from Somaliland and Southern Abyssinia. 671 



Cypsehis melba, subspecies africana (Temm.), which has 

 been resuscitated by Mr. Hartert (' Catalogue of Birds/ 

 p. 440), appears to us to be untenable, none of the characters 

 put forward being constant. The bird shot by Mr. Pease 

 has the broader dark pectoral band, but the under parts are 

 pure white without any trace of dark shaft-lines. The wing 

 measures 83 inches. 



[The Great White-bellied Swift was seen on one occasion 

 only, after a thunderstorm. It was in company with 

 C. apus, C. aquatorialis, and several other species, including 

 Hawks and Kites, all preying on a large flight of clear- 

 winged flies ; there must have been many thousands of 

 birds on the wing, but there were very few of this species 

 {C. meMa).— A. E. P.] 



190. CyPSELUS iEQUATORIALIS. 



Cypsehis cBquatorialis Mull. ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. 

 Genov. xxvi. p. 227 (1888). 



Micropus (squatorialis (Miill.) ; Hartert, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus. xvi. p. 441 (1892). 



Cypselus alfredi Shelley, Birds Afr. ii. p. 345 (1900). 



a,h. (J ? . Aila, S. Abyssinia, 3rd Feb. Nos. 440, 441. 



Iris brown ; bill and legs black. 



The measurements of these two specimens are somewhat 

 greater than those given in the ' Catalogue of Birds ' : — 



S . (No. 441.) Wing 8-1, tail 3-6 inches. 



? . (No. 440.) Wing 8-1, tail 375 inches. 



There is no doubt that C. alfredi Shelley is founded on 

 greasy examples of this species. 



[The Great Equatorial Swift was seen only on the same 

 occasion that C. melha was observed, when it appeared to 

 me to be certainly the most rapid of all the Swifts on the 

 wing. — A. E. P.] 



191. Cypselus apus. 



Micropus apus (Linn.) ; Hartert, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xvi. 

 p. 442 (1892). 



a,b. c? ? • Aila, S. Abyssinia, 3rd Feb. Nos. 442, 443. 

 Iris brown ; bill and legs black. 



2y2 



