40 



EINAR LÖNNBERG, BIRDS. 



Sometimes it also could be seen 011 the ground probably believing itself sufficiently hidden 

 by the dense bushes. 



A male shot 14 /2 had swelled testidés, and a female shot 10 3 had the ovary swelled, 

 and bare patches on the belly so that it was probably already sitting on eggs, although 

 I could not find the nest. 



Length of wing in males 251 — 266 mm, in females 246 — 263 mm. Iris yellow in 

 the oldest male, yellowish white in the others. The smallest of the males is evidently 

 the oldest. Its plumage is more grey and also paler in general than that of a younger 

 male. The latter has also the crown of the head more spotted and its general colouration 

 approaches that of the females in some degree. 



Although found as far south as to Pangani river I think this bird belongs to the 

 Somalifauna. 



Grnidae. 



Balearica regulorum gibbericeps Rchw. 



Rchw. I, p. 266. 



Two Crested Cranes were shot on the steppe outside Nairobi the 31 Dec. 1910. One 

 of these was an old male with the characteristic shape of the bare patch on the side of the 

 head which is typical for this race. The triangulär knob extending into the black velvety 

 f eathers of the crown is red together with the uppermost parts of the bare patch nearest 

 to this knob, otherwise the whole area is white with a sharp almost straight limit against 

 the black naked area above, in front and below the eye and at the gape. The wattle on 

 the throat was red. The iris (13 mm) greyish white, bill, legs and feet black. 



The other bird, a perhaps young, female, had the triangulär knob very little developed. 



The birds occurred in several flocks, at the opportunity mentioned and alighted 

 about 8 o'clock in the morning on the steppe where some at once began to feed others 

 preened themselves, and some others danced with outstretched wings, a most beautiful 

 sight. Carefully stalking behind an old anthill and crawling I got a very good opportunity 

 of studying their behaviour and finally some of them advanced in my direction, so that 

 I could bag one with each barrel. Those that were shot had corns of maize in their ven- 

 tricle but these had probably been picked up on some transport road. At several oppor- 

 tunities I saw Crested Cranes on the steppe near Nairobi and also at Juja farm the 18 th 

 of January. When we had proceeded northward and arrived to the acacia-steppe north 

 of Meru borna I observed Crested Cranes, or Kavirondo Cranes as they sometimes are 

 called in Brit. E. Africa, at Luazumela and Lekiundu rivers in the beginning of Febr. In 

 the beginning of April I saw flocks of this species on the steppe at Rooruka river north of 

 Nairobi, while they usually occurred single or in pairs at the former places. 



Jiicaiiidap. 



Actophilus africanus (Gm.). 

 Rchw. I, p. 267. 



As I did not pass many places which could suit a bird with such habits as this one, I 

 had only one opportunity of seeing it once, viz. in Roiru river, north of Nairobi. In a place 



