A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 95 



RIPARIA RIPARIA 



198. Riparia riparia riparia (L.)— THE SAND-MARTIN. 



HiRTJNDO RIPARIA Liimaeus, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 192 (1758 — Eurone. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Cotile riparia (Linna?us), Yarrell, 11, p. 355 ; Saunders, p. 167. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Summer-resident (late March to 

 Sept. and Oct., and exceptionally Nov.). Widely distributed, but 

 local. In Ireland more frequent than Martin. Scarce in extreme 

 north of Scotland and 0. Hebrides, rare breeder Orkneys, and 

 scarce migrant, once recorded nesting, Shetlands. 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Movements of passage-migrants have 

 not yet been worked out in detail, but probably they are very similar 

 to those of preceding two species, with which they often travel in 

 company, particularly in autumn. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe generally from 70° north, south to 

 Tunisia and Algeria, east to Siberia, Syria, Palestine, but limits not 

 well known, also Xorth America. Wintering in east and south 

 Africa, India, also in South America. Eeplaced by other forms 

 (limits in Asia imperfectly known) in Siberia, north-west India, 

 Turkestan, and Nile Valley. 



[XoTE. — The American Purple Martin, Progne suhis subis (L.), said 

 to have been shot near Kingstown, Ireland, in 1840 (Yarrell, ii, p. 361 ; 

 Saunders, p. 166), and the American Tree-Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor 

 (VieilL), said to have been killed at Derby in 1850, cannot be admitted.] 



APUS MELBA* 



199. Apus melba melba (L.)— THE ALPINE SWIFT. 



HiRUNDO Melba Linnseiis, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 192 (1758 — Gibraltar). 

 Cypselus melba (Linnseus), Yarrell, 11, p. 372 ; Saunders, p. 263. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — England. — Rare vagrant. About 

 twenty-five satisfactorily identified from April to Oct. in various 

 parts, but chiefly in southern half, but seven Yorks. and one North- 

 umberland. Wales. — One, Pembroke, Nov. 20, 1908. Ireland. — 

 Four. Scotland — None. 



* There has been much discussion about the generic name of the Swifts, 

 but since 1897 the name Apus has been adopted by most advocates of priority. 

 It has been rejected by some on accoimt of the name Apos, employed in the 

 same book by the same author some pages previously for a genus of Crustaceans. 

 As the author (Scopoli) wrote nearly all his books in Latin, and was a great 

 Latin scholar, we cannot consider this as an "error of transcription," but 

 must suppose that he purposely used these two different spellings, in order to 

 distinguish between the two names. If the name Apus is rejected, then 

 Micropus comes into use, as employed in the Catalogue of Birds. — E.H. 



