106 



THE WHITE-BELLIED SWIFT. 



brown, through which runs a strong tinge of green that gives a beautiful glossy aspect to that 

 part of the plumage. The throat and breast, together with the under tail-coverts, are very 

 light gray, and the abdomen, part of the scapularies, and a well-defined streak over the eye, 

 are white. 



This bird is a native of many parts of India, and has been taken in Java and Malacca. 



The true SWIFTS, of which one is known very 

 familiarly, while the other is a very rare and 

 almost unnoticed species, are remarkable for the 

 ^ feathered tarsus, the long wings, and the peculiar 

 ,^. form of the feet. In this member, all the toes are 

 directed forward, a structure which is admirably 

 adapted to the purpose which it fulrils. The 

 Swifts build their nests, or rather lay their eggs, 

 for the nest is hardly worthy of the name, in 

 holes under the eaves of houses, or in similar 

 localities, and would find themselves greatly 

 inconvenienced when seeking admission into their 

 domiciles, but for the shape of the feet, which ena- 

 bles them to cling to the slightest projection, and 

 to clamber up a perpendicular surface with perfect 

 ease and safety. In one species, the White 

 Collared Swift (Cypselus cayenensis), the feet are 

 clothed with feathers to the base of the claws. 



THE WHITE-BELLIED, or ALPINE SWIFT, 

 which the reader will find illustrated together 

 with the next bird, is the largest of the Hirundi- 

 nidse, being rather more than eight inches in total 

 length. It is common on the continent of Europe, 

 and in many parts of Africa and Asia. 



Unlike the common Swift, which is possessed 

 of a loud and stridulous note, the Alpine Swift 

 is sweet of voice ; its cry, although loud, being 

 musical in its intonation. The popular name of 

 this bird is given to it on account of the white hue 

 of the under portions of its body, the only excep- 

 tion being a broad dusky bar across the breast. The toes are brown with an orange tint, and 

 the black beak is longer than that of the common Swift. The general color of its plumage is 

 brown. The nest of this bird is made in crevices of lofty cliffs or buildings,, and is composed 

 of straw, hay, moss, and other substances, connected firmly together with a glutinous secretion 

 furnished by certain glands, and rendered very hard and firm when the cement is dry. The 

 eggs are four or five in number, white, and very long in proportion to the breadth. 



The following interesting account of the habits of this bird is given by Mr. Thompson : 



" The first place I met with the Alpine Swift was almost ten miles to the north of Naples, 

 on the 12th of August, 1826, when a great number were observed associated together in flight, 

 at a high elevation. Their evolutions in the air were similar to .those of a common Swift. 

 Independently of their superior size, which at once distinguishes them from that bird, the 

 white color of a portion of the under plumage, from which they have received the name of 

 White-bellied Swift, is conspicuous, even when the bird is at a considerable altitude. 



" When on the Continent, in 1841, with my friend, Professor E. Forbes, this species was 

 first seen by us on the 9th of April, as we descended the Rhone, from Lyons to Avignon. 

 About half way between these cities, several appeared flying over the river, and a few at all 

 suitable places thence to Avignon. On the morning of the 28th of April, as we entered the 



KLECHO SWALLOW. DmdnKMidon longipennis. 



