^°!'oi^7^''] MxTHKWS, Some Seio Austraiian Birxls. l8l 



bird, but it deserves record in case the species may be extending 

 its range, though I confess I have no facts at present that this 

 is so. 



Another addition is 



Collocalia fuciphaga. 



A small Svviftlet procured by Mr. Robin Kemp at Cape York, 

 Queensland, was not viewed with much favour, and laid aside 

 for future consideration. A few months ago it was observed 

 to differ from the known Queensland form, and, having little 

 knowledge of this dilificult group, but considering the differences 

 merited a sub-specific term, I diagnosed it under the name 

 Collocalia francica yorki. Upon re -examination I found the 

 differences cumulative, and 1 thereupon made further study. The 

 full results will appear in my " Birds of Australia " ; but here I 

 may state that the bird was referable to a distinct species — 

 fuciphaga, not francica — and, further, that u|) till a couple of 

 years ago tii>o species were confused under the name fuciphaga. 

 My blunder may thus receive excuse when I record just a few of 

 the experts' results in connection with this species. 



In 1906 Oberholser reviewed the species, and admitted three 

 sub-species and a distinct species. In 1912 he again revised the 

 species and now admitted ten sub-species, reducing the aforesaid 

 species to sub-specific rank. He writes : — " Although the differ- 

 ences between the several races are apparently slight, they are 

 reasonably constant, for individual variation is not great." 



Stresemann {Verhandl. Ornith. Gesellsch. Bavern, bd. xii.. 

 Heft I., pp. 1-12, Mai 15, 1914) reconsidered the matter, and 

 showed two species were confused, and of fuciphaga alone he 

 admitted ten sub-species. Though separating sub-species from 

 small groups of islands, New Guinea birds were classed under two 

 sub-specific names only — C. fuciphaga hirundinacea, Stresemann, 

 being proposed for Western New, Guinea birds, and C. f. vani- 

 korensis, ex Quoy and Gaimard, being used, following Oberholser, 

 for specimens for East New Guinea, Louisiades, Santa Cruz, New 

 Hebrides, &c. Quoy and Gaimard (Voy. de I'Astrol. : Zool., vol. i., 

 J). 206) proposed Hirundo vanikorcnsis for a Vanikoro bird. 

 Vanikoro is one of the Santa Cruz group, and the bird was figured 

 on pi. xii.. fig. 5. No specimens from this group are availalile, 

 and had no figure been gi\'en I should not ha\'e concluded the 

 name was applicable to this species, as Quoy and (iaimard wrote : 

 — ''Hirundo, toto corpore nigro .... cauda longa. 

 . . . . Petite espece .... remarcpiable par la longueur 

 de sa queue .... toute noire en dessus." The bird is 

 not black. It is interesting to note that Thunberg's descn])tion 

 reads — " Su])ra atra .... cauda rotund;) t a " ; but again 

 the figure given shows this species. 



Ogilvie-Grant (/i/.s. Jubilee Suppl., No. 2, Dec i()i3) cuuliuued 

 the use of C. f. vanikorcnsis for South-Wcst New Guinea speci- 

 mens, but added a new sub-s])ecies of Collocalia hirundinacea — 



13 



