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Show 1870.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON ETHIOPIAN HIRUNDINIDEE. 311 bird, where the white patch is very fully developed. I was therefore nearly sure that Professor Sundevall's II. dimidiata and Mr. Cassin's H. scapularis were one and the same species in different stages of plumage; but as neither in the original description of Prof. Sundevall nor in that given by Mr. Layard (/. c.) is any mention made of this little white patch of feathers, I wrote to the former gentleman to ask him if the type specimens possessed the peculiarity. Every communication of Prof. Sundevall's is always read with great interest by ornithologists, so that I make no apology for giving his answer in his own words. " Stockholm, Oct. 24, 1869. " M Y D E A R SIR,-With regard to your last letter (of Oct. 13th), I must mention that I have always considered the Hirundo scapularis of Cassin to be the same as m y H. dimidiata. But in describing the bird I had only three specimens, two males and a female, from Port Natal, of which one went to Leyden in 1853 in exchange, and the other two (<$ 5 ) are still here. Now these two specimens have the whitish mark on the wings so small and so well hidden by the scapulars that I had not observed it in the least; and probably it was the same in the third specimen ; otherwise I should not have given it away. Afterwards (in 1857) I received another specimen, a male from the Knysna (Eastern Cape Colony), which has the white mark very large and apparent, but in the natural situation of the feathers it is perfectly hidden by the scapulars ; and I do not believe this character will denote a specific difference, as it seems to me to be merely an individual variation. I have seen one more specimen from Knysna and one from Damara-land, which had both very conspicuous white marks. The species seems to be spread over the whole of Southern Africa (and probably breeds in the north) ; and if your specimens are from this quarter of the world, I think they will certainly be the above-named species. In m y specimen from Knysna the white mark is a little greyish, and consists of the last two greater tectrices of each wing : the last is almost wholly whitish ; the next has only the interior (dorsal) web whitish. Besides, the last little cubital feather (that is the iast of the so-called tertiaries) is clouded with grey at the base, with a little white basal spot, which I do not observe in the Natal birds; this marking, however, is covered by the whitish tectrices. With regard to the Natal birds, there is a little difference in the extent of white in the two specimens. The mark is well-defined, and not at all as represented in Cassin's figure, where it is much too large and undefined. In my two specimens from Port Natal the marks are very small and greyish, only forming a spot on the inner web of the two mentioned feathers, and is a little different in the two birds. I think m y name of dimidiata must be retained, as it is published in the April part of our ' CEfversigt' for 1850, Cassin's description being published in the June part of the Philadelphia ' Proceedings' of the same year. The same remark applies to m y H. holomelas and his A, hamigera. To the description of the H. dimidiata I would add that the underside is tolerably pure white when seen directly or straight in front |
