1922.] the Xear East and Tropical East Africa. 33 



Hirundo rustica transitiva Hartert. 



Thi:; race is by no means easy to distinguish from indi- 

 viduals of the typical race which have red under parts, but 

 the latter is never quite so dark underneath and the under 

 tail-coverts — the best guide — arc invariably darker in 

 transitiva. 



This race breeds in a very confined area, namely at Afule 

 in the Plain of Esdraelon, at Acre and Haifa, and in the 

 coastal Plain of Palestine south to Gaza, but apparently not 

 in the Juda^an highlands or Jordan Valley. In the Galilee 

 district it begins to meet and interbreed with the typical 

 race. I saw a few Swallows at Aleppo on 10. ix. which 

 appeared to be of this race, but no examples were obtained. 



I am convinced that this race is a partial migrant, for 

 (Ibis, 1920, p. 230) I have seen them on passage in the 

 autumn going south-wost from Gaza. I have now obtained 

 an undoubted bird from Cairo on 2 L. xii., and there is another 

 in the Tring collection obtained in Uganda in February. 

 In the 'Auk' (1915, p. 283) a bird assigned to this race was 

 recorded by Phillips from Sinai on 13. iv. The Palestine 

 Swallow, being a very small community among the hosts of 

 other swallows which visit Africa every winter, might easily 

 be overlooked. 



It is noteworthy that Schmitz (Orn. Monatsb. 1921, p. 13) 

 records them as only summer visitors to the Sea of Galilee. 



Hirundo rustica savignii Stephens. 



The breeding race of the Egyptian Delta, Suez, and the 

 Suez Canal. Zedlitz (J. f. 0. 1912, p. 3G0) records it from 

 El Tor in Sinai in January, April, and May. In the spring 

 of 1920 I found no Swallows breeding at Alexandria. 

 The wing measurements of the above three races are : — 



rustica. ^^ and ? ? 118-127 mm. 



transitiva. „ ,, 111-126 mm. 



savignii. „ „ 111-1 23 mm. 



Riparia obsoleta (Cab.). 



I have examined fourteen specimens from Egypt, obtained 

 at all seasons of the year. In colour they are distinctly paler 



SER. XI. VOL. IV. I) 



