76 LAMPROTOKNIS CHALYBJEL'S 



near Tete aucl in cultivated coimtry along tlic Zambesi and 

 Shire in August and September." 



The species is extremely abundant and evenly distributed 

 over Eastern Africa, from the Limpopo to Bogosland, and 

 has been recorded by Heuglin, from as far north as the 

 Bisharin Plateau. It would Ije superfluous to name all 

 the localities where it has been procured, as these are men- 

 tioned by Dr. Eeichenow (Yog. Afr. ii. pp. 087-691), and I 

 may sum up the remainder of the information we have 

 regarding its habits as follows : It begins breeding in the 

 early spring, the month depending upon the latitude. The 

 nests are constructed in trees at elevations varying from 10 to 

 30 feet from the ground, and are composed of grass, warmly 

 lined with feathers or some soft material. The eggs, generally 

 three in number, but sometimes as many as live, are of a pale 

 greenish blue faintly spotted with rufous or violet grey, and 

 measure, according to Mr. Kuschel. 1"S x 0"8-J on an average. 

 Three eggs, agreeing with Mr. KuscheFs description, were 

 obtained by Erlanger on May 21, 1900, from a nest con- 

 structed in the hole of a tree feet from the ground, but 

 a single egg he had taken on April 9, differed in being of 

 a uniform glossy bluish green and resembled that of our 

 Common Starling. Mr. A. L. Butler, in his notes from the 

 Soudan, writes : " These birds are gregarious throughout the 

 year, breeding in colonies. On the Setit, in April, they were 

 repairing their old nests, which were bulky structures of sticks, 

 placed in the tops of ' heglik ' trees. Several nests were often 

 built together into one great mass." 



In the "Ibis," 1882, p. 265, 1 pointed out that L. clialybieus 

 (Ehr.), L. cldoruxiterHs (Swains.), and L. a/jajbius, Peters, pro- 

 bably all referred to one species, and I am now convinced that 

 that is a fact ; but I admit that L. jjorpinjiurns, Hartl., which 

 is the same as L. chalcitrus (Xordm.), is recognisable by the 



