598 



myself failed to distinguish among them a single C. pallidus, whilst near Casa Vieja, towards 

 Vejer, where I conjecture they nest, the Murine Swift, as I should term it, was in May the most 

 common species, flying in company with C. apus, and at times all three European Swifts were to 

 be seen hawking about together. The Pallid or Murine Swift is easily distinguished on the 

 wing by its light colour; and when flying about in company with the common Swift this 

 difference in colour is strikingly apparent." Besides Spain I know of no European country 

 from which it has been recorded, except Malta, where it has only quite recently been met with ; 

 and both Mr. C. A. Wright and Captain Feilden have sent me specimens obtained in that island. 

 Mr. C. A. Wright says (Ibis, 1874, p.- 226), "undoubted examples of this Swift have been 

 taken in Malta in May of the present year. Captain Feilden procured one in the market on the 

 18th; and I obtained another at Salini on the 27th. Both specimens were females, and in good 

 condition. In mine the ovary was beginning to enlarge. He observed a bird on the 13th, which 

 must have belonged to this species, in company with common Swifts; and, on the wing, it 

 reminded him of a large Land-Martin. I am nearly certain that I have shot this light-coloured 

 Swift before ; and one occasion especially recurs to my memory ; this was in August, when I 

 killed several out of a large flock on Fort-Manuel Island. Unfortunately I did not preserve any, 

 mistaking them for the young of C. apus. Little doubt now remains on my mind that Cypselus 

 pallidus visits us, both in spring and autumn, and is probably a regular migrant to and from 

 Southern Europe. Considering it is common in Egypt, and has been obtained in Tangier by 

 Major Irby (Ibis, 1870, p. 445, and Shelley's ' Birds of Egypt,' 1872, p. 172), it would be rather 

 curious if we did not find it here ; and a further search may possibly demonstrate the fact of its 

 breeding in this island." 



In North-east Africa it appears to be very common ; and I have little doubt that many 

 records of so-called Cypselus apus in North-east Africa really refer to the present species. 

 Captain Shelley writes (B. of Egypt, p. 172): — "This species is very abundant throughout 

 Egypt and Nubia. It has long been included in the Egyptian lists as C. apus, from which, 

 however, it differs in its rather smaller size, whiter tbroat, and general paler coloration, which 

 latter character suggested to me the name C. pallidus as appropriate when I first described it." 

 It was not breeding up to the beginning of May, when Captain Shelley last shot it. Von 

 Heuglin states that he observed it in Nubia, and considers it identical with C. apus — a view 

 in which I cannot participate. I have an undoubted specimen of this bird from the Bogos 

 country, collected by Von Heuglin; and I think it probable that the species referred to by 

 Mr. Blanford (Geol. & Zool. of Abyss, p. 335) as C. apus is the present species. He states 

 that " in the Anseba valley many appeared at the end of July." 



I have no data respecting its occurrence in North-west Africa, excepting from Colonel Irby, 

 who informs me that, " according to Favier, it arrives near Tangier during April and May, and 

 is the most scarce of the Hirundinidae. Olcese, the Tangier naturalist, says they arrive earlier 

 than C. apus; but this is contrary to my observations, as I never noticed any on the Andalucian 

 side sooner than the first week in April." 



Mr. Godman met with it in Madeira and the Canaries, and says (Ibis, 1872, p. 170) that 

 " it is rather remarkable that in Madeira both this species and Cypselus unicolor are said to be 

 stationary throughout the year, while in the Canaries they leave in autumn and return in 



