Ai,h:cEPS.
PSALIDOPROCNE ALBICEPS, .Sofato-.
WHITE-HEADED IIOXJGH-WIXGED SWALLOW.
Psalidoprocne albiceps, Sclater, P. Z. S. 18G4, p. 108, pl. xiv. ; Ileugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr.
p. 147 (1869) ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 291 ; id. Cat. Birds in Brit. AIus. s . p. 20G
(1885) ; Shelley, P. Z. S. 1888, p. 40.
Psalidoprocne obscura'? (nec Temm.), Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. i. p. 148 (1869).
Atticora albiceps. Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 73, no. 862 (1879) ; Eiusch & Hartl. A’iig.
Ostafr. p. 133 (1869).
P . v irid i-n ig ric an s : pileo g u laq u e albis.
Hab. in Africà {equatoriali.
A d u lt male. G en e ra l c o lo u r above so o ty b la ck glossed w ith o liv e -g re e a ; win g -co v e rts lik e th e back ;
q u ills a n d toil blackisli, ex te rna lly, glossed with olive -gre en ; crown oE h e ad w h ite as f a r as tb e
u ap e ; lores, eye lid, fe a tlie rs b eb iu d tb e eye, a n d e a r-co v c rts sooty b la ck ; che eks a n d fe a th e rs
below tb e eye w h ite , e.xteuding over th e fore p a r t o f tb e e a r-co v e rts ; e n tir e th ro a t w h i te ;
rem a in d e r o f u n d e r su rfa c e o f body sooty b la ck w ith a n o live -gre en gloss ; u n d e r wiu g -co v e rts
a n d axilla rie s lig h t smoky b row n ; q u ills below d u sk y b row u , som ew h a t lig h te r a lo u g th e in n e r
edge. T o ta l le u g th 6 inche s, cu lm en 0 '2 5 , wing -k2, ta il 2 '9 , ta r s u s 0-35.
A d u lt fem a le . S im ila r to th e male in c o lo u r, b u t w a n tin g th e saw-like edge to th e firs t p r im a ry . To ta l
len g th 5-4 iuche s, culmen 0 ’25, wing 3 '8 5 , ta il 2 't , ta rsu s 0-35.
Young male. L ik e th e ad u lts, b u t h a s th e h e ad and th ro a t sooty b la ck , slig h tly mixed with a few white
fe a the rs.
Hab. E q u a to ria l Afric a , from U su i to W ade la i.
C o lonel G r a n t discovered the present speeies during his celebrated expedition witii
Captain Speke through Equatorial Africa. Iu his jouimal he has the following note,
with which he has favoured us :—“ Usui, Central Africa, Oct. 16, 1801. Black Swallow
with white forehead and throat under the jaw, with forked tail. Black Swallow, smaller.
Seen together about scarped rocks ; at least it was here that I ürst observed them.” One
specimen was brought home iu spirits, aud was described by Dr. Sclater, and figured in
tbe ‘ Proceedings ’ of the Zoological Society ; it was afterwards presented to the Britisii
Aluseum, and it is much to be regretted tbat it was not immediately preserved as a skin.
In 1870, when we were writing on African Swallows, the specimen could not bo found ;
but on the removal and re-arrangement of the national collections at South Kensington,
we discovered the specimen iu its original bottle of spirits, but too much deteriorated to
u