8 J; Mr. F. B. Simson on Birds 



be traced in these specimens^ both as to the colour of the 

 head (which is gi'een in some, faded brown in others) and 

 also in the amount of yellow on the under wing-coverts and 

 bastard wing. But in all cases these differences seem due to 

 the age of the bird rather than to any other cause. Mr. 

 "Whitely sends examples of both sexes, which present no 

 material differences. 



VII. — Notes on Birds found near Dacca and in the surrounding 

 District of Eastern Bengal. By Fraxk B. Simson. 



In April 18G3 I observed, for the first time, that a great 

 number of Swallows flying about the low marshy land to 

 the east of Dacca and near the river Lukya, which flows 

 southward from Mymensing to Naraingunge, where it mingles 

 ■with the numerous streams from Sylhet and the eastern out- 

 lets of the Ganges, had red bellies. No such bird was de- 

 scribed in the first volume of Jerdon's ' Birds of Iiidia,^ at 

 that time the only work on Indian birds published, I wrote 

 to Jerdon about it ; and he told me that the bird had been 

 observed before by Tytler, and that he would enter it in an 

 appendix, which he accordingly did, under the name of Hi- 

 ritndo tytleri. I do not know if this was the first time the 

 bird was named. It seems to be a Swallow which is still far 

 from well known, a species closely allied to H. savignii, and 

 also to H. horreorum of America. 



Jerdon knew every thing about it. He visited me after- 

 wards, and one evening we shot some eight or nine. Subse- 

 quently I sent a good series to Hume ; whether he has 

 mentioned the bird in any of his writings I do not know. 

 Blyth states (Ibis, 1866, p. 336) that H. tytleri comes near 

 H. cahirica, but is smaller and has less black on the gorget. 

 Jerdon says they were abundant at Dacca in June, but were 

 absent in October. I have, however, seen them near Dacca 

 towards the end of October. I saw them in their greatest 

 numbers in November 18G7. 



These birds were closely looked for by me for eight years 



