1. MICEOPUS. 43'( 



1. MICROPUS. 



Type. 



Apus, Scopoli {nee Pall.), Intr. Nat. Hist. p. 483 (1777) .... M. apus. 



Micropus, Mei/er ^- Wolf, Taschenb. i. p. 1^80 (1810) M. apus. 



Cypselufe, I/li(/er, Prodrom. p. 229 (1811) M. apus. 



Brachypus, Meyer, Viig. Lio- u. Esthl. p. 142 (1815) M. apus. 



Range. Nearly the whole world, except the highest north. 

 Replaced in North America by an allied genus (Aeronantes), and 

 occurring in Australia as a wanderer only. 



Nests in caves and holes of rocks, buildings, or sometimes trees ; 

 eggs white and usually two in number. Often more than two eggs 

 are found, but I doubt whether one female lays more than two as 

 a rule. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Crown, sides and back of the neck uuiforni ; no 

 white collar. 

 a' . Rump uniform with the back, not white. 

 a'. Abdomen white. 



a'". Paler ; white gular patch larger melba, p. 438. 



h'" . Darker ; white gular patch smaller .... africanus, p. 440. 

 h" . Abdomen and vent sooty or black. 

 (/". Larger; feathers of the under surface 

 edged with white and with a subter- 



minal darker bar cequatorialis, p. 441, 



d!" . Smaller ; under surface nearly uniform 

 sooty or black, 

 a'. Back sooty. 



a'. Upper parts rather glossy, well de- 

 fined blackish shaft-stripes on the 



chin barbatus, p. 447. 



6'. Upper parts less glossy, no well de- 

 fined blackish shaft-stripes on the 

 chin, 

 rt*. Throat dusky white. 



a''. Darker apus, p. 442. 



W. Little paler pekinensis, p. 444. 



c'. Much paler murinus, p. 446. 



6'. Throat pale sooty tmicolor, p. 448. 



5'. Back glossy black toulsoni, p. 453. 



c". Abdomen sooty, vent white inontivagus, p. 458. 



b'.- Rump white. 



d". Feathers of the under surface edged with 

 white and with a darker subterminal bar. 



e'". Larger pacificus, p. 448. 



/'". Smaller leziconyx, p. 450. 



e". Under sm-face unhanded. 



f/". Lateral rectrices more or less acute. 



e'. Tail deeply forked, lateral rectrices very , _a- ^ ^-/^ 



acute ... * "'^^'■' P.- '*^^- 



dK Tail leVs' forWd,' lateral Vectrice.s" less I ^^''^'M^e/^^ P- 452. 

 acute horus, p. 452. 



