Mr. W. C. Tait on the Birds of Portugal. 191 



end of October or beginning of November flocks of about 

 eight to twenty birds appear at the sea-side in the neighbour- 

 hood of Oporto^ and remain till about the end of February 

 or the beginning of March. 



The flight of this species is extremely graceful — so smooth, 

 silent, and apparently effortless — and I have often watched 

 it with pleasure. Occasionally a bird would seem to turn a 

 somersault, like a Tumbler Pigeon, but with a wider radius 

 and without disturbing its flight. I could never, however, 

 feel quite sure that it was not an optical delusion on my 

 part, 



73. CoTiLE RiPARiA (Limi.). ^'Pedreiro das Barreiras,^' 

 " Pedreiriuho.^^ 



This species is not so commou as the House Martin and 

 Swallow, and is oftener found in tbe north than in the south 

 of Portugal. I have met with it in various places in the 

 province of the Minho, and on the river of that name it is 

 very abundant, burrowing in the sandy banks of the islands 

 worn away by the current. A colony is established at the 

 road-side near the favourite shrine of Bom Jesus do Monte, 

 near Braga, and I have seen another at Magdalena, near 

 Oporto. Some were seen by me April 5tb, 1884, between 

 Beja and Mertola, in the Alemtejo, on the banks of the river 

 Torges, and I saw the holes in the bank where they nest. 



74. CHELiDONURBicA(Linn.). " Andorinhadasjanellas," 

 '* Andorinha dos beiraes.'^ 



The House Martin generally arrives at Oporto about the 

 6th April, remaining till tlie middle of September; I saw 

 one this year at Abrantes, on the Tagus, on 2nd February. 

 Dr. Carvalho's observations, extending over twenty-three 

 years, give an average date for arrival at Coimbra of 19tli 

 February, and for departure 7th October. The birds 

 usually go at once to their nests of the previous year and 

 commence repairing them, the male and female Avorking 

 alternately. 



75. Carduelis elegans, Steph. ^' Pinta silgo,^^ general 

 name ; " Milheira galante," Beira ; " Pinta cardeira,'" Coimbra ; 

 " Silgaro," Galicia. 



