Mr. Selby's Notice qfCypselus alpinus, 8^c. 291 



No. XXVI. — Notice of Cypselus alpinus, and Mergus ciicuUatus. — By 

 P. J. Selby, Esq., F. R. S. E., ^c. ^c. ^c. 



Read, March 21, 1831.' 



As acquisitions to the British Fauna, in whatever department, are at all 

 times interesting to the naturalist, I make no apology for laying before 

 the Society a short notice of two birds, both new to Britain, one of 

 which is entitled to be placed immediately upon the list of our birds, 

 as an occasional visitant, and the other, I hope, will be proved, during 

 the course of the ensuing summer, a regular periodical visitant upon 

 the southern coast of the sister island. The first I shall mention is the 

 Cypselus alpinus, of Temminck (Alpine Swift), a bird well known up- 

 on the Continent, in Switzerland and other mountainous countries, as 

 well as upon the rocky coasts of the Mediterranean. A specimen of 

 this bird was lately sent to me by William Sinclaire, Esq., of Belfast, 

 and was shot by an acquaintance of his within eight miles of the south 

 coast of Ireland, on his passage from the West Indies to the port of 

 Belfast. This gentleman further informed him, that some of the pilots, 

 belonging to Cape Clear, on board his vessel at the time, appeared to 

 know it, and at once gave it the name of the Cape Thrush. Mr. Sin- 

 claire then proceeds to observe, " that from the period of the year at 

 which the specimen was obtained, viz., midsummer, and from the na- 

 tives of the coast appearing to have a knowledge of the bird, I am in- 

 clined to think, that it may possibly be found there during the period 

 of incubation, especially as the locality would agree with the habitat 

 assigned it by Temminck, who says, it is found in abundance along the 

 rocky coast of the Mediterranean." In this supposition I readily con- 

 cur, knowing the restricted localities to which certain species confine 

 themselves, as exemplified in the Pied Fly catcher, Lesser Whitethroat, 

 VOL. I. R r 



