WHITE-RUMPED SWIFT 307 



that sea and spray, in their most angry moments, are ineffective to disturb the 

 tranquility of the site chosen. On landing upon the rock and commencing to 

 climb over it, not a sign of any bird life was visible, with the single exception of 

 a solitary shag {Phalacrocorax pclagicns) which flew off hurriedly from the 

 far side of the rock near the water's edge, where it had been dreaming away 

 the hot summer afternoon. Altogether seven Swift's nests were found ; of these 

 two were in vertical crannies, the remainder in horizontal fissures, and all a full 

 arm's length in. Only two nests contained eggs (June 6th), and only three 

 Swifts were seen on the rock. The first nest found contained two eggs. The 

 female bird was on the nest, and the male bird underneath the nest, clinging 

 to it with both feet. So narrow was the cleft, that the birds were con- 

 strained to remain in one position, turning round being out of the question. 

 The nest itself, wedged between the rock faces, was a small, perfectly round 

 plate of straw, three and a half inches in extreme diameter, thickest at the rim 

 and very slightly dished in the centre. A few feathers had been worked into the 

 outer part of it, which was hardened with glutinous matter produced by the 

 bird. The two birds at the first nest made no attempt to fly, and allowed 

 themselves to be drawn out, a somewhat difficult operation. They clung very 

 tenaciously to the fingers with exceedingly sharp claws, but when thrown into 

 the air, immediately flew off with a strong swinging flight. A single bird flew 

 from the second nest discovered, which was two feet down in a horizontal crack, 

 and was similar in all respects to the first nest and contained three eggs. The 

 eggs of the Micropus paciflcus are typical Swift's eggs — pure white in colour 

 and elongated in shape. Three apparently new nests were found close to each 

 other in the same cranny, a long narrow aperture between two boulders. The 

 remaining two nests were adjacent but separated, the whole area for the 

 purpose being very restricted. 



The rock was again visited five days later. All the nests now contained eggs, 

 three of them one apiece only. No other nest beside that previously mentioned 

 contained three eggs. One additional nest was discovered containing two eggs; 

 this made eight nests in all. A Swift was found on each nest, but both birds at 

 only two nests. Three Swifts made their appearance when the rock was 

 approached on the latter occasion, and continued to fly around during the visit. 



Captain Cochrane's excellent paper is illustrated by a plate show- 

 ing the rocks, with deep fissures, and the nest and eggs in position 

 within the cleft. 



From Japan we have a few all too scanty notes from Alan Owston, 

 who informed A. J. Campbell (1901) that on a yachting cruise he 

 visited an island called Ukishima, about half a mile long, 200 feet 

 high, and about 20 miles south of Yokohama. Here he explored 

 some caves on the south side of the island, where he roughly esti- 

 mated that there must have been not less than 2,000 of these birds 

 nesting. There is also a well-known breeding place (which is 

 shared with the spine-tailed swift, Ohaetura cavdacuta) behind the 

 Kegon waterfall, near Nikko, Japan. Here the rocks consist of 

 alternate hard and soft strata, making a series of shelves, and be- 

 tween these the swifts place their nests. Since the outer edges of 

 the ledges are weathered and so rotten that they will not bear the 

 weight of a man, the place is practically inaccessible. 



