Birds from Southern Abyssinia. 561 



is almost similar, but has a little more olive on the base of 

 tlie third, fourth and fifth pairs ; while a third (the type of 

 O. meiieliki) has the basal half of the three outer pairs olive, 

 Avitli a subterminal black band on the third, fourth and fifth 

 pairs. Among the adult examples Avith a red bill, pure black 

 throat and uniform olive greater wing-coverts, the markings 

 on tlie outer tail-feathers vary in a similar wa)^, some having 

 no trace of a black band and the outer pair pure yellow, 

 while others have a more or less well-developed black band, 

 irrespective of sex. It must, however, be noted that these 

 curious dimorphic conditions do not appear to occur among 

 birds obtained further north. Neither the birds collected by 

 Degen on the Mogre River nor those obtained further north, 

 in central and northern Abyssinia, show more than traces of 

 a black bar on the outer tail-feathers. The black bar seenjs 

 to be a character developed only in some individuals found 

 in the more southern parts of the range of this highland 

 species. The specimens with the black tail-bar are no doubt 

 somewhat intermediate between the present form and 0. m. 

 permistus. Count Salvador! correctly pointed out in 1900 

 that 0. meneliki was apparently founded on an immature 

 example of 0. monachus, and after examining tlie series of 

 specimens from Shoa in the Turin Museum I confirmed his 

 opinion. Subsequentlv, however, both Dr. Reichenow and 

 Professor Neumann adopted the name 0. meneliki, siipposing 

 it to be applicable to the more southern form found in Jimma 

 and southwards towards Lake Rudolf, but the latter author 

 afterwards discovered (J. f. O. 1905, p. 232) his mistake and 

 named the darker southern form Oriolus inonachus 2iermislus, 

 which is the name we here use. 



0. monachus may be recognised by its golden-olive upper- 

 parts, yellow rump and upper tail-coverts, and byhaviug the 

 outer pair of tail-feathers entirely yellow or nearly so, the 

 terminal yellow portion of the darkest individuals being at 

 least 1^ inches long. The black band across the outer tail- 

 feathers, when present, is much narrower and less complete 

 than in 0. m. permistus and there is rarely any trace of it on 

 the outermost pair. 



