24 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



Order PICAEIJE. 



Family CYPSELID^. 



CYPSELUS APUS (Linuaeus). 



SWIFT. 



Hirundo apus, Linn. Sijst. Nat. i, p. 344 (1766). 



Cypselus apus, Illigcr, Prodromus, p. 229 (1811) ; Malherbc, Cat. Eats. 



d'Ois. Alij. p. 18 (1846) ; Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 100 (1867) ; 



Kociiig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 165 ; id. J. f. 0. 1892, p. 360 ; Whitaker. 



Ibis, 1896, p. 96. 

 Micropus apus, Hartcrt, Cat. Birds, Brit. 3Ius. xvi, p. 442. 

 Apus apus, Erlatigcr, J.f. 0. 1899, p. 515. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from the town of Tunis, North 

 Tunisia. 



General colour of pluuiage dull blackish-brown, with a slight metallic 

 gloss ; chiu and upper throat greyish-white. 



Iris, bill and feet very dark brown. 



Total length 750 inches, wing 7, culmen from gape 0-65, tarsus 0-55. 



Adult female resembles the male. 



The young birds have pale margins to the feathers. 



The common Swift appears to occur throughout North-west Africa 

 generally as a summer migrant, but is more abundant in some localities 

 than in others. The first arrivals in spring are generally to be seen in 

 Tunisia about the end of March, after which date fresh visitors keep 

 pouring in until the vernal migration ceases. The bulk of the migrants 

 continue their course northward, but many remain and breed in the 

 town of Tunis, and other places in the north of the Regency. In 

 some of the southern districts also the species appears to breed, and 

 Baron v. Erlanger mentions having found it nesting at Gafsa (J. f. 0., 

 1899, p. 516). I myself have specimens from that town obtained in 

 the month of May. 



Until recently it was supposed that C. apus never bred south of 

 the Mediterranean, being there entirely replaced, as a breeding species, 



