AJ'ES. 333 



subtropical and the warmer portion of the temperate 

 region, being occasionally seen on the highlands around 

 Senaf^, &c., wherever there are many trees. I also saw it, 

 and shot one bird, in the tropical region at Ailat. 



The sternum has a much lower keel than that of 

 Upupa, which it otherwise resembles. There is a single 

 moderate notch in the hinder edge. 



By comparison I have ascertained that the bird from 

 the Somali country in the Calcutta Museum, named Prom, 

 senegalensis by Mr. Blyth, and which he considered dis- 

 tinct from the Cape /. eryihrorhynchus. is a young 

 female with a short bill and less metaUic gloss on the 

 feathers. I obtained precisely similar specimens myself. 

 In some specimens from South Africa I find the white 

 spots on the primaries quite as well developed as in those 

 from Abyssinia. The coloui of the bill varies — red, black, 

 or the two colours mixed in every conceivable proportion. 



The following are dimensions of five specimens : — 



The last is. immature and in doisky plumage, almost with- 

 out iridescent colour. 



I presume Salt refers to this bkd, and that the black 

 tail attributed to it is a mistake for black beak. Of 

 course he is in error in stating that they feed on the 

 fruits of Ficus : it is the insects in the fruits. 



