928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. voi,. xxvm. 



CINNYRIS AFFINIS FALKENSTEINI (Fischer and Reichenow). 



Oinni/rlii /a/^vn-stem/ Fischer and Reichenow, Journ. f. Oruith., 1884, p. 56 (Lake 

 Naivapha, British East Africa). 



Ten specimens, eight of them adult males, from Mount Kilimanjaro, 

 at •1:,0U0 and 5,000 feet, collected in April, June. September, and 

 November. Doctor Abbott reports this ])ird al)undant at the latter 

 elevation. 



The West African Clnni/ris venuda seems to be a distinct species; 

 but the a])ove series indicates that Cinnyris falhensteini is but a sub- 

 speci(\s of C. affinU. Every character adduced to separate ( 1 "faJken- 

 steiii/ from (\ affinis our adult males show to be more or less inconstant. 

 The throat sometimes is noticeably greenish entirely across its middle 

 portion; the abdomen and lower breast are light yellow; the upper 

 parts, except the crown and superior tail-coverts, show scarcely a tinge 

 of bluish; and the brown of the under wing-coverts is mixed with ashy. 



An adult female is olive brown a])ove, the tail and its upper coverts 

 black with dull metallic green edgings; wings fuscous, inconspicuously 

 paler margined; a poorl}^ defined light brownish superciliary stripe; 

 sides of head and neck like the back; lower surface pale yellow, shaded 

 with olive on the throat and upper breast; lining of wing pale yellow. 



An immature male difi'ers from the adult female in the possession of 

 oi-ange pectoral tufts; ratlier darker upper parts, with some admix- 

 tureof the new metallic feathers; more deeply yellow posterior lower 

 parts; and metallic feathers on the median portion of the throat. 

 Probably in the entire tirst plumage, before the molt has l)egun, the 

 young male is quite like the adult female. 



CINNYRIS MEDIOCRIS Shelley. 



(%nniiris medioa-ts Shelley, Proc. Zool. Soc. Loud., 1885, p. 228 (Mount Kili- 

 manjaro, 12,000 feet, F>ast Africa). 



Twelve specimens, all but one adult males, from Mount Kiliman- 

 jaro, at 5,000 and 6,000 feet altitude. Some of the males have the 

 upper parts much less golden green than others, and one has the 

 lower tail-coverts tipped with reddish. 



CINNYRIS KIRKII Shelley. 



Cinnyris kirkii Shelley, Mon. Nect., 1876, p. 273, pi. lxxxv (Shupanga, Zam- 

 besi River near mouth of Shire River, Portuguese East Africa). 



Eleven specimens: from Taveta; Mount Kilimanjaro (5,000 feet); 

 Kahe, south of Mount Kilimanjaro; and Aruscha-wa-chini. An imma- 

 ture male, taken December 6, 1889, has the dark-brown bod}- plumage 

 curiously mottled with bufly and pale-brownish tipped feathers. 



We fail to discover any satisfactory characters to serve for the 

 recognition of the genus Chalcfmiltra. 



