468 Mr. D. A. Baiinernian on the [Ibis, 



Eastern Gruitp. 



In the eastern islands of the group the Black Swift is 

 quite a rare bird. 



In Fuerteventura in May and June I found it to be much 

 less plentiful than the Pale Swift, and not by any means 

 universally distributed. Polatzek notes (Orn. Jahrb. 1908, 

 p. 164) that "it seldom appears," while Thanner likewise 

 records that " it is not often seen, and then in pairs and 

 only in certain localities^' (Orn. Jahrb. 1905, p. 60). 

 Koenig, however, saw it in Fnerteventura in December 

 and January (J. f. O. 1890, p. 342), but these birds may 

 have been stragglers which had either arrived in advance of 

 the main party or had possibly remained in the islands from 

 the preceding year. 



In Lanzarote and the Outer Islets I did not meet with it 

 in May and June, and none appear to have been noted there 

 by other observers. 



Range beyond the Archipelago. 



M. u. unicolor inhabits only the Canary Islands and 

 Madeira. When it leaves the Canaries its destination is 

 a mystery which has not yet been satisfactorily solved, 

 BoUe concluded that " it visited its relatives in the Cape 

 Verde Islands/' but as the Cape Verde Islands form 

 (M. u. alexanderi) has been described as distinct from 

 M. u. unicotor this theory hardly holds good. It is more 

 probable that the Black Swift migrates in autumn south-east 

 to some part of Africa where it has not yet been discovered. 



Still another race inhabits Fernando Po, which has been 

 named M. u. poensis (Alex.). 



Micropus melba melba. European Alpine Swift. 



Hirundo melba Linn. Syst. Nat. 10th ed. 1758, p. 192 — 

 Type locality : Gibraltar. 



This is a Rare Visitor to the Archipelago. 



There appears to l)e only a single record of the White- 

 bellied Swift from the Canary Islands between 1810 and 

 the end of 1914. A specimen is recorded by Meade- Waldo 



