90 RUFOUS SWALLOW. 



describe as a European species the H. alpestris of Pallas, and iden- 

 tify it with. H. rufula. Schinz, following Temminck, confounds H. 

 rufula with H. capensis ; while Degland, in his " Ornithologie 

 Europeenne," in 1849, describes the male bird with the omission of 

 the important character of the termination in black of the inferior 

 tail coverts I but for the female he again falls back, and gives a 

 description of S. capensis, in which mistake he is followed by M. 

 Crespon, in the "Faune Meridionale." 



Gould figures H. senegalensis for H. rufula. Lesson, in his "Traite 

 Ornithologie," 1831, confounds rufula with both senegalensis and 

 capensis. Eiippell figures H. melanocrissa for the first time, in 1845, 

 in his " Systematische Ubersicht der Vogels Nord-Ost Africa;" and 

 Bonaparte at once claims this bird as H. rufula. After which we 

 cannot wonder that Blyth, Sykes, Hodgson, and Gray should more 

 or less have confounded its synonymes. 



M. de Selys-Longchamps has removed all this confusion by an 

 admirable memoir upon the Swallows, in the work which I have 

 referred to in the specific characters. I am indebted to this memoir 

 for most of what I have to say about H. rufula. 



The Rufous Swallow has been observed in Greece, on the Italian 

 shores of the Mediterranean, and in the south of France. It is not 

 observed in the two latter countries commonly, but accidentally on 

 its passage in April or May, in couples or flocks more or less large. 

 It has been frequently observed in Sicily. At Messina, according to 

 Luigi Benoit and Cantraine, it was common in 18o2. The Marquis 

 Durazzo has recorded its appearance at Genoa; M. Crespon, at Nimes; 

 M. Jaubert, at Marseilles. According to Lunel it nested in the 

 neighbourhood of Avignon, in 1845 and 1846. He describes the 

 eggs as white, with small reddish spots and points, which formed a 

 zone at the greater end, which indicates that he did not get the 

 e^g of H. daurica. M. Jaubert has also observed it at Montj)ellier, 

 and M. Malherbe in the Cote-d'or and the Drome. 



Salvadori (Fauna d'ltalia) writes of this bird: — "Rare in Italy, but 

 nearly every year some individuals are taken in Liguria. Also it is 

 not very rare near Messina. Benoit says that in 18o2 a great many 

 birds of this species were confounded during the passage with the 

 Common Swallow. Savi records one individual taken in Tuscany, 

 where this Swallow was seen before he observed its being figured in 

 Gerini's "Storia degli Uccelli." In the Museum of Turin there is a 

 specimen which was taken in the neighbourhood of that city on 

 May 2nd., 1832, According to Wright, it is rare in Malta. It has 

 been observed by Heuglin in Egypt, Nubia, and high parts of 



