BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 191 



GLAREOLA PRATINCOLA LIMBATA Riippell 



Glareola Umhata Ruppell, Syst. Uebers. Vog. N. O. Afr., p. 113, 1845: Djed- 

 dah and Massowa. 



Specimens collected: 



One male adult, Chaffa, Kenya Colony, June 24, 1912. 



Three male adults, three j^oung males, and three young females, 

 Hor, Kenya Colony, June 26-30, 1912. 



Two male adults, one female adult, and one young female. Lake 

 Rudolf, east, Kenya Colony, July 5, 1912. 



Soft parts : Iris, dark brown ; bill, black, red at base on sides and 

 below; feet, grayish brown; claws, black; in juvenal birds the base 

 of the bill and angle of mouth are deeper, brighter red than in adults. 



This pratincole has had a rather stormy nomenclatural history. 

 The species was originally named Hirundo fratincola by Linnaeus °^ 

 and was known by this name until Sharpe suggested that Tringa 

 fusca Linnaeus ^* was the same as Hirundo pratincola Linnaeus. 

 Reichenow ^^ accordingly called the bird Glareola fusca and, as his 

 work was the basis for many subsequent papers, this name came into 

 extensive usage. However, Hartert °^ showed that the name fusca 

 Avas based on a description (taken by Linnaeus from Brisson) whicli 

 is not identifiable and which certainly does not refer to the present 

 species. The original name pratincola then was restored to use. 



Originally the species was thought to breed only in Europe and 

 to migrate to Africa, and consequently European and African birds 

 were all considered the same. It was later shown that while Euro- 

 pean birds did migrate to northern Africa, there was also a resident 

 African form. The two forms were distinguished for the first time 

 in 1905 when Erlanger ^^ pointed out that the resident northeast 

 African birds were smaller and somewhat darker above than tlie 

 European migrants, and applied the name Umhata Ruppell to the 

 former. The situation now becomes further involved because the 

 name lirribata is based on an immature bird, as Ruppell considered 

 young birds as a different species from adult ones. Hartert ^® 

 pointed this out, apparently as a new discovery, although Blanford ^^ 

 anticipated him by 21 years. When accepting the name Umhata for 

 the resident bird of northeastern Africa, Erlanger seems to have 



^Sy&t. Nat., 12 ed., vol. 1, p. 345, 1766. 



"Idem, p. 252. 



» Vog. Afr., vol. 1, p. 144. 



^ Nov. Zool., vol. 23, 1916, p. 89. 



" Journ. f. Ornitli., 1905, p. .55. 



^'Kat. Vogels. Mus. Senckcnberg., 1891. p. 218. 



f" Geol. and Zool. Abyss., 1870, p. 430. 



