COTILE DILUTA, sp. n. 



PALE SAND-MAETIX. 



Cotile riparia, pt, auot. ex Asia central!. 



C. similis C. riparim, sed ubique dilutior et torque praepectorali vix obvio. 



Hab. in Asia centrali. 



Adult male. Similar to C. i-iparia, but very much paler brown above, and the tliroat-band also verv 

 light brown and overshaded with ashy, so that the collar is not distinct. Total length 48 inches, 

 culmen 0"4, wing 3'85, tail 1"8, tarsus 0"-i. 



Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length 4"6 inches, culmen 0'4, wing 4"0o, tail r95, tarsus O'i. 



Hab. The neighbourhood of Tashkend in Central Asia. 



The late Dr. Taczanowski, in his ' Faune Ornithologique de la Siberia Orientale,' states 

 that Mr. Jansko^vski, the well-known explorer of Russian Mantchuria, procured five 

 examples of a Sand-Martin on the Sideuii River, close to the frontier between Ussuri 

 Laud acd China, and not far from Vladiowstock : they were obtained by him towards 

 the end of May. In the description of the species, whicli he refers to C. saie/isis, 

 Dr. Taczanowski distinctly speaks of a pectoral band, which, he says, is less j^ronounccd iu 

 the Ussuri bird than in C. riparia. As is seen in our ' Key ' to the species of Cotile, 

 C. riparia and C. sinensis belong to two different sections of the genus, and as Ave 

 entertained great doubt as to Dr. Taczanowski's identification, we wrote to our Irieml 

 Mr. Stolzmauu, who very kindly sent over the specimens in question. We hud them 

 to be absolutely typical C. riparia, not even C. diluta (as we expected), and they 

 certainlv have nothimi- to do with C. chinensis. 



Of the pale race of C. riparia, which we propose to call C. diluta, \\c have seen 

 two specimens collected by the late Dr. Severtzotf, and sent to the Natural History 

 Museum by Dr. I'leske. These birds were collected by Dr. Severtzolf on the Kadam 

 River, near the fortress of Tchemkent. They have much the appearance of ('. sinfnsi.'<, 

 as the throat-band is very indistinct and is shaded with silvery grey; but the liand is 

 absolutely represented, and in order to avoid all doubt as to flu' r.'lalidiis ol' the sp(\-ics, 

 we may add that the development of the tarsal tuft proves that it is a lorni of ('. riimria 

 and does not belong to the C. sinensis group. 



Of the winter range of this species we have little or no knowledge. Tlic W'w 

 specimens in the British Museum which seem to belong to the Tale Saud-^Marliu are 



