COTILE SHELLEY I, Sharpe. 



EGYPTIAN SAND-MARTIN. 



Cotijle mtoralis, Hempr. & Ehr. MSS. ; Licht. Nomeiicl. Mas, Berol. p. 01 (1854: 



clescr. nulla). 

 Cotyle riparia (nee L.), Swinh. Ibis, 1864, p. 414; E. C. Taylor, Ibis, 1867, p. 57 ; 



Shelley, B. Egypt, p. 124 (1872). 

 Cof'de shelleiji, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. ]\Ius. x. p. 100 (1885). 



C. similis C. riparice, et subalaribus brunneis, sed valde minor. Alii 4-35 poll. 



Hub. in Africa septentrionali-orientali. 



Adult male. Similar to C. riparia, but paler and much smaller. Total length 4"1 inches^ culincu 0'3, 

 wing 3".jj, tail I'Go, tarsus 0"35. 



Hah. North-eastern Africa : Upper Egypt to the Red Sea coast. 



The Egyptian Sand-Martin seems to constitute a permanently small race of the Coininon 

 Sand-Martin. It is a much smaller bird, somewhat lighter than the generality of tlic 

 specimens of C. riparia, and with a narrower band on the chest. Dr. Sharpe named tlir 

 species Cotile shelleyi, in honour of Captain G. E. Shelley, Avho has written the standard 

 work on Egyptian Ornithology ; but Dr. Eeichenow has pointed out that the Egyptian 

 Sand-Martin is really Cotile Uf f oralis of Hemp rich and Ehrenberg from the Argo Islands. 

 of which no description was ever published. The name has generally been referred to 

 Cotile minor of Cabanis, l)ut the typical specimens in the Berlin Museum sliow that it 

 belongs properly to the form described by Sharpe as C. shelleiji. 



Captain Shelley says : — "This bird arrives in Egypt \\\ great abundance in ]\Larch, 

 and towards the end of April commences breeding in colonies in the banks of the river 

 side. It is extremely partial to the neighbourhood of water, and may I)l- t'lmslanlly seen 

 skimming over the surface in its graceful flight, at times just touehim;- llie suifacc 

 sufficiently to raise; a slight ripple or dashing rapidly after its mate in ilic cxnlicranci' df 

 its spirits." 



Dr. Jolui Anderson, during a recent visit to Egy[)t, very kindly inlereslml liimscif 

 in the matter of the Saml-Martins, and induced some of liis friends to colleel specinicns, 

 so that the British Museum has lalelv received from (.'idonel Edt-vir Larkim;' scvi'ral 



