316 ANTHUS SORDIDUS. 



In Somaliland, specimens have been collected at Hullier, 

 Durra Surri, Sheikh Pass, Wagga, G-oolis foot-hills, Ujawaji 

 and Jifa Medir, at which latter place Mr. Hawker also shot 

 two specimens of A. nicholsoni, which are now in the British 

 Museum, from which it would appear that A. sordidus and A. 

 nicholsoni live in company with each other, as is a common 

 habit with Motacilla flava and its allies. In Abyssinia, Lord 

 Lovat obtained one specimen at Hirna. The type of the 

 species I have examined, is labelled Shoa. In this district 

 Antinori and Ragazzi have collected a large series of Pipits, 

 two of which I have seen in the British Museum from Falle 

 and Mahal-Uong, belong to this species. In northern Abys- 

 sinia Mr. Jesse procured a specimen of A. sordidus at Bejook 

 in July. That this is not the most northern range for the 

 species is proved by there being an example from Palestine 

 in the British Museum. 



With regard to its eastern range : the British Museum 

 contains three specimens from Coonoor and two collected by 

 Miss Cockburn at Kotagerry, one of which is the type of 

 Antkus coclcburnix, Oates. 



I have not seen a specimen of A. sordidus from anywhere 

 south of the Equator, so have taken Somaliland as the most 

 southern known range for this species, and the references thus 

 excluded I have added to those of A, nicholsoni. 



To show the affinities of this species to the seven last- 

 mentioned forms I shall take the following four characters. 



1. Bill rather long and slender, and much compressed 

 beyond the nostrils. This character being always present 

 in true A. sordidus is constant in Pipits of this group from 

 Socotra, but on the African continent gradually disappears, 

 being present or absent in Somali birds collected by Mr. 

 Hawker at Jifa Medir, in Lord Lovat's specimens from South 

 Abyssinia, between the coast and the Blue Nile, and in Jesse's 



