HIRUNDO. 281 



brown ; remainder of the sides of the head, chin, throat, and upper 

 breast white, tinged with very pale fulvous, and boldly streaked 

 with brown ; remainder of lower plumage white, the sides of the 

 body slightly streaked with brown. 



The young bird has the head brownish, the feathers of the back 

 margined with rufous, those of the rump very broadly margined 

 with fulvous, and the wings more or less margined with the same. 



Legs dark brown ; toes black ; iris brown ; bill black (Hume). 



Length about 4-5 ; tail 1*75 ; wing 3- 6 ; tarsus -4 ; bill from 

 gape "5 ; bifurcation of tail # 15. 



Distribution. A considerable portion of India proper. Towards 

 the south this species has been found as far as Coitnbatore ; to the 

 east as far as Etiiwah ; and on the north and west to the foot of 

 the Himalayas and in Kashmir, extending into all parts of the 

 north-west except Sind. 



Habits, tyc. Breeds in large societies from February to April and 

 in July and August, constructing a mud nest, which is spherical or 

 oval with a long neck or tubular entrance attached to it. Large 

 numbers of nests are plastered together against the face of cliffs or 

 under bridges. The eggs are sometimes spotless white, more 

 frequently white speckled with yellowish or reddish brown, and 

 usually three in number. They measure about "76 by '53. 



820. Hirundo striolata. The Japanese Striated Swallow. 



Hirundo striolata, Temm., Temm. fy Sehleg. Faun. Jap., Aves, p. 33 



(1850); Walden in BlytKs Birds Burnt, p. 127; Sharpe, Cat. 



B. M. x, p. 161. 

 Hirundo alpestris japonica, Temm. <§■ Sehleg. op. cit. p. 33, pi. ii 



(1850). 

 Lillia substriolata, Hume, S. F. v, p. 264 (1877). 

 Hirundo substriolata (Hume), Hume, Cat. no. 85 quat. 

 Hirundo japonica (T. ty S.), bates, B. B. i, p. 305 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. 



M. x, p. 162. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, nape, hind neck, back, scapulars, 

 lesser and median wing-coverts, and tail-coverts glossy steel-blue ; 

 quills and tail black, slightly glossy on the outer webs; rump 

 chestnut, with well-marked black shafts ; lores black ; a mark in 

 front and above the eye, continued as a narrow line over the eye, 

 and the ear-coverts chestnut, streaked with black ; lower plumage 

 white, with a very pale fulvous tinge throughout, aud very coarsely 

 streaked with black throughout ; under tail-coverts with their 

 terminal halves entirely black. 



Iris dark brown ; bill and legs dark brown (Wardlaw Ramsay). 



Length nearly 8 ; tail up to 4-2 ; wing 4"9 to 5*3 ; tarsus -6 ; 

 bill from gape '6 ; bifurcation of tail 2*1. 



Distribution. The only specimens of this species killed within 

 Indian limits that I have seen are : two specimens from Cachar, 

 February (types of Lillia substriolata, Hume) ; a specimen from 

 Karennee, 2600 feet, 29th March ; and two from the Karen hills, 

 east of Toungngoo, 3000 feet, 15th January. 



