90 SPREO SUPERBUS 



Tlie most southern range known fur the species is Cxerman 

 East Africa, from whence Sir Alfred Sharpe procured an 

 example, which is now in the British Museum, and others 

 have been recorded from N,t;asi Lake and Idunda (Fiilleborn) 

 and the Usafua and Uhebe districts (Marwitz). 



This Starling steadily becomes more plentiful as we 

 approach the Masai district and Somaliland. Bohm informs 

 us that, in Ugogo, he observed it during the day frequenting 

 the pasture-land in swarms, retiring in the evenings to roost 

 in high trees, from which it expelled all other birds. Emin 

 records the species as plentiful at Lado, and Heuglin mentions 

 it from the Djur country, but apparently it does not extend 

 further north down the Nile Valley than 7" N. lat. On 

 following its more eastern range, we find it recorded by Mr. 

 Jackson as plentiful at Elgeyu. Dr. Hinde writes from 

 Machako's : " Pairs connnon in station. Flocks conunon 

 along the beds of streams. Nest in tree-stumps. Sing well." 

 Fischci- met with it generally distributed during his travels 

 from tiic Pare Mountains to Barawa, on the Somali coast. 

 Mr. Lort Phillips writes from Somaliland : " Very connnon 

 throughout the country in flocks. They were breeding in 

 March. Their nests are constructed of grass and are nearly 

 spherical, with a hole in the side, the whole structure covered 

 over with thorny boughs, after the fashion of a Magpie's nest; 

 the}' are placed near the ends of the boughs. Native name, 

 ' Shamber Lo ' (Cow-birds)." Erlanger found one of their 

 nests containing four eggs at Artu, in Northern Somaliland, 

 March 1, 19U0. These eggs are described as of a beautiful 

 glossy uniform pale bluish green, and measured on an average 

 rO X 0"75. Mr. Elliot writes: "It frequently goes in flocks 

 of considerable size, has a short, pleasant song, and was a 

 most familiar visitor to the camp, coming about the tents 

 quite fearlessly seeking for food. It has such a lovely 



