ZOSTEROPS KIKUYUENSIS. 183 



Zosterops kikuyuensis. 



Zosterops kikuyuensis, Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, pp. 444, 594, pi. 12, fig. 1 

 Kikuyu, Mt. Elgon ; Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 95 (1896) ; Neum. 

 J. f. 0. 1898, p. 239 Mait; Hartert in Ansorge's " Under Afr. Sun," 

 p. 350 (1899) Uganda. 



Adult Female : type of the species. Above, yellowish green ; wings and tail 

 dusky brown with the outer edges of the feathers green like the back ; entire 

 forehead, as well as the front half of the crown, bright yellow ; eye-ring white 

 and fairly broad, but not preventing the black in front of the eye from 

 reaching to the eye ; throat, centre of breast, thighs and under tail-coverts 

 bright yellow passing into yellowish green on sides of neck and sides of 

 breast ; under wing-coverts and inner margins of quills white. Bill black, 

 "irides brown, feet horn-blue." Total length 4-5 inches, culmen 0-45, 

 wing 2-3, tail 1 8, tarsus 07. 



The Kikuyu Green White-eye inhabits eastern Equatorial 

 Africa. Mr. Jackson discovered the type, an adult female, in 

 the Kikuyu forest, August 15, 1889, which specimen is now in 

 the British Museum. Mr. Hartert records it in Mr. Ansorge's 

 collection from the Eldoma Ravine in the Uganda Protectorate. 

 This is all that is yet known, I believe, regarding this species, 

 if Z. jacJcsoni, Neumann, is really distinct. 



I think it is quite possible that Z. jacJcsoni, Neum., may 

 prove to be the more normal form, and that the type of 

 Z. Mkuyuensis, which only differs in the yellow frontal patch 

 extending - 2 inch further back on to the middle of the crown, 

 a variety. 



The difference between the type of Z. hihuyuensis and 

 Z.jacksoni, Neum., is much the same as the difference between 

 the unique specimen of Z. atmori, Sharpe, and Z. ca/pensis, 

 which I unite as mere varieties, feeling confident that the 

 more perfect our series of specimens the more evident their 

 affinities will be shown. 



