KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAB BAND 47. N:o 5. 61 



some distance above Chanler Falls. It was very busy at broad daylight in the middle "I 

 the day. ' This specimen had small wiiite spöts arranged in longitudinal rows on the 

 crown of the head. Length of wing 101 — 102 mm. 



Psittacidae. 



Poicephalus gulielmi massaicus (Fschr. Rciiw.). 



Rchw. II. p. LO. 



When passing through the forest on the eastern slopes of Kenia I heard this Parrot 

 screaming now and then, but it was difficult to see through the dense foliage. One eve- 

 ning when we were camping on an open place 2700 m above the sea and in a region where 

 the forest was mixed with elumps of bamboo, I heard a Parrot of this species. It came 

 with sharp flight and perched in the top of a very high dry tree. I shot it, and found 

 it to be a female. A few minutes låter the piercing note of another Parrot was heard. 

 It came and alighted in the top of the same dry tree, so that I returned and secured this 

 specimen as well. It was a male, and a much heavier bird. 



As P. gulielmi is known from the Goldcoast, and P. g. aubryanus from Cameroon, 

 Gaboon, Congo, and Central- Af ric an lake-district P. g. massaicus is to be regarded as an 

 offshoot from the Westafrican forest-fauna, which extends far to the east inhabiting the 

 more or less similar forests in East Africa. This is the more apparent as the differences 

 in colour between the western and eastern birds seem to be rather slight in some respects. 

 If the red on the head and at the bend of the wing of my specimens from Kenia is com- 

 pared with the standard colour samples for instance in Dauthenay's »Repertoire de Cou- 

 leurs») 2 it agrees more closely with the minium red (no. 59 1. c.) than with the vermilion 

 red (no. 87), although Reichenow says that P. gulielmi shall have the parts mentioned 

 »mennigrot» (1. c. II, p. 1 & 9), while P. g. massaicus shall have them »zinnober öder schar- 

 lachrot» (1. c. II, p. 1 & 10). Some other small differences may, however, permit the 

 maintenance of the eastern subspecies as a geographic race. 



Poicephalus rufiventris (Rupp.). 



Rchw. II, p. 15. 



The first specimen probably a straying individual was met with between Punda 

 Melia and Port Hall in a shamba. Next time some Parrots of this kind were seen on the 

 acacia-steppe at Luazomela, but first since we had arrived to Guaso Nyiri it occurred re- 

 gularily. It was common at Njoro in the palms and trees fringing the dry river-beds and 

 visited the water-holes of the Rendiles. It was also common along Guaso Nyiri. It was 

 often seen in pairs, sometimes single or in small flocks, in sharp swinging flight and with 

 piercing screams alight in the trees a the river -side. 



Although extending southwards to Pangani river this Parrot ought to be counted 

 to the Somalifauna. 



1 This observation stånds in opposition to C. von Eklanger's stateincnt (Jouru. f. Ornith. Jahrg. 1904, 

 p. 241) about this species: »Der Perlkauz ist mehr Nacht- als Tagvogel.» 



2 Paris 1905. 



