100 



EINAR LÖNNBERG, BIRDS. 



lanorhynchus is, however, not a bird that belongs to the fauna of the cultivated country — 

 the »shambas », but it is a typical inhabitant of the acacia-steppe, and is very numerous 

 especially near water in the country south of Guaso Nyiri, round Itiolu and Lekiundu 

 rivers for instance. It is also commonly niet with in the thornbush north of Guaso Nyiri 

 at such places where water can be found. It was very common at Njoro as well as along 

 the river mentioned. 



It is a lively and noisy bird which is on the move and twittering among the very 

 first in the morning and also late in the evening. 



In the beginning of February fledged youngs were collected at Lekiundu. 



As a rule a great number of grass nests were seen in the same acacia. According 

 to Reichenow Ukamba and Nguruman are the southern limits of this bird. 



Plocepasser donaldsoni Sharpe. 



Rchw. III, p. 14. 



This bird was collected at Lekiundu river 1 U 1911. It lived there in the same 

 acacias round our camp, where numbers of Plocepasser melanorhynchus were nesting. 

 When I had shot the first specimens their colour pattern gave me the impression of a 

 young bird. When they were preserved it was proved, however, that they were full- 

 grown, and even breeding, for two males had swelled testidés. Returning to Lekiundu 

 about six weeks låter I found this bird again in the same neighbourhood, and it is thus 

 fully proved that Plocepasser donaldsoni extends its area of distribution as far south as 

 to the acacia-steppe just south of Guaso Nyiri. This was very interesting as it had been 

 discovered and described from the country round Lake Stephanie (conf. Pyrrhulauda 

 sig?iata) and to my knowledge not found anywhere else before this. 



The iris of this species is light brown or reddish brown. Length of wing 90 — 93 mm. 



Ploceus insignis (Sharpe). 



Rchw. III, p. 36. 



A beautiful female specimen of this species was shot i U 1911 in a small patch of 

 forest at Rooruka river near the road to Nairobi. It was very interesting to find this 

 bird extend its distribution as far east as to this place, that is to the eastern edge of the 

 Kenia forest region, because it must undoubtedly be counted among the representatives 

 of the western, or at least central African forest fauna. The type locality of the species is 

 Elgon and it has also been found at Mau and Nandi. Formerly Reichenow put P. cro- 

 conotus from Cameroon as identical with the Elgon bird. Now he is inclined to separate 

 them again on account of differently coloured under tail coverts. ' The relationship must, 

 however, be very close and from a zoogeographical point of view this is of importance, 

 because it proves that some western types range far to the east. 



1 Vogelfauna d. Mittelafr. Seeugeb., p. 321. P. preussi which formerly also was united with P. insignis 

 is now put together with P. auricomus (S.iöst.) which latter it supcreedes. 



