 5. 6. 67, 

 Avaquenyama (Andersson). 



