[ *9° ] 



Mofif. Adanfon like wife mentions 1 that the fhip's company 

 caught a Roller on the 26th of April, which he fuppofes was 011 

 its paflage to Europe, though he was then within fight of the 

 coaft of Senegal : this bird, however, muft be admitted not to 

 have had fufficient ftrength to reach the firft ft age of this round- 

 about journey, and was therefore probably forced out to fea by a 

 ftrong wind, in paffing from head-land to head-land. 



But I muft not difmifs what hath been obferved with regard to 

 the fwallows feen by Monf. Adanfon at Senegal k , without en- 

 deavouring alfo to anfwer what M. de Buffon hath not only in- 



5 Voyage au Senegal, p. 15. 



k Since this effay was printed in the Philofophical Tranfactions, I have 

 had an opportunity of examining the Planches Enluminees, which are 

 faid to be publifhed under the infpedtion of M. de Buffon, and which 

 feem to afford a demonftration of M. Adanfon's inaccuracy, in fuppofing 

 either the Roller or Swallows which were caught in his fhip near the coaft: 

 of Senegal to be the fame with thofe of Europe *. 



In the 8th of thefe plates there is a coloured figure of a bird, called 

 le Rollier d' Angola, which agrees exactly with M. Adanfon's defcrip- 

 tion ; but he trufted too much to his memory when he pronounced it 

 to be the Garrulus Argentoratenfis of Willoughby, and therefore fup- 

 pofed it to be on its pailage to Europe. This bird hath indeed, in many 

 refpedb, a very ftrong refemblance to the European Roller, but it dif- 

 fers mo ft materially in the length of the two exterior feathers of the tail, 

 as well as in the colour of the neck, which in the African Roller is of 

 a moll bright green, and in the European of rather a dull blue. 



In the 310th plate of the fame publication there is likcwife a coloured 

 reprefentation of the Hirondelle a ventre roux du Senegal, which very 

 much refernbles the European fwallow, but the tail differs materially, 

 as the forks (in the Senegal fpecimen) taper from the bottom of the 

 two exterior feathers to the top, at three regular divifions or nitches, 

 whereas in the European they are nearly of the fame width throughout. 



The convincing proof, however, that the Hirondelle a ventre roux: 

 du Senegal differs from our chimney fwallow is, that the rump is entirely 

 covered with a bright orange or chefnut, which in the European fwallow 

 si is of a very lovely but dark purplifti colour \" 



* Voyage aM Senegal, p. 9. f Willoughby, p. 312. 



ferred 



