Vol. XVIII, pp. 185-188 June 29, 1905 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THK 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



GENERAL NCrfES. 



TWO SPECIMENS OF CH.ETURA CELEBENSIS (SCLATER). 



The United States National Museum has recently received the fifth and 

 sixth known specimens of the great Celebesian swift from Dr. Daniel G. 

 Beebe, a member of the Philippine Scientific Association, who, for some 

 time past, has been engaged in the lumbering business, at Isabella, on the 

 island of Basilan, P. I. This, one of the largest and handsomest, as well 

 as almost the rarest known of the swifts, was described by Sciater (P. Z. S., 

 p. 608, 1865) from two specimens from Manado, N. Celebes; after thirty 

 years it was recorded from the Philippine island of Negros by Mr. W. Eagle 

 Clarke; and, in March, 1895, a third Celebesian specimen was obtained by 

 Messrs. P. and F. Sarasin from Tomohon. 



The two skins sent by Dr. Beebe had been well prepared by Senor 

 Ramon de Larracochea, of Isabella, Basilan, and reached the Museum in 

 excellent condition. They are doubtless adult males, as they exceed in 

 size the measurements of the three Celebes specimens ; and bothhavetwo 

 white spots on the sides of the forehead. The female figured in Meyer and 

 Wiglesworth (Birds of the Celebes, pi. xii) has these spots reddish brown 

 This species has the upper tail-coverts greatly enlarged and with thickened 

 shafts. The spiny shafts of the rectrices do not extend so far beyond the 

 webs as in Chselura giganten (Temminck). 



From the skins (Nos. 192,474-5, U. S. National Museum) I have taken 

 the following measurements: Length, 240, 255; wing, 215, 215; tail, 75,75; 

 bill from frontal feathers (chord), 8.5,9.6; bill from anterior margin of 

 nostril, 6.1, 7.1 ; tarsus, 19, 20; middle toe with claw, 22.5, 22.5 mm. The 

 measurements of Celebesian adults is given as follows : "total length nearly 

 229 mm., wing 203, tail 71, tarsus 16.5." "A specimen in the Sarasin Collec- 

 tion marked ' $ juv.' (l)ut we cannot see any signs of immaturity)," meas- 

 ures : " wing 208 mm., tail 63, tarsus 16, nostril c. 6." (Meyer and Wigles- 

 worth.) 



Two American swifts — Hemiprocne zonaris (Shaw) and IF. semlcoUaris 

 (Saussure) — slightly exceed the dimensions of these Basilan specimens. 

 "Dagit dagit" the name given to this species by the Basilan IMoro natives, 

 signifies swiftness. — Edgar A. Mearnx. 



32— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XVIII, 190.i. (is,i) 



^•^ASS 



