16 Col. R. Meinertzhagen on Birds from [Ibis, 



pale mantle and white forehead, the remainder being normal. 

 Throe birds from the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain have 

 wings 93, 95, and 99 mm. and culmens varying from 18*5 

 to 19. One has a very pale mantle and white forehead, one 

 has a broad white forehead and normal mantle, whilst the 

 third is in every way normal. 



Birds from the Mediterranean islands have longer cul- 

 mens, usually between 18 and 19 mm. 



But in all rases I have seen, the paler the mantle the 

 whiter the forehead^ this being particularly noticeable in 

 Witherby's Spanish and Portuguese birds. These pale 

 mantles and white foreheads can be found from Scotland 

 to Spain and from Germany to central Asia and Palestine. 



Males from Syria ami Palestine. — These have been sepa- 

 rated under the name rostrata on account of the longer 

 culmen and paler wing-margins in autumn plumage. This 

 latter characteristic I am unable to confirm. Now the 

 wings of Palestine birds vary from 95 to 99 (once 100) and 

 culmens vary from 17 to 19 mm. The mantle and forehead 

 agree with others in similar plumage from Continental 

 Europe. 



Males from Turkestan. — These have been described under 

 the name argentea, on account of their supposed paler 

 mantles and whiter forehead. Of 13 birds examined, only 

 five can bo said to have unusually broad white forehead- 

 bands. Here, again, the palest mantle accompanies the 

 broadest forehead-band. Six of these 13 males are as dark 

 on the mantles as any British specimens and show scarcely 

 any sign of white on the forehead. Wings 95 to 100, 

 average 97-9. Culmen, 17, 18-19, 20. 



Males from Egypt (all on passage). — 38 examined. Wings 

 91, 92, 93-100, 101, 103. Culmens IG, 17-19, 20. Eleven 

 have broad white forehead-bands. This series shows some 

 curious facts. 



a. The size of the culmen is not in proportion to the 

 size of the wing, birds with the longest wings having 

 nearly always the shortest cuhnens. 



