38 lAEID^. 



Hydi'ocecropis aiirantia, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 179. 



Sylochelidon seena, Gray, Cat. M. ^ Birds Nepal pres. Hodgs, 



p. 148 (1846), and ed. 1863, p. 78 ; Licht. Nmnencl. Av. p. 98 



(1854). 

 Seeua aurantia, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. p. 291 (1849) ; Layard, 



Ann. Sf Maq. N. H. xiv. p. 271 (1854 : Ceylon, observed only) ; 



Bp. C. R. xlii. p. 772 (18.56) ; Jerdo7i, B. India, iii. p. 838 (1864) ; 



Beavan, Ibis, 1868, p. 403 (Umballa) ; Holdsiv. P. Z. S. 1872, 



p. 480 (not obtained in Ceylon) ; Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 421 (Kattia- 



war) ; Blyth ^- Wald. B. Burm. p. 163 (1875) ; W.-Ramsay, 



Ibis, 1877, p. 472 (Sittang) ; A. Anders. P. Z. S. 1877, p. 807 



(cbick). 

 Potamochelidon seena, Heine S/- Reiehenoiv, Nomenel. Mus. Hein^ 



p. 355 (1890). 



Adult mah in hreecling-plumarie. Forehead, crown, nape, lores, 

 and feathers beneath the eye, black with a greenish lustre ; mantle 

 and tail-coverts dark pearl-grey ; primaries pale grey, frosted, 

 passing into slate-grey near the tips and on the inner margins of 

 the webs, the paler central " wedge " very slightly defined, shafts 

 white ; tail-feathers pearl-grey, the outer pair greyish white ; under 

 surface delicate grey, under tail-coverts pure white : bill orange- 

 yellow ; tarsi and toes orange-red in the living bird, yellow iu 

 preserved specimens. Total length 17 inches, culmen 1'8, wing 

 ll'l, tail 8-5 to 9-5, depth of fork 5 to 6, tarsus 0-85, middle toe 

 without claw 0*8, the claw varying greatly in length, and being 

 sometimes 0*4 across the chord. 



Female. Similar ; no appreciable difference in size. 



Adult after autumn moidt. Forehead dull white, crown grey, orbital 

 feathers and ear-coverts blackish ; bill horn-coloured at tip. By the 

 end of January the lores and ear-coverts have become black, and 

 the crown and nape dark grey. The eclipse must be very short 

 in mature birds, for the finest male in the collection, obtained at 

 Thatone on Dec. 10th, is in full plumage, with very long tail- 

 feathers. 



Immature. Like the above, with a brownish tinge on the inner 

 secondaries and the tail-feathers. 



Young. Forehead and crown huffish white, flecked with dark- 

 ash-colour, over the eye a fairly defined white streak ; feathers of 

 the upper parts vermiculated and barred with ash-brown, and 

 broadly edged with huffish white : bill dull yellow, horn-coloured 

 towards the tip. 



Nestling undescribed. 



Hah. Rivers, estuaries, and inland waters of India from Sind, 

 Kashmir, and Nepal to the Deccan, but uncommon in Southern 

 India, and not yet authenticated in Ceylon ; Assam, Western 

 Yunnan, Burma, Malacca, to Singapore (Kelham). Eggs deposited 

 on sand-banks. 



a. Ad. sk. Hydrabad, Sind (H. Gould). India Museum [P.]- 



b. $ ad. sk. Hydrabad, Sind, Feb. 4 (£. Hume CoU. 



A. Butler). 

 e. 2 imm. sk. Eohri, Sind, March 29 ( If. Hume Coll. 

 T. Blanford). 



