1. MICEOPtTS. 439 



Sau7iders, Man. Brit. B. p. 1^-58 (1889); Zehntner, Ibis, 1890, 



p. 196 (deTelopm.) ; Saunders, Ibis, 1891, p. 176 (Berne) ; Giitke, 



Ilelr/oland, -p. Ml (1891). 

 Cypselus alpinus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1815, p. 270; ibid. 1820, i. 



p. 433, pi. 8; Thitnem. Fortpjl. Toy. Eur. p. 82 (1829); Brehm, 



Voff. Beutschl. p. 134 (1831) ; Crespon, Orn. Gard, p. 306 (1840) ; 



Brehn, Vogelf. p. 45 (1855) ; Scliahio, J. f. O. 1876, p. 118 



(Brandenb.). 

 Apus melba, C'uv. Regne Anim. i. p. 373 (1817). 

 MicropiLs melba, Boi'e, Im, 1844, p. 165; Stejn. Auk, i. p. 230 (1884) ; 



Beichen. Syst. Verz. Voy. Deutscld. p. 26 (1889) ; Hartert, Kaf. 



Voyels. Mus. Senckenb. p. 119 (1891). 

 Cypselus melba alpinus, I A. E. Brehm, Verz. Samml. 0. L. Brehm, 

 C. melba microrhyucbos, ( p. 3 (1866) {teste Dresser). 



Adult. Mouse-brown, wings and bail rather darker; throat and 

 abdomen white, with indications of blackish shaft-stripes, separated 

 by a wide pectoral band of the same colour as the back, but darker ; 

 the feathers of this band as well as those of the under tail-coverts 

 with narrow and often indistinct white edges ; most of the under 

 wing-coverts and edge of the wing bordered with whitish ; feathers 

 of the flanks like the back, with a darker subterminal bar and white 

 edges : " bill black ; toes of a dirty flesh-colour : iris dark brown " 

 (A'aum.). Total length about 8| inches, wing S"3 to S'o, lateral 

 rectrices 3*4, central 2*5, tarsi 0"6. 



Younger hinh have white edges to the dark feathers, that disap- 

 pear more and more as the birds become older. 



There are some very pale specimens from the Western Himalayas, 

 and one from Belgaum, but they apparently belong to the same 

 species. 



Hab. The mountains of Xorthern Africa and Southern Europe as 

 far north as the Alps. Eastwards through Persia along the Hima- 

 layas, and wandering south in winter to the Peninsula of India. 

 In the Deccan they are also found breeding, while in the 

 mountains of tropical Africa a nearly allied form is found. Acci- 

 dental in the North of France, England, Heligoland, and (jermany. 



a, b. Ad. sk. Berne, Switzerland, 30th Aug. Tweeddale CoU. 



c. Ad. .*. Switzerland. Gould Coll. 



d. J ad. sk. Malaga, Spain, 7th Oct. Tweeddale Coll. 



e. 5 ad. sk. Vega of Granada, Spain, June. Tweeddale Coll. 



/, y. S ad. sk. Ain Djendeli, Algeria, May. Salvin-Godmau Coll. 



//. ci' ad. sk. Constantine, Algeria, March. Gould Coll. 



i. Ad. sk. Turkey. Salvin-Godman Cull. 



k. (S ad. sk. Ilaskeui, Turkey, 3rd April. Shai-pe Coll. 



/. c? ad. ; m. 2 ad. Asia JNIinor, June (2'. Bohson). Tweeddale Coll. 



sk. 



w, 0. Ad. sk. Galilee, Palestine. Canon Tristram [CI. 



p. Ad. sk. Aden, 16tli March. Major Yerbury [P.]. 



tj. Ad. sk. Al Hantal {Major Yerbury). Hume Coll. 



r. 2 ad. sk. Shiraz, Persia, 6000 ft. India Museum. 



s. cj ad. sk. Kandahar, 2nd June. Hume Colj. 



t. 2 ad. .sk. Deesa, 1st October. Hume Coll. 



u. Ad. sk. Chumba State, 2nd May. Hume Coll. 



V. (S ad. sk. Cashmere, 16th June. Hume Coll. 



