8(')4 rnoCKKDINdS of TIIE XATIONAL AfUSEUM. v(.i,. xxviii 



Fainily CAPITONID^. 



LYBIUS MELANOPTERUS (Peters). 



I'ni/iHiids (Luintodnn) tnchmoptcrux Petkks, Bericht Verhandl. Kgl. Akad. Wiss. 

 l'>erliu, 1854, p. 134 (Mozambique). 



One .speciuieii, from eastern Africa. 



LYBIUS ABBOTT! (Richmond). 



Melnnobucco abbotti RrcHMONU, Auk, XIV, 1897, p. 164 (Plains of Taveta, British 

 East Africa). 



One specimen, an adult female, was obtained by Doctor Abbott on 

 the plains of Taveta, July 22, 1888. This is the type of the species, 

 to Doctor Richmond's orig-inal description of which there is little to 

 add. Doctor Reichenow has synonymized Lyhius ahhottl with Lyhhis 

 (ilhlcaudufy^'^^ giving the intimation that he considers it simply an older 

 individual of that species. If this be really the case, then Lyhius 

 i^enex is also undoubtedly the same, a possibility that Doctor Reiche- 

 now has already suggested, though he keeps the two birds separate.* 

 It is indeed somewhat strange that three species so closely allied 

 should occupy so nearl}" the same general region; but the changes of 

 plumage in this genus are so imperfectly known, the differences char- 

 acterizing alhicaudus^ abhotti, and senex, so well marked, and so little 

 appear to be due to age, that without actual intermediates it seems 

 preferable, under the circumstances, to consider them distinct species 

 until positive proof to the contrary be forthcoming. The three may 

 be distinguished chiefly as follows: 



Lybius albicjmdus. — Breast and abdomen dark brown, the feathers with white 



tips. 

 Li/biiix abbotti. — -Breast and upper alwlomen pure white, only the sides, flanks, 



and lower abdomen dark brown mixed with white. 

 Lybius senex. — Entire lower surface ]>ure white. 



TRICHOL^EMA LACRYMOSUM Cabanis. 



Tricliobtema lacr>/inosa Cakanis, .Tcnirn. f. Ornith., 1878, p. 205 (Kitui, and Adi 

 River, British East Africa). 



One adult male from Taveta. August 15, 1888. 



TRICHOL/EMA STIGMATOTHORAX Cabanis. 



Triclinldema si ujinutothorux Cahasih, .Journ. f. Ornith., 1878, p. 205 (Ndi, Teita, 

 British East Africa). 



One adult female from the Useri River, near Mount Kilimanjaro, 

 January IT, 1880. 



«Vogel Africas, II, 1903, pp. 122-123. 6 Idem, II, 1903, p. 123. 



