CYPSELUS MURINUS '27 



CYPSELOS MURINUS, Biehm. 



PALLID SWIFT. 



Cypselus murinus, Brehm, Vogelfang, p. 46 (1855). 



Micropus murinus, Hartcrt, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi, p. 446. 



Cypselus pallidus, Koenig J. f. 0. 1892, p. 361 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1896, 



p. 97. 

 Apus apus murinus, Erlanger, J. f. 0. 1899, p. 516. 



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

 Tunisia. 



General colour of plumage mouse-grey, rather paler on the forehead, and 

 darker on the wings and tail ; chin and throat white ; a dark spot imme- 

 diately in front of the eye. 



Iris, bill and feet dark brown. 



Adult female similar to the male. 



Observations. — Hhe present species is considered by some ornithologists 

 to be but a form, or sub-species of C. apus, but the mere fact of its occurring 

 and nesting in the same localities as that species, and yet preserving its 

 identity, should be sufficient to entitle it to full specific rank. 



The Pallid Swift is common in Tunisia as a summer migrant, 

 arriving together with the preceding species, about the end of March, 

 or beginning of April, breeding in the Regency, and leaving again for 

 the south on the approach of autumn. I know of no instance of the 

 species wintering in Tunisia. 



In both Algeria and Marocco the Pallid Swift is common in spring 

 and summer, and I cannot say I notice any appreciable difference 

 between examples from the latter country and those from Tunisia. 

 In South Spain, and in Madeira and the Canaries, the present species 

 is also to be met with, though another form, the smaller and darker 

 C. unlcolor, seems to occur as well in some of the Canaries and in 

 Madeira. 



In Malta the Pallid Swift has occurred occasionally as a straggler, 

 and two examples of the species from that island are to be found in 

 the Florence Museum, as well as one captured in Italy itself, this 

 latter having been obtained at Spezia in 1887. According to Count 

 Arrigoni, this Swift occurs in Italy more often than is generally 

 supposed to be the case and in 1903 no less than thirteen examples of 

 it appear to have been obtained from Taranto in the south of the 

 Peninsula (Man. Orn. Ital. p. 143). 



