Birds from British East Africa and Uganda. 313 



and Apus apus kalaharicus Reichw. Orn. Monatsb. 1908, 

 p. 81 : Kalahari, German S.W. Africa, 



This group of Swifts is by no means easy to sort out into 

 raceSj as individuals run each other so closely that it is 

 extremely difficult to determine to which race they should 

 belong, and in the measurement of the wing a wide range 

 is found to exist, even though sexes are compared. In my 

 opinion, too many races have been described, and three of the 

 six names will have to become synonyms, A very careful 

 comparison of the dated specimens before me shows that 

 there are two migrants to Africa and one resident, as 

 follows : — 



MiCROPUS APUS APUS, 



A winter migrant to Africa : eight specimens in British 

 Museum collection : two from Fantee and Cape Coast in 

 February, wing 171 & 169 ; Tangier, no date, wing 167 ; 

 British E. Africa, S in Nov., wing 166 ; Yambuya, Upper 

 Congo, wing 173; Nyasaland, ? in November, wing 173; 

 Matabeleland, ? in December, wing 165 ; South Africa, no 

 sex or date, wing 1 73 mm. 



Measurement of a large series from England and Norway 

 shows that the wing in males varies from 176-165 and in 

 females from 175-165 mm. The paucity of African killed 

 specimens in the Museum collection does not allow one to 

 make definite statements about the migration of the European 

 Swift, but T venture an opinion that further investigations 

 will prove that the common line of movement is by the west 

 coast, and that comparatively few migrate along the eastern 

 side. 



MiCROPUS APUS PEKINENSIS, 



Equal in size to M. a. apus, but general colour browner. 



I agree with Hartert (c/. Vog. palaartk. Fauna, 1912, 

 p. 838) that M. a. kalaharicus (wing given as 175-170 mm.) 

 is a synonym of this race ; and I also consider M. a. carlo 

 (wing given as 175 mm.) and M. a. marwitzi (no wing- 

 measurement given) to be the same. 



About equal in size to M. a. apus, but general colour 



SER. X. VOL. III. Y 



