Chapter XVII: Preface (16)

d1. Base of each mandible grooved; black at base of tail almost
obsolete. ... panini, [female] (p. 332)
d2. Base of lower mandible only grooved; black at base of tail
well-marked. ... affinis, [female] (p. 336); basilanica, [female]
(p. 337); samarensis, [female] (p. 337)

294. PENELOPIDES PANINI (Boddaert).

PANAY TARICTIC.

Buceros panini Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 48.
Penelopides panini Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 166,
pl. 28; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 372; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1900), 2, 65; McGregor, Bur. Govt. Labs. (1905), 25,
25, pl. 9 (nest); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 56.

Ta-ric'-tic, Ticao; ta-ric', Masbate.

Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Masbate (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester); Negros (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead); Panay (Sonnerat, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Ticao (McGregor).

Male.--Head, neck, and breast pale buff; cheeks, ear-coverts, and a band across neck black; back and wings black, glossed with dark green; abdomen rufous; crissum, thighs, and upper tail-coverts chestnut; tail light rufous, terminal third black, slightly glossed with green. Iris red; bare skin of face white; legs dark brown; bill and casque dull red, base of upper mandible with six or seven vertical ridges, separated by pale yellow grooves; base of lower mandible with several oblique grooves. Length, 650; wing, 290; tail, 275; bill from nostril, 97; tarsus, 48.

Female.--Black; neck, wings, and back glossed with dark green; tail as in the male but outer web of outermost feather entirely black and inner web black at base; next feather with outer web black at base. Iris red; bare skin of head bluish; legs and nails black; bill black, casque dark red; grooves on upper mandible light yellow. Length, 600; wing, 260; tail, 245; bill from nostril, 78.

"Young female (without casque and only one ridge developed on the base of the upper mandible).--Differs from the adult in having the upper tail-coverts chestnut and the middle of the basal part of the tail-feathers with more black. 'Naked skin round eye and on throat white, faintly tinged with bluish; iris dull chestnut-brown; feet dark lead-gray with faint greenish cast, nails black; bill brown, with olive-green tinge.' (Everett.)" (Grant.)

"Very common in many parts of Panay, Guimaras, Negros, and Masbate, but curiously enough absent in Cebu. A very noisy bird, called 'ta-ric-tic' by the natives from its note. Food fruit and occasional beetles. Iris brownish red; legs and feet slate-color; nails black; bare skin of head white.

"Four males from Masbate measure, 652 in length; wing, 260; tail, 228; tarsus, 45; middle toe with claw, 52. Four females from same locality, length, 607; wing, 252; tail, 216; tarsus, 44; middle toe with claw, 47." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

A set of three eggs of the Panay tarictic taken in Ticao, May 9, 1902, measure: 48.5 by 32.5; 46.7 by 33.7; 45.7 by 33. In color they are dull white with no markings except a few nest stains; their surface is chalky with occasional minute lumps. The eggs were deposited in a cavity in the trunk of a large tree. The entrance was plastered up by the birds, leaving but a narrow slit through which the female was fed by her mate. The female remains within the cavity during the whole period of incubation. As she molts at this time she is probably unable to fly even if liberated.

295. PENELOPIDES MANILLÆ (Boddaert).

LUZON TARICTIC.

Buceros manillæ Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 54.
Penelopides manillæ Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 373;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 56.
Penelopides manillæ Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 65.

Ta-lic-tic, native name in vicinity of Manila.

Luzon (Cuming, Meyer, Everett, Heriot, Marche, Steere Exp.,
Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.).

"Adult male.--Top of the head and neck yellowish white; cheeks, ear-coverts, and feathered part of throat black; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings brown, more or less glossed with dull green, most of the primaries, the secondaries, and their coverts narrowly margined with buff on the outer web; breast, belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts white, tinged with buff; basal half of tail dark brown, succeeded by a wide white band (stained rufous) followed by a terminal black band glossed with green; the outer web of the outer tail-feathers is uniform black; naked skin round eye and on chin and throat white. Iris crimson; feet and nails dull black; casque transparent horn-brown; bill dark brown; the base of the upper mandible with five transverse ridges, that of the lower with about four oblique ridges separated by ocher-colored grooves. Length, 525; wing, 233; tail, 188; tarsus, 43.

"Young male differs from the adult in having the upper tail-coverts chestnut and the buff edges to the quills and coverts much wider.

"Adult female.--Head and neck very dark brown; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings dark brown, glossed with dull green; under parts brownish gray, tinged with buff on the breast; tail as in the male adult; naked skin round eye and on chin and throat purplish. Iris brown; legs and feet dull black; bill and casque as in the male. Length, 483; wing, 221; tail, 185; tarsus, 41.

"Young female with half developed casque differs from the adult in having the under parts buff, edges of both the webs of the tail-feathers margined with brown, and the upper tail-coverts and the ends of the feathers suffused with bright buff." (Grant.)

296. PENELOPIDES TALISI Finsch.

NORTHERN TARICTIC.

Penelopides talisi Finsch, Notes Leyden Mus. (1903), 23, 190;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 56.

Talisi, native name.

Luzon (van der Valk).

Adult male.--Appears to differ from P. manillæ in having no light edges to the primaries and in the banding of the tail-feathers which is as follows: Middle pair with a rust-colored cross-band, 25 mm. wide; on the pair next to the middle the band only one-half as wide; on the third pair only the inner web with small light rust-colored spots which form cross-bands; two outermost tail-feathers on each side uniform brownish black; upper mandible with four basal grooves. Length, 500; wing, 243; tail, 220; bill, 95. [39]

This species was described from an adult male collected in Cagayan Province, Luzon, February 23, 1892; if it is distinct from P. manillæ, as seems quite probable, we have the interesting case of two species of Penelopides resident in the same island. I have not examined birds referable to P. talisi and the diagnosis is taken from Finsch's description which will be found in the footnote.

A hornbill collected in Albay Province, Luzon, and recorded by Grant as the young of P. manillæ, Ibis (1895), 261, is believed by Finsch to be P. talisi.

297. PENELOPIDES MINDORENSIS Steere.

MINDORO TARICTIC.

Penelopides mindorensis Steere, List Birds & Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 13; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 374;
Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 65; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 56.

Ta-ric-tic, Mindoro.

Mindoro (Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, Everett,
Whitehead, McGregor, Porter).

Male.--Crown, sides of neck, and under parts whitish; ear-coverts and band across throat black; hind neck, back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings black, glossed with dark green, some of the wing-feathers edged with pale buff; tail chestnut, its terminal third black, outermost feather with entire outer web and most of the inner web black. Wing, 235; tail, 205; bill from nostril, 74.

Female.--Similar to the male but forehead blackish and black band on upper throat wider. Wing, 235; tail, 210; bill from nostril, 77.

"Adult male.--Is most nearly allied to P. panini, but differs from that species in having the belly and under tail-coverts white, the rump and upper tail-coverts black glossed with green, like the rest of the back, and the upper mandible only with transversely grooved basal plates. From P. manillæ and affinis it differs (and resembles P. panini) in having no black at the base of the tail. Length, 565; wing, 246; tail, 203; tarsus, 43." (Grant.)

"Similar to P. manillæ, but black with bronze-green gloss instead of brown as in P. manillæ. The whole base of the tail is light ferruginous instead of this color being limited to a narrow bar as in P. manillæ, and the lower mandible is plain instead of being chiseled as in that species. The female of P. mindorensis has the feathers of the head white as in the male, thus differing from the other Philippines species, in all of which the females are black-headed.

"The males and females of P. mindorensis differ chiefly in the color of the bare skin about the eye and base of the beak, this in life being dark blue in the female and flesh-colored in the male." (Steere.)

"Habits like those of P. manillæ. All the Philippine representatives of this genus have the peculiar undulating flight of woodpeckers when going for any considerable distance. P. mindorensis is exceedingly abundant in Mindoro." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

298. PENELOPIDES AFFINIS Tweeddale.

ALLIED TARICTIC.

Penelopides affinis Tweeddale, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1877),
(4), 20, 534; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 375;
Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 65; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 56.

Dinagat (Everett); Mindanao (Everett, Koch & Schadenberg, Steere
Exp., Goodfellow, Clemens, Celestino).

"Adult male.--Top of the head and neck yellowish white; cheeks, ear-coverts, and feathered part of throat black; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings black, glossed with dark green; breast, belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts white, tinged with buff; tail white (stained rufous), with a wide terminal black band and some black at the base of the feathers, sometimes a band nearly as wide as at the extremity. 'Naked skin round eye and on chin and throat white; iris crimson; feet greenish lead; nails grayish black; basal half of bill and casque dark brown, rest of bill pale brown; base of the lower mandible with three or four obliquely transverse yellow ridges separated by dark brown grooves.' (Everett.) Length, 500; wing, 236; tail, 195; tarsus, 41.

"Young male (with undeveloped casque) differs from the adult in having the upper tail-coverts chestnut and the black band across the end of the tail suffused with rufous.

"Adult female.--Head, neck, and under parts dull black; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings black, glossed with dark green; tail resembles that of the male. 'Naked skin round eye and on chin and throat dark blue: iris crimson, feet dark greenish leaden.' (Everett.) Bill and casque brown, base of lower mandible with indistinct obliquely transverse grooves. Length, 500; wing, 218; tail, 175; tarsus, 41.

"Young female (with undeveloped casque) differs from the adult in having chestnut upper tail-coverts and the black band across the end of the tail suffused with rufous." (Grant.)

299. PENELOPIDES BASILANICA Steere.

BASILAN TARICTIC.

Penelopides basilanica Steere, List Birds & Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 13; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 375;
Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 65; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 56.

Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor).

"Much like P. affinis of Mindanao, but differs from it in having the rufous upon the tail reaching to and beneath the upper tail-coverts, so that the whole base of the tail appears rufous, though some specimens show some black at the bases of the feathers when they are uncovered. The sides of the mandible are also flesh-colored to their bases instead of being black behind as in P. affinis." (Steere.)

"The differences enumerated by Steere between this species and P. affinis, though slight, occur in all the specimens secured by us. A male measured, 610 in length; wing, 231; tail, 205; tarsus, 45; middle toe with claw, 46. A female, length, 559; wing, 211; tail, 183; tarsus, 39; middle toe with claw, 45. Eyes red to umber-brown; legs and feet greenish slate-color; nails black; bill white at tip, black on crest, remainder mottled with reddish brown." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

300. PENELOPIDES SAMARENSIS Steere.

SAMAR TARICTIC.

Penelopides samarensis Steere, List Birds & Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 13; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 376;
Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 65; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 56.

Tao-sí, Bohol.

Bohol (McGregor); Leyte (Everett, Steere Exp.); Samar (Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead).

Male.--Very similar to the male of P. affinis but upper tail-coverts very pale buff. Wing, 260; tail, 230; bill from nostril, 90.

Female.--Like the female of P. affinis. Wing, 235; tail, 225; bill from nostril, 72.

"A well-marked species. Five males average, 606 in length; wing, 232; tail, 208; tarsus, 42; middle toe with claw, 52. Eyes reddish brown; legs and feet slaty black; nails brown to black; bill dark brown, reddish at the tip and around grooves.

"It seems probable that Everett's Dinagat birds were of this species, but they can, of course, be placed here only provisionally." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus CRANIORRHINUS Cabanis and Heine, 1860.

Jaw, entire chin, and a large space around eye naked and bright red; base of lower mandible deeply and obliquely chiseled, upper mandible smooth; casque high, greatly compressed, its outline gently rounded behind and abruptly truncated in front; in the female the casque is smooth and has a sharp ridge above, in the male it is somewhat rounded above, and the sides are distorted by deep vertical plications.

Species.

a1. Tail white with a black band at tip. ... leucocephalus (p. 338) a2. Tail white, stained rufous, the basal third and the tip black. ... waldeni (p. 339)

301. CRANIORRHINUS LEUCOCEPHALUS (Vieillot).

WHITE-HEADED HORNBILL.

Buceros leucocephalus Vieillot, Nov. Dict. d' Hist. Nat. (1816),
4, 592.
Craniorrhinus leucocephalus Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9,
165, pl. 27.
Cranorrhinus leucocephalus Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892),
17, 378; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 65; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 56.

Camiguin S. (Cuming); Mindanao (Steere, Everett, Koch &
Schadenberg, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Clemens, Goodfellow,
Celestino).

"Adult male.--Occiput, nape, and back of neck deep chestnut; rest of head, neck, and upper chest buff; tail white, with a terminal black band; rest of plumage black, glossed with dark bluish green. Naked skin round eye and on chin and throat fiery orange-red; iris crimson; feet dull black; bill and casque deep red; lower mandible crossed at the base by four or more obliquely transverse ridges, the basal one being dark red, the rest whitish and separated from one another by brown grooves; casque with numerous transverse folds. Length, 737; wing, 335; tail, 244; tarsus, 51."

"Adult female.--Differs from the male in having the plumage of head and neck dark shining black, and the casque smooth. Length, 597; wing, 302; tail, 22; tarsus, 46." (Grant.)

"Common in Mindanao. Seems not to occur in Basilan. Frequents the highest trees and feeds on fruit. Eyes red; legs black; tops of feet black, bottoms yellowish; bill dark scarlet. A male measures, 711 in length; wing, 319; tail, 232; tarsus, 50; middle toe with claw, 54." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

When new the tail-feathers are white but they soon turn light buff. The male is much larger than the female and has a larger casque. A male from northern Mindanao is 762 in length; wing, 360; tail, 235; bill from nostril, 126; length of casque at base, 76; tarsus, 50. A female is 620 in length; wing, 290;, tail, 220; bill from nostril, 89; length of casque at base, 57; tarsus, 49.

302. CRANIORRHINUS WALDENI Sharpe.

WALDEN'S HORNBILL.

Craniorrhinus waldeni Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1877), 1, 322.
Cranorrhinus waldeni Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17,
380; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 65; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 56.

Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Negros (Steere Exp., Keay, Whitehead);
Panay (Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester).

"Adult male.--Head, neck, and chest dark chestnut, the feathers next the naked parts of the face and throat inclining to buff; tail white (stained rufous), the basal third and the tips of the feathers black; rest of the plumage black, the upper parts glossed with dark green; naked skin round the eye and on the throat yellow; iris red; legs and feet black; bill and casque red, except toward the end; base of the lower mandible covered by a plate with dark-colored oblique grooves; casque transversely folded. Length, 724; wing, 345; tail, 254; tarsus, 51.

"Adult female.--Differs from the male in having all the plumage of the head and neck black, and the casque without transverse folds; naked skin appears to have been black mixed with yellow. Length, 673; wing, 310; tail, 218; tarsus, 48." (Grant.)

"Hornbills, almost certainly of this species, were seen by the Steere expedition in Negros, but no specimens were obtained." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Suborder MEROPES.

Family MEROPIDÆ.

Bill long, slender, pointed, and gently curved downward for its entire length; a well-defined ridge on culmen; tarsi short and unfeathered; fourth and third toes united to last joint; second toe united to middle toe for basal joint only; eggs white, deposited in holes in sandy ground, the birds usually nesting in colonies.

Genus MEROPS Linnæus, 1758.

Tail moderate, composed of twelve feathers, middle pair slender and prolonged beyond the others; wing moderately long and pointed, first primary very short, second longest.

Species.

a1. Mantle and crown chestnut; throat pale green. ... americanus (p. 340) a2. Mantle and crown green; throat largely chestnut. ... philippinus (p. 341)

303. MEROPS AMERICANUS P. L. S. Müller.

CHESTNUT-HEADED BEEBIRD.

Merops americanus P. L. S. Müller, Natursyst. Suppl. (1776), 95;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 56.
Merops bicolor Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 15; Walden,
Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 150, pl. 26, fig. 1; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 60; Hand-List (1900), 2, 73;
Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 49.

Pe-ric', Manila; pi-ley pi-ley, Lubang.

Bohol (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns
& Worcester); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Everett, Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Cresta de Gallo (McGregor); Fuga (McGregor);
Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon
(Meyer, Möllendorff, Everett, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor);
Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Mindanao (Steere, Murray, Everett, Koch & Schadenberg, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Steere Exp.,
Schmacker, McGregor, Porter); Negros (Meyer, Everett, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester); Panay (Steere, Bourns & Worcester); Samar
(Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Semirara (Worcester); Sibuyan
(McGregor); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester).

Adult (sexes alike).--Above, from bill to and including mantle and sides of neck, bright chestnut; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts clear sky-blue; a band from corner of mouth through eye to ear-coverts black, bordered below by sky-blue; below apple-green, lighter posteriorly and more or less mixed with blue; under tail-coverts light blue; wings and coverts dark green; primaries and secondaries with dusky tips and dark ocherous-buff inner webs; long tertials tipped with dark blue; tail above dark cerulean-blue, the lateral feathers darker than middle pair which are broadly tipped with black; shafts black, tail brown below. Iris bright red; bill and nails black; legs dark flesh. Length, including long tail-feathers, about 300. Three males from Mariveles, Luzon, measure: Wing, 117 to 118; tail, without long feathers, 87; bill from nostril, 34 to 36.

"Young.--Differs from the adult in being duller and greener, the red of the head being overshaded with green and the mantle and upper back green; the under surface is paler, the throat and abdomen pale blue and the breast light green." (Sharpe.)

"Nest.--Nests in level sandy strips of ground. The tunnel is some 50 mm. in diameter at its mouth and at first runs sharply downward. When a depth of 60 to 90 cm. has been reached it turns and slopes gradually upward for 120 to 150 cm. of its length, ending in an enlarged chamber in which the eggs are deposited on the bare sand. The eggs are pure white and highly polished. They are frequently nearly spherical. They vary from 21 to 24 in length by 18 to 20 in breadth.

"Sometimes feeds singly, but is more usually found in small flocks, and at times very large flocks gather, apparently attracted by swarms 36; tarsus, 11; middle toe with claw, 20. Eight females, length, 267; of bees. Six males average, 282 in length; wing, 114; tail, 100; culmen, wing, 112; tail, 91; culmen, 34; tarsus, 11; middle toe with claw, 19." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

304. MEROPS PHILIPPINUS Linnæus.

GREEN-HEADED BEEBIRD.

Merops philippinus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 183; in
errata; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 17, 71; Hand-List
(1900), 2, 74; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1895), 3, 111,
fig. 31 (head); Meyer and Wiglesworth, Bds. Celebes (1898), 1,
253, pl. 8, fig. 2 (tail); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 57; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 51.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Bazol (Everett); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Cebu (Murray, Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.);
Leyte (Everett); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester);
Mindanao (Steere, Murray, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Mindoro (McGregor); Negros (Meyer, Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Keay); Panay (Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Samar (Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (McGregor); Siquijor (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester);
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Malay and Indian Peninsulas,
Indo-Chinese Provinces, Ceylon, Celebes, Malayan islands.

Adult (sexes alike).--Above dark green mixed with a little dull chestnut; occasional touches of blue on head; rump and upper tail-coverts cerulean-blue; a narrow line of blue across forehead, ending on each side over posterior border of eye; a broad black band from nostril through eye to and including ear-coverts; chin light yellow; a wide chestnut band on throat; breast, sides, and abdomen green, mixed with ocherous-buff and touches of pale greenish blue; vent and under tail-coverts delicate sky-blue; wings and tail nearly as in Merops americanus. Iris red; bill, legs, and nails black. Length, with a full-grown tail, about 305. Measurements of three males from Luzon: Wing, 126 to 133; tail, without central pair of feathers, 89 to 93; bill from nostril, 35 to 36. Three females from Luzon: Wing, 124 to 125; tail, without long feathers, 89 to 91; bill from nostril, 31 to 33.

Young.--"Much duller in color generally, with the blue tail and rump of the adult, but without the blue eyebrow, this being replaced by a little lighter green shade than on the crown; cheeks pale green; throat pale brownish." (Sharpe.)

"We can not agree with Dr. Steere that M. philippinus feeds only singly or in pairs, having repeatedly seen it feeding in large flocks, and even in company with M. americanus.

"Iris red; legs and feet dark brown; nails and bill black. Six males average, 255 in length; wing, 122; tail, 94; culmen, 36; tarsus, 11; middle toe with claw, 20. Eight females, length, 240; wing, 124; tail, 94; culmen, 35; tarsus, 11; middle toe with claw, 18." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Suborder CAPRIMULGI.

Ten primaries and ten rectrices; wing long and pointed; gape very wide; bill small and weak; legs and feet moderate and rather weak; middle toe-nail pectinate; toes with slight webs at base; plumage soft and mottled; in habits crepuscular and probably nocturnal, feeding largely on moths and large beetles. The two mottled eggs are deposited on the bare ground.

Family CAPRIMULGIDÆ.

Characters same as those given for the Suborder.

Subfamily CAPRIMULGINÆ.

Genera.

a1. Rictus without conspicuous bristles; feathers on sides of occiput elongated, forming ear-tufts; larger, wing more than 250 mm. ... Lyncornis (p. 342) a2. Rictus armed with strong bristles; no elongated feathers on head; smaller, wing less than 230 mm. ... Caprimulgus (p. 344)

Genus LYNCORNIS Gould, 1838.

Similar to Caprimulgus but rictal bristles wanting; a conspicuous ear-tuft on each side of head; no large white spot on primaries.

305. LYNCORNIS MACROTIS (Vigors).

PHILIPPINE EARED NIGHTJAR.

Caprimulgus macrotis Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1831), 97.
Lyncornis mindanensis Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), 945.
Lyncornis macrotis Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16,
605; Grant, Ibis (1894), 519; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 383; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1900), 2, 81; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906),
57; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 284.

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."

Genus CAPRIMULGUS Linnæus, 1758.

Wings long and pointed, first primary shorter than second; rictal bristles conspicuous, no ear-tufts on sides of head; males generally distinguished by having large white spots on wings and tail.

Species.

MALES.

a1. White spot on first primary smaller and not reaching the shaft.

b1. White spot on outer rectrix subterminal. ... jotaka (p. 349)
b2. White spot on outer rectrix terminal.

c1. Spot on outer rectrix on inner web only; spot on second
primary not reaching the shaft. ... manillensis (p. 346)
c2. Spot on outer rectrix involving both webs; spot on second
primary reaching shaft on both webs. ... macrurus (p. 348)

a2. White spot on first primary larger and reaching the shaft. ... griseatus (p. 344); mindanensis (p. 346)

FEMALES.

a1. A large terminal white spot on tail.

b1. Larger, length about 290 mm.; a larger terminal white spot across
both webs of outer rectrix; spot on first primary white and larger,
on second primary extending to the shaft. ... macrurus (p. 348)
b2. Smaller, length about 250 mm.; a smaller terminal white
spot across inner web of outer rectrix; spot on first primary
buff and smaller; on second primary not extending to the
shaft. ... manillensis (p. 346)

a2. No terminal white spot on tail which is barred and mottled.

b1. Smaller; wing less than 180 mm.; spots on primaries much larger,
whitish and unspeckled. ... griseatus (p. 344); mindanensis (p. 346)
b2. Larger; wing more than 190 mm.; spots on primaries much smaller,
buffy and speckled with brown. ... jotaka (p. 349)

306. CAPRIMULGUS GRISEATUS Walden.

PHILIPPINE NIGHTJAR.

Caprimulgus griseatus Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, pt. 2,
160; Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1877), 691; Hartert, Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1892), 16, 550; pl. 11; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis
(1898), 245, pl. 6, fig. 7 (egg); Clarke, Ibis (1900), 353; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1900), 2, 86; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903),
3, 67; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 57; Worcester,
Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 271, pls. 1 & 2.

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.

307. CAPRIMULGUS MINDANENSIS (Mearns).

MINDANAO NIGHTJAR.

Caprimulgus affinis mindanensis Mearns,
Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. (1905), 18, 85.
Caprimulgus mindanensis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 57.

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.)

308. CAPRIMULGUS MANILLENSIS Walden.

MANILA NIGHTJAR.

Caprimulgus manillensis Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875),
9, pt. 2, 159; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 246 (eggs);
Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 86; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1903), 3, 68, pl. 11, fig. 9; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 57.
Caprimulgus manillensis Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892),
16, 544.

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."

309. CAPRIMULGUS MACRURUS Horsfield.

HORSFIELD'S NIGHTJAR.

Caprimulgus macrurus Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13,
pt. 1, 142; Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16, 537; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1900), 2, 87; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906),
57; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 68, pl. 1, fig. 8.

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.)

310. CAPRIMULGUS JOTAKA Temminck and Schlegel.

JAPANESE NIGHTJAR.

Caprimulgus jotaka Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves
(1847), 37, pl. 12; Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16,
552; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 88; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 57; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903),
3, 74, pl. 1, fig. 14.

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.

Suborder MICROPODII.

Bill small and weak, the gape deeply cleft; rictal bristles not obvious; legs and toes small and weak; middle toe-nail not pectinate; tarsus very short; tail short to moderately long, either square or forked, and not reaching the tips of the folded wings. Diurnal in habits; eggs pure white, two in number; nest composed of sticks and moss, or else wholly or in part of a salivary secretion.

Families.

a1. Culmen equal to tarsus or greater; tufts of elongated feathers above and below eye. ... Hemiprocniidæ (p. 350) a2. Culmen decidedly less than tarsus; no elongated feathers anywhere on head. ... Micropodidæ (p. 351)

Family HEMIPROCNIIDÆ.

Swift-like; wings long and pointed, tail deeply forked; feet stout; tarsus shorter than middle toe without claw; colors largely blue and brown with a slight metallic gloss; plumage of the sexes dissimilar; at once distinguished from any nearly related family by the elongated white feathers above and below eye. Habits more flycatcher-like than swift-like.

Genus HEMIPROCNE Nitzsch, 1829. [40]

Characters same as those given for the Family.

311. HEMIPROCNE MAJOR (Hartert).

PHILIPPINE WHISKERED SWIFT.

Macropteryx comata Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16,
517 (part). Macropteryx major Hartert, Novit. Zool. (1897), 4,
11; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 89; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 58.

Basilan (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cebu
(Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Luzon
(Meyer, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor);
Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao
(Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow);
Mindoro (Steere Exp., Schmacker, McGregor, Porter); Negros (Steere,
Bourns & Worcester, Keay, Whitehead); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester); Samar (Bourns & Worcester); Sibutu (Everett); Sulu
(Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester);
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester).

Adult male.--Lores deep black; ear-coverts chestnut; a broad white stripe from base of culmen, continued over eye and running out in elongated feathers to nape; a similar white line under ear-coverts, continued from the large white chin-patch; remainder of head and throat dark metallic blue; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, breast, and sides of body bronze-brown; middle of abdomen and under tail-coverts white; wings and tail dark metallic blue; innermost secondaries white. Iris dark brown; bill and legs black. A male from Mariveles, Luzon, measures: Wing, 140; tail, 80; tarsus, 6.

Adult female.--Like the male but ear-coverts metallic blue instead of chestnut. A female from Irisan, Benguet, Luzon, measures: Wing, 140; tail, 81; tarsus, 6.

"Curiously local in its habits. Perches in the same place day after day, taking short flights from time to time in pursuit of insects. The ground under its favorite perch is usually covered with excrement. Five males average, 148 in length; wing, 129; tail, 73; culmen, 6; tarsus, 7; middle toe with claw, 12. Two females are somewhat larger, measuring 160 in length; wing, 136; tail, 81; culmen, 6; tarsus, 7; middle toe with claw, 13." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Family MICROPODIDÆ.

Wing long, pointed, and when closed extending far beyond the end of tail; bill small and weak but gape very wide; legs and feet very small and weak; plumage mostly black or dark brown, slightly glossy, often with patches or mottlings of white; small birds capable of long continued flight; nests usually placed in caves or fastened to cliffs or houses; eggs two, white and unspotted. Certain species of the genus Collocalia vel Salangana make the edible nests of commerce and nest in great colonies. Birds of this family are wide ranging and one or more species may be expected to occur in any island of the Philippine group. Of the genera, Tachornis may be recognized by its deeply forked tail; Chætura by its sharp, stiff tail-feathers; Collocalia by its square, or nearly square, tail without spines; Micropus by its white throat and tail without spines.

Subfamilies.

a1. Tarsi unfeathered or with a few feathers only; tail square or but slightly forked; toes arranged normally, three in front one behind. ... Chæturinæ (p. 352) a2. Tarsi distinctly feathered; tail decidedly or even deeply forked; all the toes directed forward. ... Micropodinæ (p. 360)

Subfamily CHÆTURINÆ.

Genera.

a1. Shafts of rectrices ordinary and without spinous tips; wing less than 140 mm. ... Collocalia (p. 352) a2. Shafts of rectrices stiff and extending in a sharp point beyond the web; wing more than 150 mm. ... Chætura (p. 357)

Genus COLLOCALIA Gray, 1840. [41]

Hind toe directed backward and only partially reversible; tail short, square or but slightly forked; shafts of rectrices normal, not extending beyond the webs. This genus includes numerous small swifts, several of which build the edible nests of commerce.

Species.

a1. Larger; wing, 115 mm. or more; under parts brown; no white on abdomen.

b1. Without whitish or grayish band across rump.

c1. Tail square; tarsi unfeathered. ... lowi (p. 352)
c2. Tail slightly forked.

d1. Tarsi entirely devoid of feathers.

e1. Above lighter and more brownish; below lighter, throat
paler. ... whiteheadi (p. 353)
e2. Above darker, and more blackish; below darker and more
uniform. ... origenis (p. 353)

d2. Tarsi sparsely feathered. ... fuciphaga (p. 354)

b2. A whitish or grayish band across rump. ... germani (p. 355)

a2. Smaller; wing, 106 mm. or less; lower parts mottled with white; middle of belly extensively white.

b1. A white band across the rump. ... troglodytes (p. 355)
b2. Without white band on rump.

c1. Upper tail-coverts margined with white. ... marginata (p. 356)
c2. Upper tail-coverts concolorous with back. ... isonota (p. 357)

312. COLLOCALIA LOWI (Sharpe).

LOW'S SWIFTLET.

Cypselus lowi Sharpe, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1879), 333.
Collocalia lowi Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16, 498;
Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 89; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1903), 3, 75; Oberholser, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. (1906),
58, 190.
Salangana lowi McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 58.

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.

313. COLLOCALIA WHITEHEADI Grant.

WHITEHEAD'S SWIFTLET.

Collocalia whiteheadi Grant, Ibis (1895), 459; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1900), 2, 89; Oberholser, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. (1906),
58, 192.
Salangana whiteheadi McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 58.
Collocalia unicolor amelis Oberholser,
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. (1906), 58, 193.

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.

314. COLLOCALIA ORIGENIS Oberholser.

MINDANAO SWIFTLET.

Collocalia origenis Oberholser,
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. (1906), 58, 191.

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.)

315. COLLOCALIA FUCIPHAGA (Thunberg).

THUNBERG'S SWIFTLET.

Hirundo fuciphaga Thunberg, K. Vet. Acad. Nya Handl., (1812),
33, 153, pl. 4.
Collocalia fuciphaga Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16,
498; Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 89; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds'
Eggs (1903), 3, 75.
Salangana fuciphaga McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 58.
Collocalia fuciphaga fuciphaga Oberholser,
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. (1906), 58, 185.

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.)