58 Col. R. Meinertzhagen 0)1 ^irds from [Ibis, 



passage in Egypt both by Nicoll and myself, shows that the 

 colour of the mantle counts for nothing, being dark in 

 freshly-moulted birds and fading to various degrees in spring 

 and summer. But both Palestine, Turkestan, and Egyptian 

 })irds usually show more blue in the wing than is found in 

 others from southern Europe and northern Africa, but this 

 is by no means constant. 



1 therefore regard tnrkest aniens as a synonym of the 

 typical race, and not of pek'mensis as stated by Hartert (Vog. 

 pal. Faun. p. 1082) . 



Falco naumanni pekinensis (Swinhoe), P. Z. S. 1870, 

 p. 442 : Pekin. 



The type of this race is a particularly dark individual shot 

 near Pekin on 18 .x . 6^, and is in freshly-moulted plumage. 

 Its mantle can lie matched by others in similar plumage 

 from Europe. But it is remarkable in having the whole of 

 the metacarpal joint and upper wing-coverts Ijlue. In the 

 original description of this race the wing-coverts are 

 described as grey " right up to the scapulars." This, and 

 not the colour of the mantle, seems to be the best test of the 

 race. 



In the Tring collection are four winter birds from South 

 Africa and Masailand which show more blue in the wing 

 than is found among European birds, but which are certainly 

 not typical pekinensis though labelled as such. They are 

 probably Turkestan or Palestine breeding birds. In the 

 British Museum, in addition to the type, are the following 

 birds which I ascribe to pekinensis : — 



(j' Pekiu August. 



■i 6 6 Nepal undated. 



cJ Cachar undated. 



(5 W. CiKxst India Feb. 



cJ liuclaiow Feb. 



J Diuapur Maicli. 



(S Assam undated. 



2 (S d Dibiugur March. 



(5 Naivaslui March. 



J S. Abyssiuia Oct. 



J Cape Colony undated. 



