Basilan (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Luzon (Lindsay, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Whitehead, Celestino); Mindanao (Everett, Celestino); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter).

Adult (sexes alike).—Head light chocolate-brown, very finely vermiculated with gray and buff; along middle of head and on ear-tufts a number of large black spots; lower feathers of ear-tufts pure black; a rusty collar on neck continued on sides of neck and connected with the white spot on each side of throat; sides of face and ear-coverts black, vermiculated with cinnamon; wings, coverts, and back variously mottled and splotched with black, ocherous-buff, and cinnamon; scapulars with large black terminal spots; primaries, secondaries, and lesser coverts black with dark cinnamon vermiculations; a few of the median coverts with buff spots on tips; rectrices black with a few irregular mottled bars of dark buff; feathers of lower parts black, on chin and crop with narrow cross-lines of cinnamon, on breast tipped with wide bands of dark buff, on abdomen and sides tipped with narrower bands of light buff; under tail-coverts largely buff with irregular black cross-lines. “Iris brown; bill clear brown, tip black; feet clear brown, their scales darker brown.” (Celestino.)

Length of a male from Mindoro, 348; wing, 275; tail, 170; exposed culmen, 10; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 29. Length of a female from Bataan Province, Luzon, 368; wing, 290; tail, 180; exposed culmen, 9; tarsus, 17; middle toe with claw, 29.

The crown is often largely rufous, again it may be ochraceous and the variations involve other portions of the plumage. The bars of the tail are variable, sometimes fairly regular and at other times much broken.

“We obtained a single male specimen of this fine goatsucker in Basilan. Iris very dark brown; bill black at tip, lighter at base; eyelids black; legs flesh-color, shading to dark brown on the toes; nails dirty grayish. Length, 343; wing, 276; tail, 223; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 29; culmen, 13.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

“If these two forms [L. macrotis and L. mindanensis], the types of which are before me, are really distinct species, then both occur in north Luzon, for out of four specimens of Lyncornis sent by Mr. Whitehead, three are typical L. macrotis, perfectly similar to Vigors’s bird, and the fourth agrees perfectly with Tweeddale’s types of L. mindanensis. Personally I am inclined to believe that the latter are merely younger examples of the same species. The darker head and shorter wing may be characteristic of youth, as it seems unlikely two closely allied forms should occur in the same locality.” (Grant.)

Whitehead thus describes the habits of this species: “Fairly common in the lower valleys in the mountainous districts of north Luzon. This species has the pretty habit of its Malay cousin L. temmincki. Just at the last moment of the tropical day, when the highest heavens are tinged with the soft light of the setting sun, Lyncornis leaves its bed among the dead leaves and grass and flies high into the air, rising and descending with vertically held wings, uttering every now and then its pretty whistle, ‘tet-a-bow, tet-a-bow.’ But soon when the last rays have ceased to gild the sky, it descends to mother earth to feed on winged insects, its pretty note being then exchanged for a frog-like croak. Toward sunrise Lyncornis once more rises to the heavens and utters the same ‘tet-a-bow,’ but it shortly dives to the ground, and rests unseen until the evening light again tempts it from its concealment.”

Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Goodfellow); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter); Negros (Keay); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor).

Adult male.—Upper parts finely vermiculated with blackish brown, pale buff, and gray, more heavily marked with blackish brown on top of head and on scapulars, some of the latter with wide edges of fulvous or buff on outer web; an obsolete collar of buff on hind neck; lower parts finely marked with blackish brown, buff, and whitish buff; a large white patch on each side of throat; some of the breast-feathers with rather large, pale buff, terminal spots; lower breast, flanks, and abdomen buff, rather narrowly barred with brown, less closely barred posteriorly; under tail-coverts very pale buff or white and unbarred; inner primaries, primary-coverts, and outer secondaries strongly barred with rich fulvous; first primary with a large white spot reaching shaft; second, third, and fourth primaries each with a buff-margined white spot crossing both webs and involving the included section of shaft; exposed portion of each of the two outer pairs of rectrices with a large terminal white area, a dusky wash near the tip; rectrices barred basally with buff and dark brown. A male from Mariveles measures: Length, 228; wing, 170; tail, 103; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 25.

Adult female.—Differs from the male in lacking the terminal white area on tail-feathers which are barred and mottled with pale buff and dark brown; on the outer feather there is an ill-defined light buff area at tip of inner web. A female from Mariveles measures: Length, 228; wing, 164; tail, 100; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 26.

Young.—Upper parts blackish brown, very finely vermiculated with white and lacking the black blotches and fulvous edges to scapulars which are present in the adult plumage; under parts about the same shade of gray as in the adult but more finely and more uniformly mottled and barred and without fulvous or buff spots on breast; white spots on throat just indicated; wings and tail similar to the adult.

Eggs.—Whitehead took two eggs of this species at Cape Engaño, Luzon, May 26, 1895, which he described as follows: “Shape elliptical oval; ground-color pale creamy white, with very pale lavender-gray under-markings and very pale brownish over-markings; the blotches and markings, none of which are very large, are unevenly distributed over the whole surface; measurements 31 by 22 mm. The eggs were placed on the sand just above high water mark among sea drift, which, in this instance, consisted of huge tree trunks. Both birds were seen and identified beyond doubt.” (Grant and Whitehead.)

The gray nightjar appears to be confined to the vicinity of sandy or shingle beaches and while abundant in the localities where it has been discovered the species has been recorded from but few islands and the female and young have been but recently described. The description of the eggs was published two years before that of the female.

Clarke says with feeling that the female “is not an easy specimen to describe,” but it is much easier to describe a single specimen than to write anything that will apply to the variations which occur in the species. In using the descriptions given above considerable allowance must be made for variation in the shade of buff or fulvous; this refers particularly to the scattered spots on breast, the broad edgings of scapulars, and the rusty bars on primaries, primary-coverts, and secondaries, all of which vary from a light buff (even almost white on edges of scapulars) to rich fulvous. These variations are probably due to age, the parts becoming darker with successive molts. In two females from Mariveles, Luzon, the buff spot on first primary does not reach the shaft.

Mindanao (Mearns).

“Adult male.—Similar to Caprimulgus affinis but differing as follows: General coloration darker. Upper parts hair-brown, finely vermiculated and dotted with clove-brown, light gray, and black; scapulars marked with broken spots of cinnamon; first four primaries barred across their middle with pure white except the outer web of the first primary, this band varying from 12 to 24 mm. in width on the differing feathers, widest on the fourth; outer tail-feather white only on the terminal half, the basal half being cinnamon, clouded and irregularly cross-banded with brownish black, and the tips of both webs clouded with brownish black; second feather similar, but with much less of the dusky clouding at tip; lower abdomen and thigh-coverts cross-banded with pale sepia-brown; under tail-coverts and anal region buff, without cross-bands; upper third of tarsus feathered. Length of skin, 205; wing, 163; tail, 100; culmen, 8; tarsus, 19.

“Individuals vary greatly in the character and size of the punctate and vermiculate markings of the upper surface. The vague black cross-bands of the middle pair of tail-feathers are somewhat V-shaped (open apically), numbering about eight.

“In true affinis, adult males have the outer tail-feather all white, and the lower abdomen, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts ‘uniform pale fulvous buff.’ In C. affinis griseatus the bars are spread over the whole of the lower abdomen, thighs, and lower tail-coverts, and the color is more grayish rufescent than in C. affinis mindanensis, which appears to be closest to the form of C. affinis inhabiting Celebes.” (Mearns.)

Tuc-ca-ró, Masbate and Ticao.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett); Bohol (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Luzon (Cuming, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Goodfellow); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter); Negros (Keay); Palawan (Platen); Romblon (McGregor); Ticao (McGregor).

Male.—General coloration and pattern very much as in C. macrurus; post-auricular area and band on hind neck light buff; white area on throat divided, forming two patches; fore breast darker with no rufous; barring on abdomen and under tail-coverts broken, resulting from the larger light tips. The following characters are diagnostic; white spot on first primary washed with buff, small and reaching but half way to shaft; spot on second quill a little larger, not reaching shaft and a narrow line indicates spot on outer web; spots on third and fourth quills reaching shaft on both webs and on the fourth the included section of shaft nearly all white; outer pair of rectrices with white area about 32 mm. in length and on inner web only; second pair with white area across both webs. A male from Romblon measures: Length, 255; wing, 170; tail, 125; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 24.

Female.—Spots on first and second primaries dark fulvous; spot on third primary not reaching shaft; otherwise like the male. A female from Romblon measures: Length, 255; wing, 167; tail, 115; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 24.

Young.—Upper parts very much as in the adult, but the blackish brown spots on head and scapulars greatly reduced in size; as a whole the upper parts are dark silvery gray; white throat patches wanting, being indicated by two small buff areas; feathers of breast vermiculated with light brown and light buff with lighter buff tips; abdomen and flanks light fulvous, distinctly barred with brown; the partially developed wings and tail with markings as in the adult.

Eggs.—A set of two eggs collected May 22, 1895, by Whitehead near Cape Engaño, Cagayan Province, Luzon, are described as follows: “Shape elliptical oval; ground-color pale cream; under-markings pale lavender-gray; irregularly blotched over-markings pale brown, but darker than in C. griseatus. In one egg the over-markings are almost wanting, being reduced to one or two blotches. Measurements 29 mm. by 22.” (Grant and Whitehead.)

The Manila nightjar is the most common species of its genus in the Islands and has a considerable vertical range, being found in the pine woods of Benguet Province as well as in the lowlands and near the sea. Its food consists largely of moths and beetles which it takes on the wing. During the day it rests in dark thickets and comes out to feed only after sunset. Its presence in a locality may be detected by hearing its peculiar note which has given it the Tagalog name “tucaroc.”

Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Palawan (Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Papuan Islands, northeastern Australia, Greater Sunda Islands, Java.

Male.—Forehead, crown, and nape grayish brown, finely vermiculated with buff and brown, producing a nearly silvery appearance; down the center of head to nape the feathers conspicuously marked with blackish brown; an indistinct fulvous band across hind-neck connecting with a bright fulvous patch on each side behind ear-coverts; back and rump mottled with dark brown and a little fulvous; a large white patch on throat, the longer feathers tipped with black, subterminally marked with fulvous; sides of face, ear-coverts, chin, and a small area posterior of white patch rich rufous with fine irregular black lines; lower throat rufous, mottled with black; breast finely marked with blackish brown and pale fulvous, a few feathers with large patches of fulvous; abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts barred with brown; wing-coverts blackish, each with a light fulvous terminal spot; scapulars with black terminal spots and narrow fulvous subterminal bars; white spot on first primary moderate and not reaching shaft; on second, third, and fourth the white crosses both webs; secondaries notched with dark rufous; tail-feathers blackish brown, outer webs notched with fulvous; two outer pairs each with a large white terminal area about 38 mm. long, involving both webs. A male from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, measures: Length, 265; wing, 180; tail, 140; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 24.

“Female.—Differs from the adult male in having the outer web of first primary spotted with rufous, in having pale rufous marks on the primaries instead of white ones, in the white tips to the outer rectrices being less in extent and tinged with buff or rufous, speckled with brown on the tip of outer web.

“Young.—The markings are less developed in younger individuals; the young male has the white patches on the primaries and rectrices tinged with rufous and less in extent. The nestling is covered with buffy down.” (Hartert.)

“Iris dark brown, bill nearly black; legs and feet brown; nails black. A male from Busuanga measures, 263 in length; wing, 184; tail, 135; culmen, 13; middle toe with claw, 22. A female from Palawan, length, 250; wing, 222; tail, 135; culmen, 13; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 22.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Calayan (McGregor); Palawan (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, White). Northeastern Siberia, China, Japan, Indo-Chinese provinces; in winter to New Guinea, Malay Peninsula, Greater Sunda Islands.

“Adult male.—Above gray, finely penciled with brown, with broad black stripes along the top of the head, back, and rump; scapulars with velvety black centers or spots and buff or rufous-buff spots or bar-like markings; wing-coverts with roundish buff spots speckled with brown; some longitudinal buff spots on the hind neck; a golden buff spot on each side of neck, just behind ear-coverts; primaries deep blackish brown, outer webs with some minute rufous spots, inner web of first primary with a round white spot, not reaching shaft, a white band across both webs of next three; central pair of rectrices deep blackish brown, with broad pale grayish brown, dark speckled bars, the others with narrower bands, becoming more rufous on the outer ones, and all, except central pair, with a broad subterminal white bar; a white band across throat, interrupted at center and variegated on lower edge with ferruginous buff and blackish spots; throat pale rufous-buff with brown cross-markings; chest and upper breast pale grayish brown, with dark markings and some more or less developed larger buff spots; abdomen buff, barred with dark brown, the bars becoming broader and less numerous on lower tail-coverts which are sometimes nearly uniform; rictal bristles dark toward the base. Length, 279; wing, 203 to 221; tail, 140 to 147; tarsus, 16; feathered in front.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male, but a little smaller on the average; spots on primaries buff and speckled, band on second primary always interrupted; spots on throat buff; tail-feathers without a distinct white band.

“Young.—Young individuals are paler above and below, the dark markings less developed, and pervaded with a sandy rufous tinge; the young male shows already the white spots of the adult male, but they are shaded with buff and that on the second quill is a little interrupted.” (Hartert.)

Worcester and Bourns took a male of this species in Palawan in December, 1891. It was 260 in length; wing, 212; tail, 128; culmen, 12; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 22. The second Philippine specimen was shot by my assistant in Calayan Island, the last day of 1903. This specimen measures: Length, 260; wing, 210; tail, 127; tarsus, 15; middle toe with claw, 21. Bill and legs brown; nails black; the stomach contained several beetles and a large mantis.

The species appears to be a migrant from Asia and although not uncommon in Calayan we secured but one specimen. The male is distinguished from the other Philippine species by having a subterminal white tail-band; the female is distinguished from the females of C. manillensis and C. macrurus by the lack of a large white tail-spot and from C. griseatus by the much darker plumage and larger size.

Palawan (Everett, Whitehead, Steere Exp.). Northern Borneo, Anamba Islands, accidental in Sumatra and on Nias Island.

Adult.—“Upper surface sooty black with a little greenish gloss, somewhat purplish on the tail; lower surface brownish gray, with somewhat darker shaft-stripes; feathers in front of eye white, broadly tipped with black; under wing-coverts blackish. Length, about 127; bill at base, 5; wing, 135; tail, 51; nearly quite even; tarsus, 102; thinly but obviously feathered if not abraded by the string of the label.” (Hartert.)

Young.—Similar to the adult.

Everett found nesting colonies of Low’s swiftlet in Palawan and in northern Borneo during the month of October; the nests were made of moss and were fastened to the walls of caves with dry saliva.

Bantayan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter); Sibuyan (McGregor); Palawan (Whitehead, White); Verde (McGregor).

Adult.—Similar to Collocalia lowi in coloration but slightly larger with the tail distinctly forked and the tarsi entirely devoid of plumes. Iris brown; bill and nails black; legs dark reddish brown. Measurements from ten skins of each sex from Irisan, Benguet Province, are: Males, wing, pressed flat against the rule, 119 to 125; tail, 46 to 51; depth of fork, 5 to 8. Females, wing, 118 to 125; tail, 48 to 56; depth of fork, 6 to 9.

Young.—Nestling; similar to the adult but more sooty above and lacking the green gloss; lower parts grayer. Iris dark brown; bill and nails black; legs pale flesh.

Nest.—In Benguet Province, Luzon, eggs and nestlings were found in June. The nests were made of green moss and placed in a water-worn cave. The eggs are pure white. Two specimens measure, respectively, 22.3 by 13.9 and 23.6 by 14.2.

Mindanao (Mearns, Celestino).

Adult.—“Upper surface uniform brownish black, the rump not lighter but wings and the distinctly forked tail more brownish, their feathers paler along the inner margins; entire ventral surface uniform smoky hair-brown, the throat not paler; sides of head and neck darker brown than the under parts; a blackish spot in front of the eye; lining of wing blackish brown.

“In its large size, deeply emarginate tail, and lack of tarsal feathering Collocalia origenis agrees with Collocalia whiteheadi, but is readily distinguishable by the dark colors, particularly on the upper parts which are even more blackish than in Collocalia fuciphaga from the Philippines.”

Oberholser gives measurements of two males as follows: Wing, 129, 138; tail, 53, 60; exposed culmen, 6, 5.5; tarsus, 13, 14. Two females: Wing, 134, 130; tail, 51, 54; exposed culmen, 5.5; tarsus, 12.5, 14.

“This new species was discovered by Doctor Mearns during his recent trip to the Island of Mindanao, the four adults obtained having been brought by natives who had found them in a cave on Mount Apo.” (Oberholser.)

Cebu (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Luzon (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Everett, Steere Exp., Whitehead); Palawan (Whitehead, Steere Exp.); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester). Nias, Java, Borneo, Natuna Islands, Mariana and Caroline Islands, New Guinea, Duke of York, Friendly and Loyalty Islands.

Adult.—Very similar to Collocalia whiteheadi but the tarsi distinctly feathered. Hartert gives the following description and measurements: “Upper surface dark sooty brown with very little gloss; head, wings, and tail darker and more glossy; feathers in front of the eye whitish with dark brown tips; lower surface brownish gray with darker shaft-stripes; under wing-coverts blackish brown. Total length, about 114; bill at base, 4; wing, 112 to 119; tail, 56. The young bird is like the adult in plumage.” (Hartert.)

“Two males measure, 120 in length; wing, 107; tail, 46; culmen, 6; tarsus, 7; middle toe with claw, 9. Two females: Wing, 116; tail, 48; culmen, 6; tarsus, 10; middle toe with claw, 7. Bill, feet, and nails black, legs light brown.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Ca-li-pat′-pat, Cuyo; sa-lin-ba-bá-tang, Cagayancillo.

Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cagayan Sulu (McGregor, Mearns); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cebu (Steere Exp.); Cuyo (McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp.); Panay (Bourns & Worcester). Mergui Archipelago; Tenasserim; Malay Peninsula; Siam; Candore Island; Cochin China.

Adult.—Similar to Collocalia whiteheadi but easily recognized by the whitish or smoky gray band across rump; shafts of rump-feathers darker; tarsi unfeathered.

Young.—Probably the young bird is much like the adult, as with other species of the genus.

“Four males from Culion measure, 112 in length; wing, 115; tail, 50; culmen, 5; tarsus, 9; middle toe with claw, 9. Iris dark brown; legs and feet light brown; bill and nails black.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Adult.—Above glossy black, bases of feathers smoky brown; across the rump a white band 5 mm. wide, the shaft of each feather dusky; chin and sides of face and neck dusky brown; feathers in front of eye white with dusky tips; feathers of throat, breast, and abdomen with white tips and dusky bases and shaft-lines, producing a mottled appearance, the white predominating on the abdomen; under tail-coverts glossy black.

“Very common throughout the Islands. Builds edible nests. Nests always in caves, and composed chiefly or entirely of secretion from the mouths of the birds. When the birds are persistently robbed, however, they seem to become discouraged, and mix in grass, stems of small plants, moss, etc. Two or three white eggs are deposited. They measure: 15.2 to 17.7 by 10.1 to 10.9. Fourteen males from Siquijor average, 92 in length; wing, 92; tail, 41; culmen, 4; tarsus, 8; middle toe with claw, 9. Bill, legs, and feet black.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Ni-do and sa-lum-pi-ping-ao, Calayan.

Babuyan Claro (McGregor); Banton (Celestino); Bohol (McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Cebu (Koch, McGregor); Luzon (Othberg, McGregor); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (McGregor); Polillo (Ickis39); Sibuyan (McGregor); Tablas (Celestino).

Adult.—Above very dark glossy green, short upper tail-coverts margined with pure white; feathers in front of eye white with dusky tips; sides of head, neck, and chin mouse-gray; feathers of throat with narrow white edges, posteriorly the white edges gradually increase in width so that the abdomen is almost entirely white; under tail-coverts dark glossy green with narrow white margins; under wing-coverts narrowly edged with white. Iris, bill, toes, and nails black; tarsi dark flesh. Length, about 96. Five specimens of each sex from Calayan measure: Males, wing, 102 to 107; tail, 40 to 46; females, wing, 102 to 105; tail, 41 to 42.

Young.—Two nestlings from Sibuyan are like the adult in plumage except that the white edges to the upper tail-coverts are but just indicated. Bill and nails black; legs pale flesh.

Nest.—Nests in small colonies, fastening the nests to the face of a rock. The nest is composed of blackish brown hair-moss and held together by the characteristic glutenous saliva. The eggs do not differ from others of this genus being two in number and pure white in color. The eggs of a set collected in Sibuyan, June 11, 1904, measure 18.2 by 10.9 and 17 by 11.6 mm.

This species has been very rare in collections; the only specimen in the British Museum in 1892 was a skin of doubtful locality collected by von Othberg. We have met with it on several islands; in Sibuyan and Calayan it was extremely abundant.

Pi-ping-aú, Benguet.

Bongao (Everett); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Koch & Schadenberg); Mindoro (McGregor, Porter).

Adult.—About the size of and very much like Collocalia marginata but without white margins to tail-coverts, and with more white on the abdomen.

Young.—The young bird resembles the adult in plumage but the tarsi are flesh-color.

Nest.—Composed of moss or lichens and placed on the ground in the protection of grass or ferns. Two eggs measure 22.3 by 13.9 and 21.5 by 13.9.

Calamianes (Worcester, Celestino); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, White). Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Java, Borneo.

Adult.—Forehead, crown, nape, sides of head and neck, wings and tail black with very dark steel-blue gloss; lores deep black; remainder of plumage deep smoky brown, except under tail-coverts and a patch on lower flank which are white; shafts of under tail-coverts dark brown. A male from Palawan measures: Length, 239; wing, 203; tail, 67; exposed culmen, 10; tarsus, 17. A female from Culion measures: Length, 229; wing, 200; tail, 68; exposed culmen, 9; tarsus, 16.

Worcester and Celestino collected a large series of giant swifts in Culion and Palawan. I have seen large swifts in Benguet Province and in Calayan, and Worcester observed a large flock in northern Luzon which may have been either C. gigantea or C. dubia.

Basilan (Mearns); Negros (Keay). Celebes.

Adult.—“Deep steel-blue, back and rump with purple gloss; two white spots on the sides of the forehead; sides of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white. In size similar to C. gigantea.” (Hartert.)

Clarke gives the following notes on a specimen obtained in Negros: “The back is an admixture of dark brown, or brownish black, and deep steel-blue, each feather having a broad subterminal band of blue with an edging of dark brown, which conceals the blue to a considerable extent, so that the brown predominates. The tail and secondaries are glossed with green and blue in about equal proportions. Length, 241; wing, 216; tail, 73; tarsus, 18.”

“Female.—A specimen in the Sarasin Collection marked ‘♀ juv.’ (but we can not see any signs of immaturity) answers to Mr. Hartert’s description of the species, except that the lores are reddish brown not white. Wing, 208; tail, 63; tarsus, 16; bill from nostril, 6.” (Meyer and Wiglesworth.)

Mearns gives the following measurements of two males from Basilan: “Length, 240, 255; wing, 215; tail, 75; bill from frontal feathers (chord), 8.5, 9.6; bill from anterior margin of nostril, 6.1, 7.1; tarsus, 19, 20; middle toe with claw, 22.5.”

But six specimens of this large swift are known, three from Celebes, one from Negros, and two from Basilan.

Mindoro (McGregor).

Adult.—General color blackish brown; back and rump noticeably lighter, being light seal-brown, each feather with a subterminal, more or less concealed area or band of bluish violet; head and body shot with bluish violet gloss, strongest on chin, throat, breast, and sides of head and neck; a large white patch on each side between nostril and lores; crissum white, each feather blackish brown at its base, the long tail-coverts with edges also blackish brown except near tip; extending diagonally upward and forward on each flank, a wide white stripe connected with the white crissum behind as in Chætura gigantea; exposed edges of wing-feathers black, inner webs of primaries largely light brown; inner webs of alula, primary- and secondary-coverts shot with greenish blue gloss; tertiaries greenish blue; lining of wing brown, each feather bordered with dirty white which has its greatest extent on innermost feather; axillars dark brown, shot with bluish violet gloss, exposed portion of tail blackish, the concealed basal portion glossed with green and blue. Bill black; iris brown; legs and feet reddish flesh; nails light brown.

Male: Length, 229; wing, 220; tail, 64; bill from frontal feathers, 10; bill from anterior margin of nostril, 7; tarsus, 18. Female: Length, 234; wing, 218; tail, 64; bill from frontal feathers, 10; bill from anterior margin of nostril, 7; tarsus, 18.

This fine species is known from the type specimens, a pair taken on the Baco River, Mindoro. It requires comparison with Chætura celebensis. The following notes probably refer to Chætura dubia:

“We think it probable that C. gigantea will eventually be found in Mindoro. We repeatedly saw a very large swift in that island, but it always kept well out of range. We thought it to be C. gigantea but could not, of course, be at all sure. On our first trip we found C. gigantea flying low over the mangrove swamps in Palawan and had no special difficulty in securing specimens. On our second trip, however, we were less fortunate, as the few individuals that we saw kept out of range.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Leyte (Whitehead); Mindanao (Everett).

Adult.—“Black with a blue gloss, greenish in some lights; chin, throat, and larger under wing-coverts pure white. Wing, 161; tail, 32.” (Tweeddale.) “Iris dark brown; bill black; legs lead-gray.” (Whitehead.)

This species is known only from the type, a female collected near Zamboanga, Mindanao, and from three specimens taken in Leyte by Whitehead.

Bohol (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Luzon (McGregor); Mindanao (Celestino); Ticao (McGregor).

Adult.—Upper parts dark brown; nearly black on head, neck, and back which have a faint green gloss; feathers of rump and upper tail-coverts lighter brown and narrowly fringed with gray in unworn plumage, the tail-coverts with dark shafts; wing-feathers blackish brown, glossy on outer webs; short primaries narrowly edged with white on inner webs; tail of the same color as wings; sides of head brown; chin and throat light drab-gray, merging gradually into the dark drab-gray of the lower breast and abdomen where the feathers are narrowly edged with whitish; stiff feathers in front of eye white with brown tips. Length in flesh, 114; wing, 119; lateral rectrices, 50; central rectrices, 31.

This species is easily recognized by the deeply-forked tail and peculiar paired toes; it is a near relative of Tachornis infumata from which it differs chiefly in having a paler chin and throat. It has been found in small numbers in the islands from which it is recorded.

Batan (McGregor, Mearns); Camiguin N. (McGregor). Eastern Siberia, China, Japan, Formosa, Burmese provinces, Assam, Manipur; in winter to Australia.

Adult.—General color blackish brown; a broad rump-band white, its feathers with brown shafts; upper parts with a slight oil-green gloss; loral feathers white with black tips; chin and throat white with narrow dusky shaft-lines; sides of head and neck light dingy brown; under parts and under wing-coverts brown, each feather with a wide white fringe and a deep brown subterminal band; under tail-coverts narrowly fringed with white. Iris brown; bill and nails black; feet blackish brown. Length, 184 to 190. A male measures: Wing, 182; tail, 77; depth of fork, 29; bill from frontal feathers, 7. A female measures: Wing, 178; tail, 77; depth of fork, 29; bill from frontal feathers, 8.

This handsome swift was observed in large numbers on Batan Island and all of our specimens were killed within the town of Santo Domingo de Basco. Near the summit of Mount Araya (1,160 meters) numbers of these birds were seen in their graceful and powerful flight.

Camiguin N. (McGregor). Northeastern Bengal, Indo-Chinese provinces, southern China, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo.

Adult.—Very similar to Cypselus pacificus but much smaller; under parts darker, more blackish brown and the feathers without white fringes.

“Bill black; iris dark brown; legs and feet varying from deep purplish black to flesh-color. Length, about 146; tail, 51; wing, 140; tarsus, 10; outer rectrices, 7, longer than middle pair.” (Blanford.)

A female from Camiguin, north of Luzon, measures: Wing, 136; tail, 52; depth of fork, 8; bill from frontal feathers, 7.

The only known Philippine specimen was shot from a flock of Micropus pacificus on Camiguin Island, north of Luzon.