Affinities of 'Smhhorms. 497 



and Stampfli) ; Gold Coast— 29 Fantee and Denkera, B.M. 

 (Ussher), 30 Wassaw, B.M. (Blissett), 31 Fumsu, B.M. 

 (Alexander) ; Togoland— 32 Misaliohe (Bauraann), 33 Bis- 

 marckburg (Blittner) ; Kamerun — 34 Victoria (Preuss), 35 

 Ekundu (Sjostedt), 36 Yaunde, 37 Bipindi (Zenker), 38 

 River Ja, B.M., 39 Efulen, B.M., 40 Zima country, B.^1. 

 (Bates) ; Belgian Congo — 41 Iruniu (Erain), 42 Mawambi, 

 Congo forest, B.M. (Woosnara) ; Uganda — 13 Bugoirui 

 forest, B.M. (Christy). 



Smithornis sharpei. 



Smithornis shtirpei Alexander, Bull. B. O.C. xiii. Jan. 30, 

 1903, p. 34 : Mt. St. Isabel, Fernando Po. 



Siii.itliornis zenkeri Reichenow, Orn. Monatsb. xi. Mch. 1, 

 1903, p. 41 : Bipindi, Kamerun. 



Fernando Po— 44 Mt. St. Isabel, B.M. (Alexander), 45 

 Bantebari,B.M. (Seimund); Kamerun — 46 Bipindi (Zenker), 

 47 River Ja, B.M., and 48 Efulen, B.M. (Bates); Belgian 

 Congo — 49 near Fort Beni, Semliki valley, B.M. (Woosnam). 



Thus the species of the genus Smithornis, if we consider 

 S. capensis and S. camarunensis as geographical races of the 

 same species, follow the general rule found among the birds 

 of Kamerun, that those species that have a wide African 

 distribution are inhabitants of the farms about the villages 

 or of second-growth forest, while species peculiar to the 

 Forest Region are strictly birds of the primitive forest. 

 The kind of country frequented by each species of Smithornis 

 can be seen even from the materials used in making the 

 hanging, pocket-shaped nests, which in shape and structure 

 are exactly alike throughout the genus ; for nests of 

 S. camarunensis are made of the fibres of weeds or plantains, 

 while those of the other two species are of forest materials, 

 such as moss. The plumage of the two forest sjiccies shows 

 a considerable amount of bright colour; while that of the 

 species of east and south Africa is mostly olive-brown and 

 black, the form of it found in the forest region (>S^. camaru- 

 nensis) having a little more of the black than the other. 



The habit of all these birds is to sit silently in dark places 



