HIRUNDO NIGRITA, Gray. 



WHITE-GORGETED SWALLOW. 



Rirundo nigrita, Gray, Gen. B. i. pi. iO (1845) ; id. Cat. Eissir. Biit. Mus. p. 27 



(1848) ; Allen & Thorns. Exped. Niger, ii. p. 498 (1848) ; Cass. Cat. Hirund. Miis. 



Philad. Acad. p. 3 (1853) ; HartL J. f. O. 1855, p. 360 ; Cass. Proc. Pliilad. Acad. 



1859, p. 33 ; DuClmillu, Equat. Afr. p. 472 (1862) ; Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 71, 



no. 829 (1869) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds in Brit. Mus. x. p. 148 (1885). 

 Atticora nigrita, Bp. Consp. i. p. 337 (1853) ; Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 25 (1857). 

 Waldenia nigrita, Sharpe, Ibis, 1869, p. 461 ; id. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 304 ; id. Cat. Afr. 



B. p. 45 (1871) ; Beichen. J. f. O. 1875, p. 21 ; Sharpe & Bouvier, Bnll. Soc. Zool. 



France, i. p. 38 (1876); Socage, Orn. Angola, p. 188 (1877); Oust. Xouv. Arch. 



Mus. (2) ii. p. 96 (1879) ; De Rochebr. Faune Seneg., Ois. p. 217 (1884) ; Biittikofer, 



Notes Leyd. Mus. vii. p. 157 (1885). 

 Ftijoprogne nigrita, Oast. Bull. Soc. Philom. (7) i. p. 106 (1877). 

 Atticora fasciata, Forbes, Ibis, 1883, p. 503. 



H. ubique indigotico-nigra ; plaga gulari alba; reetricilxis omnibus, iiicdlis cxccptis, macula uiagna 

 alba ornatis. 



Huh. in Africa occidentali. 



Adult. Above glossy purplish blue, with a concealed patch of silky white on tlie sides of the lower back ; 

 chin dusky ; throat white ; rest of under surface of body purplish blue, i)ut a little duller tlian 

 the back ; tail-feathers distinctly washed with dark blue above, brownish black below, with tlie 

 greater part of tlie inner web white : " bill and feet black ; iris dark brown " i Rric'iciioir;. Total 

 length i'l) Indies, culmen 0'35, wing 4'.'3, tail 1'6, tarsus 0"35. 



Yoiiny. Dusky purplish blue, the white throat-spot not (piite so large; tail scjiiare or only slightly forked, 

 and the white spots on the inner web small and oval. 



-Mr. lUittikofer states that the white tliroat-spol is present even in wry young s|ii ciiiieus, 

 though mixed with a few fulvous featliers ; they arc' also said l)y the same obscrM-r to he greyish 

 brown above. " In two not fnlly adull s[ieeiniens, both males, the chest, sides of ixidy. and under 

 tail-coverts are already steel-blue, the abdomen ehoeolatc-brown." 



Hdh. "West Africa, alouif the rivers from TJberia to the Congo. 



Ox the coast-region of West Africa tlie most westerly raiiLrc eif the Whilc-LKirgcli'd 

 Swallow ajijiears to be Liberia, where it was iiicl with by Mr. I'.iiM ikMicr. wli.i writes: — 

 " These line Swallows arc found along the huger rivers ixisiicdiu Lilicria. Tlicy can 



