860 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxviii. 



Family MICROPODTD.E. 



TACHYNAUTES," new genus. 



O/psiurus Lesson, Echo du Monde Savant, ann. 10, ser. 2, VIII, 1843, p. 134 

 (type, Cj/pselus ambrosiacus TenMmnck^^O/pseluK parrua Lichtenstein) (not 

 Cyj)silurv X f^wsawon, 1839 [Pisces]). 



Chars, gen. — Similar to Tachornts Gosse, but tail very loiig' — about 

 three-fourths the leng'th of the wing, and forked for nearly two- 

 thirds its length, the outer feathers distally ver}' narrow and much 

 attenuated. 



Type. — Ct/jjse/xs parri/s Lichtenstein. 



The type and sole species of this genus is quite remarkable for the 

 development of the tail which is actuall}^ and excepting Claudia 

 squaiaata, relatively longer than in any other mem})er of the sub- 

 family Micropodina?, also with the single exception of Piuiijptlla 

 sanetihieronyml more deeply forticate. All the othei" species of the 

 genus Tachornis Gosse,* with which parvus has commonly been asso- 

 ciated, have the tail barely more than half as long as the wing-, or less, 

 and forked for less than half its own length. ^ 



Although TacJiynautes parvus has apparently not l)efore been for- 

 mally separated from its associates in the genus Tadiornix^ it formed 

 the type of Lesson's Cypslurus., a name now unavailable by reason of 

 Cypsilurus^ employed by Swainson'' for a genus of tishes. 



TACHYNAUTES PARVUS PARVUS (Lichtenstein). 



Ciijis{'/ni< jxtrrvs Lichtenstein, Verz. Doul)l. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 1823, p. 58 (Nubia, 

 Africa). 



Two specimens: one from Kahe, south of Mount Kilimanjaro, Sep- 

 tember 7, 1888; the other from the Lunii River, near Taveta, Decem- 

 ber 1, 1888. So far as it is possible to determine without examples of 

 typical Tacliyuautes p>arvus for comparison, Doctor Abbott's birds 

 seem to belong to this form. Their wing measurement is 127 and 125 

 nmi., respectively, thus below the minimum given b}^ Reichenow^for 

 Qvenpaf'vus; and in color also they answer l)etter to the description 

 oi parvus than to that of myocltmus^ the form to be expected in this 

 locality, though they are evidently to some deg-ree intermediate in this 

 respect. Assuming this identification to ])e correct, the range oi par- 

 vus is thereby extended considerably to the southward. 



Although Hartert in his recent review of this group recognizes l)ut 

 two forms of parvus.,- there seem to ])e at least four that are worthy 

 of designation by name,' as follows: 



« raxv'i, rapidus; vavrrjc,, nauta. 



^ Birds Jamaica, 1847, p. 58, \)\. ix (type, Tuchonih iihninc(il>in (rosse). 



cNat. Hist. Fishes, Amphib., and Kept., 1, 1838, p. 299. 



'^Vogel Africas, II, 1903, p. 384. 



^Tierreich, I, 1897, p. 81. 



/See Reichenow, Vogel Africas, II, 1903, pp. 38;3-.386, 



