coracIjB. 177 



The Coraciae consist of seven families. The Meropida, containing 

 about thirty species, and the Coraciida;, containing nearly a score 

 species, inhabit the tropical and subtropical parts of the Old World. 

 The Leptosomida contains only one species, which is peculiar to 

 Madagascar. The Podargida may contain a score species, which are 

 confined to the Oriental and Australian Eegions. The Steaturni- 

 thidce contains only one species, which is peculiar to the Neotropical 

 Region. The Caprimulyidce, numbering a hundred species, and the 

 Cypselidce, numbering about seventy species, are cosmopolitan, except 

 that they are not found in the Arctic or Antarctic regions. 



Of these families the Coraciidae, the Caprimulgida, and the Cypse- 

 lidee are represented in Japan. 



157. CYPSELUS PACIFICUS. 

 (WHITE-RUMPED SWIFT.) 



Hifundo pacifica, Latham, Index Orn. Suppl. p. Iviii (1801). 



The White-ruraped Swift is slightly larger than the Common 

 Swift (wing from carpal joint 6'5 to 7'Q inches), and is easily recog- 

 nized by its white rump. 



Figures : Jardine and Selby, Illustrations of Ornithology, iv. pi. 39; 

 Gould, Birds of Australia, ii. pi. II. 



The White-rumped Swift was first procured in Japan by Captain 

 Blakiston (Swinhoe, Ibis, 1876, p. 331), and has since been found 

 to be a summer visitor to all the Japanese Islands, It has occurred 

 on Eturop, the most southerly of the Kurile Islands (Blakiston 

 and Pryer, Trans. As. Soc. Japan, 1882, p. 140) ; Captain Blakiston 

 sent me a skin from Hakodadi (Seebohm, Ibis, 1879, p. 31); and 

 there are seven skins in the Pryer collection from Yokohama. 



The breeding-range of the White-rumped Swift extends eastwards 

 from Japan across Southern Siberia as far west as Krasnoyarsk in 

 the valley of the Yencsay, whence I have an example procured by 

 Mr. Kibort in June, and as far south as the Lam-yit Islands (on 

 the Chinese coast opposite North Formosa). It winters in the Burma 

 Peninsula and in Australia. 



Other white-rumped Swifts are found in the Oriental and Ethi- 

 opian Regions, but they are all much smaller birds. 



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