292 ZOOLOGICAL EESULTS OF THE RU^ATENZOEI EXPEDITION. 



reddish-brown ; upper mandible black, lower pink, reddish-brown or dull red ; feet 

 brown. Total length ca. 46 inches ; wing 2-25 ; tail 1-9 ; tarsus 0*6o. 



The under tail-coverts in the ten adult males of P. belli display great variation, and 

 we find every intermediate stage between birds in which these feathers are uniform buff 

 and those in which they are strongly marked with transverse bars of black. Mr. D. 

 Carruthers procured a male of this form from the north-western shore of Lake Tan- 

 ganyika, 3000 ft., in which the bars on the under tail-coverts are fairly w^ell marked. 

 There are also male examples in Mr. Jackson's collection from Kibwesi, in Ukamba, 

 and Lake Albert, and there is a specimen in the British Museum procured by Emiu 

 at Kibiro on Lake Albert. 



This species is easily distinguished from the two nearly allied forms, viz. : F. melba 

 (Linn.) from South Africa, and P. soudanensis Sharpe (=P. affinis Elliot), which ranges 

 from the White Nile to Lado and through Somaliland as far south as Lamu. It 

 is more distantly related to P. jessei Shelley, which inhabits Northern Abyssinia, and 

 to P. citerior Strickl., which ranges from the White Nile into Senegambia. 



As the key given by Captain Shelley [cf. Bull. B. O. C. xiii. p. 76 (1903)] for that 

 section of the genus Pytelia which includes P. melha and its nearest allies does not 

 seem satisfactory and does not include P. belli, I append the following : — ■ 



1. Chest orange-yellow; some red on tlie head. 



a. Feathers of the upper breast blackish, conspicuously marked with 



twin-spots of -white ; upper tail-coverts dull crimson ; lower part of 

 the chest dull orange-yellow. 

 «\ Scarlet of throat not extending over the chest. 



a^. Sides and flanks more or less ocellated with white like the 

 breast, and not conspicuously barred ; under tail-coverts 



-without transverse bars P- melba ^ . 



h^. Sides and flanks conspicuously and widely barred with black 



and white; under tail-coverts with indistinct dusky bars . . P . soudanensis $ . 

 h\ Scarlet of throat extending over the greater part of the chest, only 



the base of which is dull orange-yellow P. belli ^ . 



b. Feathers of the upper breast with narrow dark markings forming 



either cross-bars or imperfect ocelli; upper tail-coverts bright 



scarlet ; chest bright orange-yellow. 

 b\ Feathers of the breast and flanks with narrow black bars ... P. citerior g . 

 c\ Feathers of the breast and flanks more or less ocellated .... P. Jessei,^. 



[A good many examples of Bell's Pytelia were met with in the acacia-forest 

 on the plains around the south end of Ruwenzori. A nest was found placed in a 

 low acacia-bush about 18 inches from the ground. It was domed and composed 



