THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
I cannot allow specific or even subspecific rank to either the birds from Australia 
or those from Mauritius, but may recognise as a subspecies the dark-rumped 
bird from the Andamans (i.e., 0. inexpectata of Hume), and the paler bird from 
Mergui, so that we have two forms which are somewhat differentiated in their 
respective habitats. It may seem feasible to aUow subspecific rank to the Pacific 
specimens on account of their generally darker upper-surface ; but larger 
series show that this character is not constant, and therefore it is not advisable 
to keep them separate from C. francica.^’ 
Then was admitted 
Collocalia francica. 
“ Hah. Fiji, Samoa, Friendly, and Solomon Islands, Temate, New Guinea 
and Northern Australia, and Mauritius and Bourbon. 
Subsp. a, Collocalia inexpectata. 
“ Hah. S. Andamans and southern half of the Malay Peninsula. 
Subsp. /3. Collocalia merguiensis. 
“ Hah. Southern portion of Tenasserim and islands of the Mergui Archi- 
pelago, from Tavoy Island southwards.” 
This peculiar scheme was accepted for some years, but in 1906 Oberholser 
monographed the genus in the Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. PJiilad., 1906, p. 197, etc., 
and admitted subspecies as we understand them to-day, but still conservatively, 
ranging thus : 
Collocalia francica francica (Gmelin). 
Mauritius. 
Collocalia f. townsendi (Oberholser). 
Tonga Islands. 
Collocalia f. terrceregince (Ramsay). 
Queensland, New Guinea, Ternate, etc. 
Collocalia f. spodiopygia (Pease). 
Samoan Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands. 
Collocalia f. inexpectata (Hume). 
Andaman Islands, Malay Peninsula, etc. 
Collocalia f. germaini (Oustalet). 
Tenasserim to Philippine Islands. 
Oberholser recognised the weak points in this scheme, e.g., lumping the 
Ternate birds (for which Salvadori had proposed C. infuscata) with the Queens- 
land ones : Hartert had noted the light coloration of the latter, and had written 
of the former : “A typical specimen, kindly lent me by the author, does not 
differ from many examples of the dark Pacific form in the collection.” 
Another interestmg item was his note about Forster’s H. peruviana, which 
he determined as a member of this group, though it has not since been recorded 
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