i: i
COULE MINOR.
C O T I L E M I N O R , « .
SOUDAN SAND-MARTIN.
Co ty le m in o r . Cab. Alus. H e in . T h . i. p . 4 9 (1 8 5 0 ) ; l l e u g l . O ru . N .O .-A fr. i. p. lOG
( 1 8 6 9 ) ; R la n f. Geo l. & Zool- Abyss, p. 3 50 (1 8 7 0 ) ; S h a rp e , P . Z. S. 1870, p. 3 0 3 :
S h e lle y , B. E g y p t, p . 1 24 (1 8 7 2 ).
C o ty le litto r a lis , I l cm p r . & E h r . A IS S .; L ic h t. N o tn eu c l. p. 0 1 (1851).
Cotile m in o r . G r a y , IIan d .-l. B . i. p. 74, no. 8 78 (1 8 6 9 ) ; S h a rp e , C a t. B ird s iu B rit.
Alus. X. p . 103 (18 8 5 ).
? C o ty le p a lu s tr is (p t.), l l e u g l . O rn . N .O .-A fr. i. p. 1 67 (1869).
C. similis C. p a lu d ico la , sed minor.
Hab. iu Africa s e p ten trio n a li-o rien ta li.
A d u lt. Sim ila r to C. paludicola, b u t smaller, and h aving a sh a d o o f silvery grey d own th e c e n tre ;
r em a in d e r o f abdomen and un d e r ta il-covc rts white. To ta l le u g th 4-5 inche s, culmen 0-25, wing
3-9, ta il 1-7, ta r su s 0-3.
Young (o n e o f th e ty p e s o f C. littoralis, H . & E .) . Very pale brown, washed with sandy rufous, the
fe a th e rs b ro ad ly edged with th is colour, th e rum p and up p e r ta il-covc rts n e a rly uniform ru fo u s ;
wing-coverts a n d quills d a rk e r brown, edged with sandy ru fo u s ; c ar-coverts aud sides o f face pale
b rown, th e lores a n d fe a th e rs o f th e he ad washed with rn fo u s ; th ro a t a u d ch e st w hite , washed
w ith p a le ru fo u s ; sides o f b re a s t b rowu ; c en tre o f breast, abdomen, and u n d e r ta il-co v e rts w hite ;
flanks b row n washed with san d y rufous. {Mus. G. E . S he lle y .)'
A specimen collected b y S ir W . C. H a rris a t A n g o lla la iu S hoa ha s th e wing 3 ’85 inches.
Hab. N o rth -e a s te rn Africa from Cen tra l E g y p t to .\b y ssin ia , Soinali-laiid a u d E q u a to ria l Afric a , p ro b
ab ly m ig ra tin g southw a rds, b u t th e n o r th e rn and so u th e rn limits of th e species have y e t to be
defined.
T u i s sm a ll S a n d -A Ia rtin is so clo se ly a llie d to th e S o u th -A fr ic a n C. p a lu d ic o la t h a t i t is
sc a rc e ly d e s e rv in g o f s e p a ra tio n , a n d i t is n o t s u rp r is in g t h a t i t h a s b e e n c o n s id e re d to
b e id e n tic a l w i th t h a t sp e c ie s h y m a n y n a tu r a lis ts . I n fa c t l i tt l e is k n ow n a b o u t i t ;
a n d n o tw i th s t a n d in g th e u n iv e rs a l te s tim o n y o f n a tu i'a lis ts to th e w o n d e rfu l p ro fu s io n ol
th e spec ie s in N o r th - e a s te r n A f ric a , in c o lle c tio n s i t is o n e o f th e r a r e s t o f th o SwuIIoavs.
T h u s i t is q u ite p o s s ib le t h a t a n a b s o lu te c o n n e c tio n AA’i th C. jia lu d ic o la Avill on e d ay be
e s ta b lish e d .
A t p r e s e n t w e h a v e o n ly s e e n tw o sp e c im e n s o f C. m in o r , a n d th o o n ly diiferenco
betAveen th em a n d C. p a lu d ic o la c o n s is ts iu th e s ilv e ry g re y sh a d e on th o th r o a t a n d
fo re n e c k w h ic h is p e r c e p tib le in th e firs t-n am e d b ird . T h e e x t e n t o f th e b row n co lo u r It!