Vol. xliii.] 134 



Quite recently V. G. L. van Someren (Nov. Zool. 1922, 

 p. 235) discussed the E. African forms, but came to different 

 and unfortunately wrong conclusions. He said that the 

 dark bird with dark lores from the coastal regions should be 

 called saturata, hut I have explained why this is not the case ; 

 he says that Lord Rothschild and I agreed with this view- 

 he probably put his version before us, and it seemed to us 

 logical, but our united investigation of the literature shows 

 that his view cannot be maintained. 



Van Someren also erroneously applied the name Argya ruhi- 

 ginosa emini Rchw. to the birds from " South Kenia, Fort Hall, 

 Kitui, Simba, Masongoleni," but we have received for 

 examination from Mr. Arthur Loveridge a male from the 

 Ndugugo River, Tanganyika Territory, which is the only 

 A. Tubiginosa emini we have seen. It differs from A. r. rubi- 

 ginosa in its slenderer bill, forehead and almost entire crown 

 greyish with quite light tips, more greyish lores, and ap- 

 parently shorter wings (wing 82 mm.). 



If the birds called by van Someren A. r. emini were 

 different from those from the " Nile Province of Uganda to 

 Rudolf and Marsabit," the former would require a new 

 name, but I cannot confirm their difference, as there is some 

 individual variation, which, however, is not restricted to the 

 above areas. We would, therefore, have the following sub- 

 species : — 



A. RUBIGINOSA RUBIGINOSA. Abyssinia (Shoa, S. Abyssinia) 

 to Upper Nile (Grondokoro), North Somaliland, East Africa 

 to Kenya, Simba, Masongoleni. 



A. RUBIGINOSA HEUGLiNi. Ooastal regions of Kenya Colony 

 to Kilimanjaro District and South Somaliland. 



A. RUBIGINOSA EMINI. Tanganyika Territory north to 

 southern Massai steppes. 



Mr. J. D. La Touche forwarded the following description 

 of a new form of Stone-Chat : — 



Pratincola torquata yunnanensis, subsp. nov. 

 Like P. t. przewalskii, but smaller. 

 Wing, c? 69-70 mm., ? 68-70-5. 



