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Show 1873.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON BIRDS FROM MOMBAS. 711 have the pleasure of offering my best thanks for the assistance continually rendering to the Museum and to ornithology generally. The gentleman who has formed the present collection is the Rev. Thomas Wakefield, who may well be congratulated on the success of this his first undertaking in the cause of ornithological science; for, although chiefly devoting himself to collecting insects, he has found time to form a collection of birds with no inconsiderable result. The number of novelties and rarities is not large; but at the same time the situation of Mombas and the period of the year (January and February) when the birds were collected have shown the route by which some of our European birds proceed on their way to their winter home in South Africa. It would not be fair at present to draw conclusions as to the avifauna of Mombas and its affinities ; but the locality shows a mixture of Cape and North-east African forms ; and I therefore trust that this is by no means the first collection of birds which we shall receive from this very interesting place. The excellent work of Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub on the birds of Eastern Africa has been m y chief guide in the determination of the species. 1. ASTURINULA MONOGRAMMICA (Temm.); Finsch u. Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 59. Mombas is a new locality for this Hawk, although it has been found to the north and south of it. A specimen in Captain Shelley's collection from the Zambesi, however, is Asturinula meridionalis. 2. PYOCEPHALUS FUSCICAPILLUS (Verr. et Des Murs). Pionias fuscicapillus, Finsch u. Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 499, tab. vii. Three specimens. Already obtained at Mombas by Von der Decken. 3. C O C C Y S T E S J A C O B I N U S (Bodd.); Sharpe, P.Z.S. 1873, p. 597. The occurrence of this species is of interest as showing that it extends along the east coast of Africa; but it is not yet known whether it is a migrant from north to south. 4. I N D I C A T O R M A J O R , Steph. ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 14. Two specimens, one adult and one young. This species appears to be altogether new to the avifauna of Eastern Africa. 5. POGONORHYNCHUS TOROUATUS (Dumont) ; Finsch u. Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 503 ; Marsh. Monogr. Capit. pl. x. Three specimens of this bird, differing from South-African examples in their smaller size and in the greater extent of black on the breast and hind neck. 6. Picus H A R T L A U B I (Malh.) ; Finsch u. Hartl. Vog. Ostaf. p. 512. One specimen. This Woodpecker has not previously been recorded northwards of Zanzibar. |
