The whole of the large collection of birds secured by the Congo Expeditionof the American Museum of Natural History during the years 1909to 1915, under the leadership of Mr. Herbert Lang, has now arrived safelyat the Museum. It is composed of material gathered all across the BelgianCongo, from Boma on the west to Aba in the northeastern corner, but thegreater part from the more remote territory between Stanley Falls and theEnclave of Lado, including the dense equatorial forests of the Ituri, Nepoko,and Bomokandi, and the high-grass and bush country of the Uele Districtto the north and northeast.
Of the relatively small number of zoölogical expeditions that have passedthrough and collected in these regions, none has ever before been able tomake such a prolonged stay, and the varied zoölogical results of this Expeditionare surely of the highest scientific interest. The ornithological collectioncontains in the neighborhood of six thousand skins, and representssome 600 different species, a number of them of course new to science.These it is our purpose to describe as promptly as possible in this Bulletin,before taking up the greater work of a general report on all the forms collected,with more extended notes on their distribution, habits, food, andnests.
Descriptions of the first three new forms follow:
Related to C. stictilæma, but much larger, with feathers of upper breast moreheavily margined with blackish, and without any trace of a light rump-band.
Description of type, collector's No. 4986 Congo Exp. A. M. N. H., ♂ ad.Avakubi, Ituri District, Belgian Congo, Aug. 15, 1913.
Upper parts brownish-black (chætura-black, Ridgw.) becoming black on wingsand tail, with faint violet and green reflections (green on freshly molted feathers).Ear coverts drab, bordered with fuscous-black; feathers of throat pale smoke-gray,margined with fuscous, those of upper breast similar, but heavily bordered withfuscous-black, consequently with a very pronounced "scaly" appearance; lowerbreast growing darker, so that the dark borders are less conspicuous, and the featheringof the belly completely fuscous-black with slight oily gloss. Under wing covertsmouse-gray with darker edges, flanks and under tail-coverts black with slight greenishgloss. Tail slightly rounded.
[Pg 3] Iris dark brown, bill black, feet bluish, shading to dusky brown on tips of toesand claws. Sexual organs enlarged.
Length (skin) 145 mm.; wing 164; tail 49.5; bill (exposed culmen), 7.5; metatarsus13.
Only one specimen secured, out of two or three of these swifts that wereflying about over the Ituri River, in company with several examples ofChætura cassini. In spite of our long stay in this region, the species was notagain positively recognized; but Chætura cassini, C. stictilæma and C.sabinei were all of common occurrence there.
Resembling Apaloderma narina, but decidedly smaller, of different coloration,and with bill less swollen. The serration of the maxilla is less pronounced.
The adult male of A. minus is distinguished b