by Mr. Claude Grunt in Suuth Africa. 431 



3G9. HiRUNDO ALBIGULAIIIS. 



Tv. Wakkerstroom, Mch. 2 and 4- (2) ; Pietersburj^, 

 Feb. 23 (1). 



[This sj)ecies is also migratory, arriving and departing 

 about the same time as the European Swallow. Besides the 

 localities at which specimens were secured^ I have noted it 

 in Zululand (Sept. 1904), and on the Zambesi at Tetc (Sept. 

 1907), while a single pair were seen near Beira in Oct. 1906, 

 where they intended to nest on the supports of a railway 

 water-tank, but were disturbed by natives and left the locality. 

 The flight is swift and somewhat straighter than that of 

 other Swallows, and is usually close over the surface of the 

 ground. 



The soft parts are : — Irides hazel ; bill, legs and toes 

 black.] 



371. rilRUNDO ATROC^RULEA. 



Z. Sibudeni, Oct. 26, Nov. 14, 25 (4) ; Jususie Valley, 

 Dec. 2 (1) ; Tv. Woodbush Hills, Nov. 3, 8 (4). 



This is one of the rarest of Swallows in collections, and 

 the present series is not only a valuable addition to the 

 British jNIuseum, bat considerably extends the known range 

 of the bird. 



There were formerly four examples only of this bird in 

 the British Museum, all from Natal, so that the known range 

 is now extended north to Zululand and the North-Eastern 

 Transvaal. 



Four of the "Grant^^ examples are marked as females, and 

 differ noticeably from the others, which are all marked males, 

 in their much duller and less metallic coloration, especially on 

 the lower surface, as well as in the absence of elongation of 

 the outer tail-feathers. These average 145 mm. in the males, 

 while in the females they average 70. I therefore suspect 

 that the sexes differ, contrary to the general rule in the family. 

 It is, of course, possible that the birds marked female may all 

 be juvenile, but it docs not seem very likely. 



Of the four examples already in the British Museum 

 Collection, only one, Wahlberg^s cotype, is sexed. This is 



