( 42 ) 



ON A DESERT FOEM OF TURTUR TURTUR (L.). 



By ERNST HARTEET. 



AJIONG a number of birdskins from Fao, on the Persian Gulf, recently sent to 

 the Tring Musenm, I was surprised to find an extremely pale turtledove. It is 

 distinguished from the English turtledove by a paler ashy crown, much paler 

 and move sandy-colonred back and rump, lighter breast and abdomen, and especially 

 by the very much paler colour of the cinnamon edges to the 8ca]iulars and wing- 

 coverts. With only a number of English specimens of the turtledove to compare, I 

 would have ventured to distinguish the Fao bird specifically, but after having com- 

 pared it with the grand series in the British Museum, it became evident to me that 

 I could only consider the Fao bird a paler subspecies. It seems that Eastern sjicci- 

 meus of Turttir tiirtur arc paler as a rule. The specimens from Fao in the British 

 Mnseum are entirely similar to the one in tlie Tring Museum, but the difi'erences are 

 perhaps not so obvious as in the latter, because they are in a less good condition. 

 The specimens from the Persian hill countries, from the Kerkhaud River, and from 

 Shiraz, are paler than European T. turttir, and somewhat intermediate between 

 T. turttir and the Fao bird. The skin from Turkestan (Prjevalski) is much like the 

 Fao bird, and but a little more vivid in colour ; again, those from Yarkand are 

 diiferent from the European bird, and brighter cinnamon on the back, scapulars, and 

 upper wing-coverts. 



I name the Fao bird Turtur turtur arenicola subsp. nov., and I believe the 

 birds from Yarkand might also be distinguished subspecifically. 



The dimensions of the type of Turtur turtur arenicola in tiie Tring Museum 

 are as follows :— Total length about 11 in., wing (5-4o, tail 4"4, culiiicn 0-68, tarsxis 

 0'8. English turtledoves have the wing longer. 



ON A SPECIMEN OF CAPRIMULGUS EXIMIUS Temm 



By ERNST HAETERT. 



WHEN 1 wrote about this rare bird in I/jis, 1892, p. 2'U, and Cat. B., xvi., 

 ]). .jO:}, I knew of three specimens only — two in the Frankfort Museum 

 and one at Leyden. The Tring Musenm has since acquired a good sjiecimen, 

 among some other birds of the private collection of the late Herr Schutt of Freiburg, 

 collected by the African travellers Schimper and Baron von Miiller. The specimen 

 is labelled " Xnbia." It is probably a younger /iiri/e, having large white sjiots, 

 tinge(l with buif, to the lateral rectrices. The^outermost primary has a white patch 

 on tlie inner web only, the second and third a white patch on both webs, the fourth 

 a buff patch. Wing 7 in., tail 4-5, tarsus 0-8, cnlmen 0-5. 



There are no other specimens recorded, to my knowledge, but there are probably 

 some more placed in Continental museums, and I should be very glad to receive 

 notes about them. 



