300 MR. R.B. SHARPE ON ETHIOPIAN HIRUNDINIDE. [May 12, 
Now, although there are evident differences in the two birds, I do 
not think it well to give a separate name to the northern bird, as 
there are already so many of these races in Africa which have 
received distinct appellations, and, as far as my experience goes, this 
practice has caused much confusion. 
As I remark hereafter, I believe that Dr. Finsch was not quite 
correct in assigning a specimen brought home by Mr. Jesse from 
Abyssinia to the present species. 
5. CoTyLEe RUPESTRIS. 
Cotyle rupestris (Scop.); Brehm, Journ. f. Orn. 1853, p. 452 ; 
Mill. Journ. f. Orn. 1855, p. 5; Tristr. Ibis, 1867, p. 368; 
Heugl. Orn. N.-O. Afr. p. 163 (1869); Blanf. Zool. Abyss. p. 350 
(1870). 
Above pale greyish brown, darker on the head; wing-coverts and 
quills dark brown, showing in some lights a faint greenish gloss ; 
tail very dark brown, the two middle and two outermost tail-feathers 
unspotted, the others with an oval white spot on the inner web; 
throat and breast buffy white, the former thickly marked with small 
spots of brown, the rest of the under surface of the body rather dark 
brown with a tinge of buff throughout ; under wing- and tail-coverts 
very dark brown, edged at the tip with fulvous white ; bill black ; 
feet light brown. Total length 5:3 inches, wing 5:1, tail 1-8. 
Hab. N.E. Africa. Rare in Egypt (Brehm); Abyssinia, Senafé 
(Blanford). 
The above description is taken from a European specimen, and 
must not be too implicitly relied on for exact correspondence with 
the bird from North-eastern Africa, But I described a specimen of 
true C. rupestris advisedly, inasmuch as I am not convinced as to 
the absolute specific identity of the form occurring in Africa with 
that which occurs in Southern Europe. On the contrary, my 
belief is that, like C. fuligula, there are two subspecies of C. ru- 
pestris—one the true C. rupestris from Southern Europe, the other 
a diminutive subspecies, darker in plumage altogether, occurring in 
North-eastern Africa (Blanford), probably Egypt (Addams), Pales- 
tine certainly (Zristram), India probably (Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. 
p- 166), and certainly China (Swinhoe). The probability of the 
correct identification of the Indian and Egyptian birds depends on 
future observation ; but I have myself examined specimens from the 
other localities. Mr. Blanford’s Abyssinian bird, shot near Senafé, 
at an elevation of 7500 feet, belonged certainly to the small race of 
C. rupestris, and I could not distinguish it from others in the 
British Museum. 
The bird which Dr. Finsch identified in Mr. Jesse’s collection as 
Cotyle fuligula does not really belong to that bird or to its northern 
subspecies, but to the small race of C. rupestris. It has spots on 
the throat, and is exactly similar to a bird in Lord Walden’s col- 
lection from Jericho. I very much question the occurrence of true 
Cotyle fuligula away from Southern Africa; and therefore I think 
that the bird thus named by Verreaux from Nubia (Hartl. J. f. O. 
