. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. Vol. 74. 1954 Territory. In several males collected at Iringa itself most lack the iridescent patch while one has it partially developed; and another specimen from Dabaga, about thirty miles away, has a fully developed patch ( 1934, 15). Incidentally, Lynes did not seem to be aware of Bocage, and named the specimens ludovicensis (wrongly ludovicianus) with the comment that they might represent a new race. It is highly probable that within the range of the ludovicensis-intermedia group there may be a certain amount of l
. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. Vol. 74. 1954 Territory. In several males collected at Iringa itself most lack the iridescent patch while one has it partially developed; and another specimen from Dabaga, about thirty miles away, has a fully developed patch ( 1934, 15). Incidentally, Lynes did not seem to be aware of Bocage, and named the specimens ludovicensis (wrongly ludovicianus) with the comment that they might represent a new race. It is highly probable that within the range of the ludovicensis-intermedia group there may be a certain amount of local segregation according to presence or absence of iridescent upper tail coverts, one such segregated population being the birds at high altitudes on the Nyika Plateau. This population differs from typical ludovicensis mainly by the very slight difference in the width and shade of colour of the red breast-band, and not significantly by any of the dimensions. My opinion is, therefore, that whytei is a mountain race of C. chalybea, apparently lying within the range of the widely distributed ludovicensis, and that intermedia is probably a variant of ludovicensis. In his description of whytei Benson compared it with graueri of western Uganda, a race sometimes put with the species of C. afra and sometimes with C. chalybea. Judging by its dimensions graueri is a race of chalybea. I have not taken this study any further but it seems to me that there may be some intra-specific connection between C. chalybea and the more northerly C. reichenowi. These notes are based on an examination of adult males. The females are less variable but in no way contradict the conclusions arrived at. My thanks are due to Mr. J. D. Macdonald of the Bird Room, British Museum (Natural History), for his advice and help, and for agreeing with these conclusions. TABLE OF DIMENSIONS Cinnyris chalyl yea No. Wing Range : Ax. Tail Range : Ax. Range Bill : Ax. chalybea 31 53-59 : 40-47 : 44 21-24 : subal
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