1870.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON ETHIOPIAN HIRUNDINID&. 299 
4, CorTyLE FULIGULA. 
LI’ Hirondelle fauve, Levaill. Ois. d’ Afr. v. p. 156, pl. 246. 
Hirundo fuligula, Licht. in Forst. Descr. Anim. p. 55 (1844); 
Grill, Zool. Anteckn. p. 36 (1858). 
Cotyle fuligula, Gray, Gen. of B. i. p. 60 (1845); éd. Cat. Fiss. 
Brit. Mus. p. 29 (1848); Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. 1. p. 342 (1850) ; 
Cab. Mus. Hein. Th. i. p. 164 (1850); Cass. Cat. Hirund. Phil. 
Acad. p. 12 (1853); Sundev. Crit. om Levaill. p. 52 (1857); Mull. 
Journ. f. Orn. 1855, p. 5; Hartl. Orn. Westafr. p. 28 (1857); 
Hartl. Journ. f. Orn. 1861, p. 103; Layard, Birds of S. Afr. p. 57 
(1867); Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. 1868, p. 40; Heugl. Orn. N.-O. Afr. 
i. p. 164 (1869); Gray, Hand-l. of B. i. p. 73 (1869). 
Hirundo hyemalis, Forst. Descr. Anim. p. 55 (1844). 
Above dark greyish brown, having a faint olive-green gloss in cer- 
tain lights, paler on the rump and upper tail-coverts, the shafts of 
latter being distinctly marked ; wing-coverts dark brown, with the 
same olive-green gloss as the back in some lights ; quills dark brown, 
grey underneath ; tail rather paler brown, all the feathers except the 
two centre ones having a conspicuous white spot on the inner web, 
this being exceedingly small or sometimes wanting altogether on the 
outermost rectrix; lores dark blackish brown; entire throat and 
breast deep fulvous; flanks and abdomen dark brown tinged with 
fulvous; under wing-coverts fulvous; bill and feet black. Total 
length 5°7 inches, wing 5:3, tail 2-0. 
Hab. South Africa (Layard) ; Damara Land (Andersson) ; Angola 
(Henderson) ; Abyssinia (Mus. Brit.) ; Nubia (Verreaur). 
When fully adult there is no mistaking this species, the deep 
fulvous throat, in some specimens quite rufous, and the general 
robust form of the bird being quite sufficient to distinguish it from 
all the African species of Cotyle. The absence of spots on the throat 
serve to separate it from C. rupestris, with which I have every reason 
to believe it has been confounded by some writers. Inthe Cape Colony 
it would appear to be not uncommon. I have a specimen in my col- 
lection, obtained by the late Mr. C. J. Andersson at Daviep in Da- 
mara Land ; and it has been obtained by Signor Anchieta at Biballa. 
There are certainly two distinct subspecies of the present bird, a 
northern and a southern form, the latter of course being the true C. 
fuligula. The British Museum also contains several specimens from 
N.E. Africa. But I cannot agree that the two forms from Southern 
and North-eastern Africa are positively identical. The Abyssinian sub- 
species is always smaller and darker. The following table gives the 
measurements of six specimens, amongst which are those of two birds 
in the British Museum from the last-named locality :— 
Total 
length. Wing. Tail. 
1. Cotyle fuligula. Abyssinia........ 52 48 2°2 
7 Saar aa copier Beene 5 4'6 2°2 
See An cf South Africa .... 6°0 5°2 272 
oe Ss 3 » Mecca d, 53 2°25 
bide oi fs ayer any 5°3 2°2 
bg"; a Damara Land.... 5°'8 5:0 2°25 
