384 Notes and Newe. (a^ 



Club, VII, 1882, pp. 182-183), cited at some length by Ridgway (he. 

 cit., p. 707, footnote) and so, of course, familiar to Mr. Griscom, though 

 ignored by him. This need not be dwelt upon further here, but I do wish 

 to point out that there have also been published papers of my own ('Auk,' 

 Vol. XXIX, 1912, pp. 241-242; Univ. Cahf. Publ. Zool., Vol. XXIV, 1922, 

 pp. 222-223), giving facts that are in contradiction to Mr. Griscom 's 

 opinions on sexual variation in this species. 



Of the series of Black Swifts in this Museum I have myself shot and dis- 

 sected twenty-eight specimens. Briefly, my assertion is that I have col- 

 lected females of the Black Swift {Nephoecetes niger borealis) which in 

 color and in lack of white markings ventrally are indistinguishable from 

 adult males. 1 have talked on this subject with Major Allan Brooks, 

 who has collected many more specimens of this Swift than I have, and he 

 had long been familiar with the fact that some females lack any white- 

 tipped feathers on the lower parts. 



It seems then that three men who have themselves shot and dissected 

 a number of these Swifts (and there are not many who are familiar with 

 the species) are agreed that the (presumably fully mature) female is 

 indistinguishable from the adult male. Surely this is evidence suflScient 

 to establish this statement as a fact. 



Harry S. Swarth. 



University of California, 



Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. 



February 13, 1924. 



