BIRDS OF ETHIOPIA AND KENYA COLONY 53 



Besides the actual specimens collected, Mearns recorded this swal- 

 low as follows : Aletta, March 13-15, 500 ; Gidabo River, March 15-17, 

 200 birds; Abaya Lakes, March 19-26, 1,000 seen; spring between 

 Abaya Lakes and Gardula, March 26-29, 100; Gato River near Gar- 

 dula, March 29-May 17, 10 birds noted. The absence of observational 

 records after leaving southern Shoa suggests that the species is rel- 

 atively scarce in northern Kenya Colony. When we recall the gen- 

 eral aridity of the Rendile country, this becomes more understand- 

 able, but these swallows probably occur along Lake Rudolf. 



RIP ARIA PALUDICOLA MINOR (Cabanis) 



Coiyle minor Cabanis, Museum Heineanum, vol. 1, p. 49, 1850: "Northeastern 



Africa", i. e., Dongola (cf. Reichenow, Journ. fiir Orn., 1920, p. 88). 

 Specimens collected: 



1 female, 1 unsexed, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia, December 30, 1911-January 1, 

 1912. 



1 male, Sadi Malka, Ethiopia, January 29, 1912. 



3 unsexed, Hawash River, Ethiopia, February 10, 1912. 



In the absence of adequate material from southern Africa and the 

 Sudan, I follow the arrangement suggested by Sclater and 

 Mackworth-Praed.^^ According to these authors, there are four races 

 of this swallow, as follows : 



1. E. p. paliulicola: South Africa north to Benguella in Angola 

 and the Zambesi River in Rhodesia and Mozambique. Wings, 

 102-110 mm. 



2. R. p. duels: Central and eastern Africa, north at least to Mount 

 Kenya in Kenya Colony. Wings, 95-102 (average, 98 mm) ; upper- 

 parts, especially of the head, darker brown than in the typical form. 



3. R. p. minor: Ethiopia, Sennar, Upper Blue Nile. Wings as in 

 duels or slightly larger; paler than ducis^ more like paludicola but 

 with the throat and breast paler. 



4. R. p. svdanensis: Lake Chad to the Bahr el Ghazal and the 

 White Nile. The palest and smallest of all the races, wings 90-98 

 (average, 95 mm). 



There is some doubt as to the validity of sudanensis. Lynes'* 

 states that his Darfur birds agree with others from Lake Chad, 

 Bahr el Ghazal, the White Nile, and also with specimens from the 

 Blue Nile (referred to ininor by Sclater and Mackworth-Praed). 



The male collected has the following dimensions: Wing, 100; tail, 

 47; culmen, 6; tarsus, 9.5 mm. The female: Wing, 99; tail, 43; 

 culmen, 7; tarsus, 10.5 mm. The unsexed birds: Wing, 99-102; tail, 

 41--17; culmen, 7; tarsus, 10-10.5 mm. 



»" Ibis, 1918, pp. 714-715. 

 Bsjbis, 1925, p. 125. 



106220—37 5 



