82 FAUNA AND FLORA OF FALSETINE. 



it in winter, spring, and summer close to the snow-line. I found many- 

 pairs breeding on the top of Hermon on 2nd June, most having hatched 

 out their young. The nests are very compact, neat, and deep, imbedded 

 in a tuft of Astragalus or Drada, lined with grass roots. 



The Indian O. longirostris, from the Himalayas, can always be 

 discriminated, and the Chinese birds collected by Swinhoe are O. albigula 

 of the Russian naturalists. 



The true Otocorys penicillata appears to be confined to Palestine, the 

 Taurid, Caucasus, and the mountains of Northern Persia. 



ORDER, PICARI^. 



FAMILY, CYPSELID.'E. 



162. Cypsclus apns. (Linn. Syst. Nat. i., p. 344.) Common Swift. 

 Hebr., DID and D^D, A.V., erroneously, ' Crane.' Arabic, (j^i--o, Sis. 



The Swift leaves Palestine in November and returns in countless 

 myriads at the beginning of April. Clouds pass in long streams to the 

 north, but still leave prodigious numbers behind. These swarm about all 

 the towns, darting up and down the streets in pursuit of the gnats. It is 

 less abundant in the more desolate parts of the country, though it may 

 be found in flocks in the ravines, but it seems to prefer ruins, mosques, 

 and houses for its nesting places. 



I was enabled to detect the true rendering of the Hebrew word soos or 

 sfs in a curious way. I had noticed that the Swallow, or at least many 

 individuals, remain through the winter, and had been therefore perplexed 

 by the expression, ' the Crane and the Sivalloiv (Sis), observe the time of 

 their coming ' (Jen viii. 7) : and by the soft note of the Swallow being used 

 to symbolize the cry of pain, ' Like a Crane or a Swallow {Sods) so did I 

 chatter' (Is. xxxviii. 14 :) when in the beginning of April, being camped 

 under Mount Carmel, the Swift suddenly appeared. We had shot several, 

 which were spread out in front of my tent. I asked the Arab boys who 

 crowded round, what the birds were, and they all called them Sis. I asked 

 them if they were not Sununu (Swallow). They took up a Swallow which 

 was lying there and pronounced it to be the Sununu. Here, then, we have 



