3 
to have ever occurred in South Germany. In Asia Minor, however, it is tolerably common, and 
breeds near Smyrna. In Palestine it is stated by Canon Tristram to be the common Swallow of 
the Holy Land, being most abundant throughout the country, both in the plains, the Ghor, and 
the hills after the middle of March. It occurs in North-east Africa, but does not appear to 
be very common. Captain Shelley writes (B. of Egypt, p. 122):—*it ranges throughout Egypt 
and Nubia, but is of rare occurrence. Towards the end of March I constantly saw a pair 
flying over a marsh near Damietta,and on the 30th of that month obtained one of them.” 
Von Heuglin writes (Orn. N.O.-Afr. p. 158):—“ Dr. A. E. Brehm only met with this species. 
once in Nubia, on the 3rd April 1850 at Ibrim, and another time in Egypt in company with 
Chimney-Swallows. I observed it in about the same locality at Der; and on the 9th April near 
Anaho, on the western slope of the Abyssinian highlands.” Mr. Blanford shot two specimens at 
Koomaylee in February ; but it appears to be rather rare in Abyssinia. In North-west Africa it 
is stated by Loche to be of extremely rare occurrence in Algeria; but he cites no instance of its 
capture, and it is by no means proved that it really has occurred there. 
It is rather difficult to trace the precise range of the present species in Asia, as it there 
meets a closely allied form, differing from the European bird in having the underparts very 
distinctly striated, the rump being much darker and redder, the back being pure steely blackish, 
without any markings, and the black on the crown joins that on the back, the red collar not 
extending round the neck; and the eastern bird is also smaller in size. This eastern form is 
generally considered to be the true Hirundo daurica of Linneus; but there appears to be some 
doubt as to whether Linnzeus described the eastern or the western form under that name, and it 
is probably as well, if not better, known by the name of Hirundo erythropygia, Sykes. Looking 
at the uncertainty as to what Linneus’s bird really was, I have preferred to use the name of 
Hirundo rufula, by which it is perhaps best known, for the present species, as there is no doubt 
as to the bird described by Temminck being the western form. 
So far as I can with certainty say, the present species ranges as far east as Turkestan. 
Mr. R. B. Sharpe certainly stated (P. Z.S. 1870, p. 314) that he had in his collection a specimen 
from Dauria identical with others from Palestine; but this is a mistake, unavoidable on the part 
of Mr. Sharpe; for although the specimen was labelled by M. Verreaux as being from Dauria, it 
really came from Turkestan. The bird in question passed into my possession; and I find that, 
fortunately, M. Verreaux has left a small original label still attached, and on this I find, written 
in Russian, that it was shot near Karatau, in Turkestan. Doubtless M. Verreaux had received 
it with other birds, amongst which some were probably from Dauria, and, not being able to 
decipher the Russian label, took it for granted that it also came from Dauria, where, so far as I 
can gather, the eastern form, and not the present one, is found. 
Hirundo rufula is found in Persia; but Mr. Blanford says that he only met with it in 
Southern Persia and part of Baluchistan. It was, he states, more common near Shiraz than 
elsewhere, and he never met with it further to the north. I possess one of the specimens 
collected by Mr. Blanford, and find that it agrees closely with European-killed examples of 
H. rufula. Severtzoff (Turk. Jevotnie, p. 67) says that the present species is found throughout 
Turkestan, and breeds throughout the country at an altitude of from 4000 to 6000 feet. As 
above stated, I possess one specimen from Karatau precisely similar to our Huropean bird. 
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