liii [Vol. x. 



the breeding-plumage of the species, with the tufts of white 

 filamentous plumes above the eyes. The young birds had 

 formerly been described as Phalacrocorax glaucus, but 

 specimens in intermediate stages of plumage in the Tring 

 Museum showed that P. glaucus and P. chalconotus were 

 identical. 



Mr. Rothschild exhibited specimens of the Balkan Shore- 

 Lark {Otocorys balcanica) . 



He also exhibited a specimen of a young bird of Urubi- 

 tinga urubitinga, which had been captured by Mr. Andre at a 

 distance of 200 yards inside the great cave of the Steatornis, 

 at Caripe in Venezuela. 



Mr. Ernst Hartert described a new Spine-tailed Swift 

 as follows : — 



ChjEtura thomensis, sp. n. 



This remarkable new species of Chatura is smaller than 

 all the other African species, and the wings, though fully as 

 long as those of Chcetura sabinei, are much narrower, softer, 

 and weaker. It is doubtless the bird mentioned by Mr. 

 Newton, of Lisbon, as Ch. cassini, but no specimen appears 

 to have been procured by him. Ch. cassini is much larger, 

 and has a much shorter and stiffer tail than Ch. thumensis, 

 and Ch. sabinei has a much broader wing, and its under 

 and upper tail-coverts are so much elongated as to 

 cover the rectrices above and below, while in Ch. thomensis 

 they leave nearly 2 cm. above and about 1 cm. below 

 uncovered. 



Ch. thomensis is black above, including the wings and tail, 

 with greenish and steel-blue reflections. Throat and breast 

 dull greyish black, without gloss. Abdomen white, with dull 

 black shaft-lines to the feathers. Upper and under tail- 

 coverts white, with broad black shaft-streaks ; the longest 

 upper tail-coverts almost entirely brownish black. Underwing- 

 coverts black. Total length about 105 mm. (from tip of bill 



