NO. 1^11. BIRDS FROM MOUNT KILIMANJARO— OBERHOLSER. 927 



CINNYRIS OLIVACEA RAGAZZII (Salvadori) . 



Eleocerthia ragazzii SAhVADORi, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, Ser. '2'\ Yl (XXVI) 

 1888, p. 247 (Fekerie Ghem forest, Shoa, Abyspinia). 



Six specimens, from Mount Kilimanjaro (5,U(><», and 0,(i(»U feet) and 

 Taveta. There appears to be little, if any, color contrast between the 

 sexes, though our single adult female is rather paler than the males, 

 particularly below. A female in juvenal plumage, taken March '2S, 

 however, differs from the adult of the same sex in the total hick of 

 pectoral tufts, and in the much more conspicuous yellow suttusiou on 

 the under surface, the throat being particularly ])right. 



This species, though superficially close to dunyrix oh.scura, may 

 easily be distinguished by its darker, more yellowish green lower 

 parts, especially the throat, where the ditt'erence is striking; and par- 

 ticularly by the entirely black or brownish black ])ill — in ohsicura the 

 base of the mandible being yellowish or brownish white. There is 

 apparently no difference in dimensions between ohsctira and r<igassi! ,' 

 and the males of the latter in Doctor Abbott's collection measure, 

 respectively, 65, 63, 02, and 60 nun. Young })irds of raijazzi'i are much 

 brighter than the corresponding plumage of ohxcni'a^ particularly on 

 the sides of neck and head, and on the lower surface, which last is 

 nnich more deeply 3n^llowish, especiall}" on the throat. 



Altogether there does not seem to be the slightest reason for 

 synonymizing Clnn>jr'iH ragazzll with C. oh.scura^ as has been done ])y 

 Captain Shelle}";" since, in fact, the former is probal)ly really more 

 closely allied to Cumyris oJ'trdcea from South Africa, of which it is 

 apparently^ but a northern subspecies, and from which it differs in 

 smaller size, particularly the bill, and in paler, duller coloration of the 

 lower parts. With Chuiyris ohscura iieglccta^ from P^ast Africa our 

 specimens do not agree, being more greenish below than obscmrt^ 

 while neglecta is described as less so. Since both Clnnyris obseura 

 ntglecta and Cinnyris oUvacea ragazzil occur over the same areas in 

 at least parts of East Africa and possibl}^ Abyssinia, the}^ must be 

 regarded as distinct species. Thus we have altogether four forms, 

 with geogi'aphical distribution approximately as follows: "^^ 



(Jinnip'is oUracea oUvaeea Smith. South Africa. 



Cinnyris oliracea rngazzii (Salvadori). East Africa to Abyssinia. 



Cinnyris obseura obseura (Jardine). West Africa, from Liberia to the Kongo; 

 and Central Africa. 



Cinnyris obseura neglecla (Neumann). East Africa. 



There seem to be no characters sufficient for the separation of 

 Cyanomitra from Cinnyris proper. 



« Birds of Africa, II, 1900, pp. 125, 127. 



^> Cyanomilra. obseura neglecta Neumann, Journ. f. Ornith., 1900, p. 297 (Kibuesi, 

 Ukamba, British East Africa). 



<^ Neetarinla oUvaeina Peters, .lourn. f. Ornith., 1881, p. 50, from Inhambane, 

 Portuguese East Africa, is doubtfully distinct. 



