36 



AT.LEN S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



mendous mountains above and the deep valley below, with 

 the setting sun illuminating the glorious peaks of the hill-tops, 

 and throwing into shade the depths lying below my feet. I 

 was conscious of an occasional buzz of wings past my face, 

 and soon discovered that the roof of the Dak Bungalow was 

 tenanted by a colony of the small Indian Swift {Micropus 

 ajjifiis), who were dashing out every moment with the speed of 

 an arrow, or perhaps one might say, with the velocity of a rifle- 

 bullet. I had no gun with me — if I had, it would have been 

 useless, — but I marked the holes whence the birds came forth, 

 and armed myself with a butterfly-net. It is needless to tell 

 anyone who has seen these birds in flight that I did not catch 

 one of them. The fast approaching darkness, which hindered 

 my vision, served to sharpen that of the birds, which easily 



Sternum of 

 Hirtuido rustica. 



Sternum of 

 Microptis apiis. 



avoided me, but I shall never forget the pace at which the little 

 creatures darted out from beneath the roof of the house and 

 whizzed past. When I had turned my head they were half-a-mile 

 away over the valley, giving just a glimpse of the white band 

 on the rump, which enabled me to detect to which species 

 they belonged. I am informed by some of my Anglo-Indian 

 friends that the flight of M. affinis is as nothing compared with 

 that of a Chcetura, to which the term of " greased lightning " 

 can easily be applied. 



In addition to the characteristic rapidity of their flight, the 

 Swifts further diff'er from the Swallows, with which they have 

 been associated by so many writers, in having only ten tail- 



