1 . MI0ROPT7R. 443 



Oypselus nip;er, Leach, Sysf. Cat. M. Sf B. Brit. Mus. p. If) (1816). 

 Cypselus vulg-aris, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. x. p. 72 (1817). 

 Oypselus murariiis, Temm. Man. d'Orn. i. p. 434, pi. ix. (1820) ; 



Thienem. Fortpfl. FoV/. Eur. p. 83 (1829) ; Brehm, Vbg. Deutschl. 



p. 135 (1831); Gould, B. Eur. ii. pi. 53 ( 1837 ) ; Crespon, Orn. 



Gard, p. 307 (1840) ; Brehm, Vogelf. p. 45 (1855). 

 Apiis nuirariiis, Less. Traite d'Orn. p. 267 (1831). 

 Micvopus apiis, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 165 ; Stejn. Auk, i. p. 230 (1884) ; 



Eeichen. Syst. Vei-z. Voy. Deutschl. p. 26 (1889) ; Hartert, Kat. 

 Voyels. Mus. Senckenh. "p. 119. note (1891). 

 Cypselus turrium, Brehm, Voyelf. p. 46 (1855) ; id. Nauinannia, 1855, 



p. 270. 

 Cypselus aterrimus, Heuyl. J.f. O. 1861, p. 422. 

 Cypselus apus nig-er, ] 



Cypselus apus vulgaris, ( A. E. Brehm, Verz. Samml. C. L. Brehm, 

 Cypselus apus murarius, f p. 3 (1866) {teste Dresser). 

 Cypselus apus tiirrium, ) 

 Cypselus balstoni, E. Bartlett, P. Z. S. 1879, p. 770 (Madagasc.) ; 



Milne-Edw. Sf Grandid. Ois. Maday. pt. 2, p. 189 (1882). 



Adult. All over sooty black with a slight greeuish gloss, especially 

 in freshly moulted adult specimens ; forehead a little paler than 

 the crown ; chin dusky white, generally with indications of dark 

 shaft-stripes ; under tail-coverts and under wing-coverts generally 

 with small obsolete whitish edges : iris dark brown ; bill black ; feet 

 dark brown. Total length about 7 inches, wing 6-7, central rec- 

 trices 1*7, lateral 2-9. 



Yonnrj birds have whitish edges to manj' of the feathers and a 

 whiter forehead. 



Western specimens of J/, apus are darker than Eastern, the latter 

 being M. pel-inensis of Swinhoe. Though they are extremely similar 

 to M. apus, and most difficult to distinguish without actual com- 

 parison, I think it necessary to keep them distinct as a subspecies. 



Again, M. miirinus is much paler and seems to be a very distinct 

 species, if typical specimens are compared with European M. aj^ns. 

 Comparing large series of M. apus, M.pehinensis, and M. murinus, 

 we find it most difficult and almost impossible to draw a sharp line 

 between them, some specimens of M. murinus approaching the 

 Eastern form of M. apus so closely that it is almost impossible to 

 distinguish them. I therefore think it more natural and convenient 

 to regard M. mitrinus also as a subspecies. 



M. andicauda, judging from the specimens in the Hume Collec- 

 tion, seems to be only the immature bird of the Eastern form. 



There is a specimen of J/, a'pus from Asia Minor in the Seebohm 

 Collection in which the chin is nearly uniform in colour with the 

 breast. 



Hah. The Western Palacarctic region generally, migrating early in 

 the year southwards to South Africa and Madagascar. 



a. Ad. sk. Bakewell, Derbyshire, July Salviu-Godman Coll. 



(O. Salvin). 

 Ii-d. Pull. St. Cambridge. Purchased. 



e. Ad. St. Turnhpm Green. 



/. Ad. sk. Hampstead. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



