SPIIEO SUPKRBUS 89 



and are very noisy. Their nests are very similar to those 

 of S. superhiis." Tliat is a rounded structure, protected hke 

 a Magpie's nest and placed near the ends of boughs. Mr. 

 Elliot met with it at Toyo, and writes : " Xot unconnnon, 

 vex'y frequently staying about the camp, quite tame and 

 unsuspicious." Mr. Pease found the species in Hocks fre- 

 quenting the open grass prairie with scattered trees, near 

 Hensa and Manda, and informs us that, " Mr. Harwood 

 observed one flock in Abyssinia in very large heavy-foliaged 

 high trees. In the British IMuseum there are specimens from 

 Balby Marolly and Udwein (Benett Stanford), W. Bhebeli 

 (Gillett), Godgat (Hawker) and Fer Lebah (Delamere). The 

 species has also been obtained at Uarandab (Ruspoli), 

 Sessabane, Biji and Adadle (Donaldson Smith), and by 

 Erlanger near Zeila, on the Gulf of Aden, in 11° N. lat. 



Spreo superbus. 



Lamprocolius superbus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. pp. 6-5, 75, pi. 26 (18-15} 



Slioa. 

 Spreo superbus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 189 (1890) ; Shelley, B. Afr. 



I. No. 610 (1896) ; Eeichen. Vog. Afr. ii. p. 674 (1903) ; Grant, Ibis, 



1904, p. 255 S. Abyssinia; Witherby, Ibis, 1905, p. 518 Somali; 



Neum. J. f. 0. 1905, p. 237 ; Erlaug. t. c. p. 706 .V. E. Africa. 



Adult. Forehead, crown and sides of head bronze ; chin, back of head, 

 neck, back and tail steel-blue, slightly greener on the crop and middle back 

 and shading into golden-green on the wings ; median and greater wing- 

 coverts, with ratlier large velvety black terminal spots ; imder surface of 

 the quills and tail dull black; under wing-coverts white, with the outer 

 feathers towards the bend of the wing glossy green ; breast orange chestnut 

 si-parated from metallic colouring of crop by a broad white band ; centre of 

 abdo aen and the under tail-coverts white. "Iris light straw colour; bill 

 and feet black." Total length 7'5 inches, culmen -Ol, wing 4-9 and 4-6, 

 tail 2-9, tarsus 1-25. <? , 6. 3. 97, Wagga and ? , 14. 2. 97, Sogsoda 

 (L. Phillips). 



The Superb Spreo ranges over Eastern Africa from the 

 north of Lake Nyasa to about 1'2° N. lat. 



