NON-INDIGENOUS BRITISH BIRDS. 99 



Family CYPSELID.E. Genus Cypselu:. 



WHITE-BELLIED SWIFT. 



Cypselus melba (^Linncetis). 



(British : Rare abnormal spring and autumn migrant.) 



Single Brooded. Laying season, May. 



Breeding AREA : Southern Palaearctic, North-eastern 

 Ethiopian, and Oriental regions. The White-bellied 

 Swift breeds on the mountains of Eastern France, the 

 Pyrenees, and mountains of Spain, the Alps, the Car- 

 pathians, Apennines, and other high ranges of South and 

 Central Europe, to the Urals, where it goes as far north 

 as lat. 55°. Eastwards it breeds in the mountains of 

 Asia Minor, Palestine, Persia, Turkestan, the Himalayas, 

 the mountains of Western India, and Ceylon. South of 

 the Mediterranean it breeds throughout the Atlas range 

 and in the mountains of Abyssinia. 



Breeding habits : The White-bellied Swift begins 

 to cross the Mediterranean during the latter half of 

 March, and does not reach its more northerly breeding 

 places before May. This bird is more or less gregarious 

 during the breeding season, nesting in scattered colonies ; 

 it is also social, and in many districts fraternizes with 

 the Common Swift, the two species rearing their young 

 in the same colony. Its favourite breeding haunts are 

 in the mountains, amongst lofty cliffs, steep gorges, and 

 the precipitous sides of ravines and passes. It frequents 

 buildings in mountainous areas, however, to some extent, 

 one of its most famous nesting places being in the 

 cathedral at Berne, and others occur on lofty buildings 

 in the Alps. I met with colonies of this fine Swift on 

 the towering precipices at Constantine, also in the gorge 

 at El Kantara, most of its nests being quite inaccessible 

 to man. The White-bellied Swift pairs for life, and 



