KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIKNS HANDLINGAR. BAND 47. NIO 5. 91 



male shot l0 U in the thornbush north of Guaso Nyiri liad swelled testidés. This species 

 has a wide distribution in Eaist Africa from Abyssinia to Lake Nyassa. 



Laniarius sethiopicus (6m.). 



Rchw. II. ]i. 577. 



A common bird in forests, f. i. in the forest reserve at the Limuru road not far from 

 Nairobi, and around Meru borna. 



Madaracz has established a species which he has named ' L. ambiguus, and which is 

 said to differ from L. cethiopicus in having the white spöt on the wing confined to the middle 

 wing-coverts, and not extending to the outer web of the greater coverts. Reichenow 

 reduced this at once to a subspecies Laniarius azihiopicus ambiguus.' 2 It appears to the 

 present writer that the reduction can be made still more complete, for it is evidently a mat- 

 ter of individual variation if the white of the wing extends to the greater coverts, or not. 

 This is proved by the fact that of two specimens both males shot at exactly the same loca- 

 lity (the forest reserve at the Limuru road, Nairobi) one has the outer web of some of the 

 greater coverts broadly white but in the other there is not a trace of white on the greater 

 coverts. It is also to be observed that at least one of Sjöstedt's specimens from Kibo- 

 noto — thus not very far from the type locality of »L. ambiguus» - - has a broad white 

 stripe on the greater coverts. 



A specimen from Nairobi and the same locality as quoted above, exhibits the cha- 

 racteristics of »Laniarius major Hartl. » having white margins to two of the inner secon- 

 daries, otherwise it is similar. It appears probable to the present writer that this is only 

 an individual variation. The extension of the white in L. major is known to vary. Rei- 

 chenow 3 says about this »In der Regel 2, seltener 1 Schwinge und ausnahmsweise 3 

 Schwingen weiss gesäumt ». It is also well known how the extension of the white of the 

 wing can vary in other Shrikes (e. g. Lanius excubitor). Considering all these facts it 

 appears probable that »L. ambiguus Mad. » and »L. major (Hartl. ) » only are varieties 

 of L. azthiopicus Gm. Since this already was written I have found that N. Dearborn 4 

 has come to a similar result. 



A specimen from Meru exhibits the »ambiguus» type, and so is the case with two 

 specimens from forests at Escarpment station. 



It occurred at the edge of the forest, or in clumps of bushes and trees in shambas. 



Dryoscopus cubla hamatus Hartl. 



Rchw. II, p. 594. 



Common in Solanum thickets and at the edge of the forests at the Limuru road, 

 Nairobi. Common at the Escarpment station and also common in the shambas (in small 

 trees) at Meru borna. A male shot at the latter place the first of Febr. had swelled testidés. 



Very widely distributed. 



1 Ann. Mus. Nat. Hungar. II 1904, p. 205. 



2 Vögel Afrikas III, p. 834. 



3 Ibid. II, p. 581. 



* Field Museum of Nat. Hist. Ornith. Ser. Vol. I, no. 4, p. 178. 



