84 



EINAR LÖNNBERG, B1RDS. 



he has named »Batis perkeo», 1 which is still smaller than his »somaliensis». The present 

 specimens are intermediate in size between these two and with regard to the rusty tint 

 on one of the females just described, they may resemble »perkeo» perhaps even more 

 than »somaliensis». The question is, however, if the difference is constant, for at the 

 type-locality for »perkeo» Darassam, » somaliensis» is said to occur as well. The fact, 

 that of two females in my collection from the same locality one has that rusty tint just 

 mentioned, but the other not, speaks against its value even as a subspecific characteristic. 



Batis molitor puella Rchw. 



Xeum., Journ. f. Ornith. 1907, p. 355. 



A (female) specimen shot in a big banyan tree standing quite isolated in the other- 

 wise bare and partly cultivated country W. of Nairobi had no white superciliary stripe, 

 only a small white frontal spöt on either side. In another female from Nairobi the pre- 

 ocular part is very strong but from the eye and backwards the stripe is very faint. In 

 two other specimens shot resp. in a forest at Meru borna and on the acacia-steppe at Lua- 

 zomela river the white eyebrow stripe extends backwards to above the temporal region. 

 In a male from the forest at Meru borna the white stripe is little developed. The two 

 latter localities extend the distribution of this bird considerably to the northeast. Ac- 

 cording to Neumann this race is distributed from the north of Lake Nyassa to Uganda, 

 and westwards to Lake Tanganjika and Lake Kiwu. 



Platysteira peltata Sund. 

 Rchw. II, p. 487. 



This species was only observed once viz. in a thick forest consisting of rather low 

 trees, looking almost like overgrown bushes, about two hours march north of Meru borna, 

 but it was of great interest to find it there as it appears to be the most northwestern loca- 

 lity for the species. In a northeastern direction it was found by v. Erlanger at Kis- 

 mayu and Juba river, but before that Mombasa was the northernmost locality known. 



The specimen obtained by me was a breeding female with swelled ovary, shot Va 

 1911. The male was seen at the same time but disappeared among the branches before 

 it could be secured. Length of wing of the specimen obtained 64 mm. 



Trochocercus bivittatus Rchw. 



Rchw. II, p. 499. 



A male specimen of this kind, shot the 81 /ia 1910 at the edge of the forest near 

 Mc Naughtons farm, Nairobi, had its testidés strongly developed. The same was also 

 the case with a male shot in a forest two hours north of Meru borna Va 1911. 



Other specimens were shot near Meru 22 U and half way between Meru borna and 

 Luazomela in forests 21 /3 1911. 



1. c, p. 352. 



