310 MR.R.B. SHARPE ON ETHIOPIAN HIRUNDINID&. [May 12, 
Swainson gives no definite locality for his specimen, though we 
may conclude it is from Senegal, like most of his other West-Afri- 
can birds. It does not seem to have occurred there, however, from 
the record of other collectors, and the three localities mentioned 
above are the only ones that can positively be depended upon. 
It is a pretty little species, closely allied to H. dimidiata, Sund., 
with which Grill (Zool. Anteck. p. 36) seems to have confounded 
it ; but it may always be distinguished by the conspicuous white 
alar bar, and the white on the tail. 
8. HiruNbDo DIMIDIATA. 
Hirundo dimidiata, Sundev. @fv. Kongl. V. Ak. Stockh. 1850, 
p- 107; Hartl. Ibis, 1862, p. 144; Layard, B. of S. Afr. p. 56 
(1867); Chapm. Trav. in S. Afr. ii. p. 410 (1868); Layard, Ibis, 
1869, p. 72; Gray, Hand-l. of B. i. p. 71 (1869). 
Hirundo scapularis, Cass. Proc. Acad. Phil. v. pl. 12 (1850) ; 
ad. Cat. Hirund. Phil. Acad. p. 2 (1853). 
Hemicecrops dimidiata, Bonap. Rivist. Contemp. Torin. 1857, p.4. 
Hemicecrops scapularis, Bonap. Rivist. Contemp. Torin. 1857, p. 4. 
Hirundo leucosoma, Grill, Zool. Anteckn. p. 36 (1858, nec Sw.). 
Adult. Above purplish blue; quills brownish black, grey on the 
inner web, the innermost of the greater wing-coverts white, forming 
a white spot, which, however, is generally concealed by the scapu- 
laries ; occasionally in very old birds a small white spot also appears 
on the innermost secondaries; tail brownish black, without any 
spots, glossed on the upper surface with dark blue, with a faint 
greenish lustre; entire under surface silky white, having in some 
specimens a certain woolly appearance, greyish in certain lights; on 
each side of the upper part of the breast a patch of dark blue 
feathers ; bill black, feet brown. ‘Total length 5°5 inches, wing 4:2, 
tail 2°6, tarsus 0°4. 
Young. Not nearly so bright above, and more distinctly tinged 
with greenish ; the white spot on the greater wing-coverts either 
absent altogether, or, when present, of a dull greyish colour and 
very little developed. 
Though belonging to the same section of the’genus Hirundo ; the 
present bird is certainly quite distinct from H. leuwcosoma, Sw., as 
it has no white on the tail-feathers, whereas the latter species has the 
greater part of the inner web white, as in H. lucida. We may re- 
gard these Swallows as showing a slight aberration from true Hi- 
rundo and inclining to Waldenia, which is also a short-tailed Swal- 
low ; and in its turn Waldenia leads to Progne. 
The late Mr. Cassin named this bird scapularis; and from the 
figure given (/. ¢.) it would seem as if it really possessed white 
scapulars, but this is a misnomer ; for on none of the true scapulars 
does this white appear. When I first began this paper I had very 
few specimens of Hirundo dimidiata for comparison ; but through 
the kindness of Mr. Layard and Mr. Surtees I have recently had 
several in all stages of plumage from apparently the young bird, 
when no trace of the white patch can be discerned, up to the very old 
