202 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.86 



Oberliolser -^ has considered the bank swallow of North Aniorica 

 when compared with that of Europe as separable under the name 

 maximiliani of Stejneger,-'' stating that our bird is darker above in 

 addition to being slightly smaller. After careful comparison of a 

 good series in the American Museum of Natural History and the 

 United States National Museum from England, Sweden, Germany, 

 Austria, and Russia with a comparable set from Ontario, Quebec, New 

 York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. I am unable to establish any line 

 of demarcation betAveen them. There is considerable variation indi- 

 vidually in the shade of brown above, but light and dark specimens 

 occur on both continents. There is also considerable range in size in 

 this race, and there appears no diiference in dimensions between Old 

 World and New World birds. ]\Iy findings, therefore, agree with 

 those of European ornithologists who have considered this matter. 



STELGIDOPTERYX RUFICOLLIS SERRIPENNIS (Audubon): Rough- 

 winged Swallow 



The specimens secured include two innnature birds taken on Octo- 

 ber" 6 at Reelfoot Lake, 6 miles northeast of Tiptonville. where hun- 

 dreds were recorded, and a male from 3 miles north of Pikeville. on 

 May 28. At Rockwood AV. H. Fox shot a female on April 16, 1884, 

 and a male on April 4, 1885. I saw one near Cai-ter on June 7, 1937. 



Wliile the South American representatives of our rough-M-inged 

 swallows are quite distinct in yellowish abdomen and reddish-brown 

 throat, through Central America intergi-adation is complete to such 

 an extent that I have taken specimens in the highlands of Guatemala 

 that at first glance I thought must surely be migrants from the 

 United States, All the forms of this widespread group are there- 

 fore to be treated as geographic races of one species. 



After detailed study of the series of specimens in (he II. S. 

 National Museum, I have been unable to detect any differences in 

 birds from the west, which have recently been described by Ober- 

 holser as a distinct subspecies aphractus.-^ In color and size speci- 

 mens from the area in which aphraotm is supposed to range to me 

 appear identical with birds from the east. The race named by Gris- 

 com from Sonora as pmrnmochrovs -* is, on the other hand, distinct 

 in being paler above than ser-npennis and in averaging somewhat 

 hghter on the breast, though this last difference is slight and in- 



»" Dept. Cons. State of Louisiana Bull. 28, 1938, p. 407. 



» CUvicola riparia maximiliani Stejneger, L'. S. Xat. Mus. Bull. 29, 1885, p. 378, footnote 

 (Ipswich, Mass.). 



'" Stelgidopterifx ruflcollis aphractm Oberholser, Scl. Publ. Cleveland Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 

 4, Sept. 19, 1932. p. 5 (Twenty-mile Creek, 9 miles south of Adtl, Greg.). 



'^ Stelyidopteryx ruflcollis psammochrom Griscom, Proc. New England ZoOl. Club, vol. 11, 

 Dec. 14, 1929, p. 72 (Oposura, Sonora, Mexico). 



