OCR Text |
Show 1881.] BIRDS FROM EASTERN AFRICA. 569 South Africa, Madagascar, and the Comoro Islands ; while M. a?gyp-tius as certainly ranges throughout North Africa, and extends southward to Durban, in Natal; but it appears to be by far the rarest of the two species south of the equator. 35. MEROPS NUBICUS. Merops nubicus, Gm., Finsch & Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 182; Fischer & Reichenow, J. f. O. 1878, p. 256; Fischer, torn. cit. p. 288; Bocage, Orn. d'Angola, p. 90; Fischer, J. f. O. 1879, pp. 282, 294, 302, 303. Lamo; Pangani. The Pangani river appears to be its furthest authentic limit south, as its occurrence in Cape Colony, on the authority of a specimen in the Leiden Museum, is very doubtful; nor do I consider its claims to be a native of Angola any more satisfactory. I am, in consequence, obliged to limit the range of this species in East Africa from 15° N. lat. to Zanzibar, and in West Africa to Senegambia. 36. MELITTOPHAGUS PUSILLUS. Merops minutus (P. L. S. Miill.), Finsch & Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 188; Fischer & Reichenow, J. f. O. 1878, p. 256; Fischer, torn. cit. p. 288. Merops pusillus, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 712 ; Nicholson, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 355. Melittophagus cyanostictus, Cab. J. f. O. 1875, p. 340 ; id. J. f. O. 1878, p. 235. Lamo; Melinda; Dar-es-Salaam. This species ranges throughout Africa south of about 1/°N. lat., and is represented in m y collection by three races, to be distinguished by the following characters :-(1) East-African race, M. cyanostictus, Cab., with a distinct cobalt-blue eyebrow extending forward in a narrow streak round the forehead, the front border of the black collar rather more distinctly margined with blue than in the next two races, represented by five East-African specimens ; (2) South-African race, with a distinct blue eyebrow of a paler shade than in the last race and not extending forward to the forehead, represented by nine South-African and two Congo specimens ; (3) Gold Coast race, the blue eyebrow barely visible and not extending forward beyond the eye, the blue front border to the black collar generally a trifle narrower than in the other races, represented by seven specimens from the Gold Coast. I can detect no other characters for these races, and do not consider those mentioned to be of specific value. 37. DlCROCERCUS HIRUNDINACEUS. Merops hirundineus (Licht.), Finsch & Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 193, Dicrocercus hirundinaceus, Nicholson, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 355, Dar-es-Salaam. This species ranges in East Africa from the Djur country (Upper PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1881, No. XXXVII. 37 |