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Show 1870.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON ETHIOPIAN HIRUNDINIDEE. 293 getting the bird, I stayed at the plantation the whole of the next keeping a sharp look-out, till at last m y patience was rewarded by observing the Swallow about 5 o'clock in the afternoon flying round in company with the Swifts. As it came once pretty near, a well-directed shot secured the bird; but, as bad luck would have it, the upper mandible and almost the entire head were blown away by the discharge, so that it was quite spoilt for preserving. However curious the appearance of a House-martin so far south may have been, there was no question about the identity of the species, the feathered legs setting all doubts on this point at rest. The natives of Prince's Island who saw me kill the bird were as much surprised as myself, never having seen the species before on the island. I may add that this was the only time I met with Hirundo urbica during m y travels in Western Africa." 2. CHELIDON ALBIGENA. Chelidon albigena, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1861, p. 419; id. Orn. N.-O. Afr. p. 169 (1869). Ch. affinis Ch. urbicae, sed rectrice extima macula alba basin versus notata distinguenda. Hab. Bogos Country (Von Heuglin). Never having seen the present bird, I am unable to furnish a detailed description. According to Dr. von Heuglin it is allied to Chelidon urbica, but differs in the circumscribed cheek-stripe, the scarcely forked tail, the colour of the abdomen, and the white spot on the inner web of the outer tail-feather. This last character appears to m e to be the most striking, and will serve to distinguish the species. Dr. von Heuglin obtained his specimens in the neighbourhood of Keren in the Bogos Country, where, however, it was not met with by Messrs. Blanford and Jesse. Genus 3. PETROCHELIDON. m Type. Petrochelidon, Cab. M . Hein. Th. i. p. 47(1857). P. melanogaster. 1. PETROCHELIDON SPILODERA. Hirundo spilodera, Sundev. (Eiv. Kongl. Vet. Akad. Forh. Stockh. 1850, p. 108 (descrip. orig.) ; Gray, Hand-1. of B. i. p. 70 (1869). Phedina spilodera, Bonap. Rivist. Contemp. Torin. 1857, p. 4. Hirundo lunifrons, Layard, B. of S. Afr. p. 56 (1867, errore). Hirundo alfredi, Hartl. Ibis, 1868, p. 153, pl. 4 (descrip. orig.). Head dark brown, obscurely glossed with dark blue; lighter brown towards the nape; back and scapularies deep blue, the feathers edged latitudinally with white, giving a striped appearance to the whole back, the scapularies and wing-coverts just faintly edged with rusty white ; the lower part of the back blue, not marked with the stripes ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale rufous; wing-coverts and quills brownish black, a slight blue gloss on the latter and |