38 Col. E. Meinertzhagen on Birds from [Ibis, 



Apus apus barbatus (Scl.). 



In P.Z.S. 1865, p. 599, Dr. P. L. Sclater refers to two 

 birds in the Leyden Museum which were obtained in South 

 Africa, as being paler above than A. a. apus, particularly 

 on the secondaries and scapulars. He assigns to them 

 Temniinck's MS. name " harbatus." He states that similar 

 birds occur in Natal. Reichenow (Vog. Afr.) gives wing- 

 measurements as from 170 to 185 mm. 



There are three birds in the Tring collection from : 

 Newcastle (Natal) on G .xii. Wing 195. 

 Natal (no date). Wing 189. 



No locality or date. Wing 185. 



And in the British Museum from : 



Knysna, Cape Colony, Feb. ; Cape Town, Nov. ; 



S.E. Transvaal, April; N.E. Transvaal, Nov. ; 



with wings varying from 174-185 mm. 



These birds closely resemble pekinensis except that the 

 under parts have more distinct paler fringes to the feathers, 

 and the Newcastle bird shows very little white on the chin. 

 The shaft-stripes on the chin-feathers are usually very distinct. 



It seems probable that this is a South African resident 

 race of Apus apus, though I can find no actual record of its 

 breeding there. Wben I was in the Drakensberg in Natal 

 and Basutoland in 1909, I frequently saw Swifts during the 

 northern summer, but never found them breeding. 



Cape Colony, Transvaal, and Natal. 



Apus apus sladeniae (Ogilvie-Grant). 



Cypselus sladenkv Ogilvie-Grant, Bull. B. 0. C. xiv. 1904, 

 p. 56 : Fernando Po. 



(Original description.) " Most nearly allied to barbatus, 

 but general colour of upper parts darker, sooty-black in the 

 interscapulary region ; throat dusky with little or no trace of 

 whitish. In barbatus the throat is white with very distinct 

 shaft-stripes. Wing 185 mm." 



Two specimens in the Tring collection from Fernando Po 

 in January agree with this description and have wings of 

 175 and 178 mm., both l^eing males. 



