3r50 ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



Chelidon tjtleri. — The authors bave treated of the two Kamtschatkau 

 swallows in au extremely confused manner. After Mr. Taczanowski, 

 in 1883 condemned Rininda satiirata, which the authors call " Eirundo 

 rustica, saturata Smith." (distinguee recemment dans les publications 

 de I'Institution Smithsouienne!!) as identical with H. gutturaHs, the 

 authors now go so far as to even separate it from the Baical form to 

 which they apply the new term H. baicalensis. We now know that both 

 are identical with Ch. tytleri. But the other form is treated of in a 

 still more peculiar manner. In 1883 Dybowski described a swallow from 

 retroi)aulski as new under the name of H. Jcamtschatica. In the diag- 

 nosis he says : " Abdomen et souscaudales blanes, les deux plus longues 

 de ces dernieres traver.^6es par une large bande ant^apicale noiratre, 

 avec un leger eclat d'acier." This form the authors now give as a syn- 

 onym (Estr., p. 8) of H. saturata, which they describe as "Subtus in- 

 tense rufa." But the very specimen (I do not think there exists in 

 colleciions more specimens than the type which I have seen myself) 

 is redescribed as Hinindo horealis ("pour cette forme qui parait in6- 

 dite"), as is evident from the diagnosis: '-Subtus alba, subcaudalibus 

 binis posterioribus fascia apicali nigra." 



After this the synonymy of the two forms stands thus : 



CHELIDON TYTLERI. 

 Eirundo saturata > ^ . 



Chelidon saturata \ Knlgway, Stejaeger. 



Eirundo gutturalis Taczanowski. 



Eirundo rustica, saturata \ 



Eirundo baicalensis VDybowski et Taczanowski. 



Eirundo rustica, baicalensis ) 



CHELIDON KAMTSCHATICA. 



Eirundo kamtschatica Dybowski. 



Chelidon kamtschatica, Stejneger. 



Eirundo horealis \ , 



Eirundo rustica, horealis V Dybowski et Taczanowski. 



Eirundo rustica, kamtschatica / 



The authors assert that this form " n'est que de passage et se rend 

 plus au nord pour le temps de la nidification." It may be permitted to 

 ask from what source the authors have derived their knowledge as to 

 where this bird. breeds. 



Turdus chrysolaus is now dropped as a Kamtschatkau bird, the authors 

 asserting that it " nous parait etre le jeune du T. obscurus Gm." 



Lagopus ridgivayi. — Most curiously all references to a ptarmigan 

 occurring on the islands have been dropped altogether. 



