256 Mr. R. Swinhoe on Fonnosnn Ornithulugy. 



in small parties during the cool weather, and merely shifting its 

 haunts from exposed to sheltered localities according to the 

 severity of the season. In Southern China it is by no means 

 so common as the Chimney-Swallow, and far more locally dis- 

 tributed ; but in Formosa, both north and south, it abounds 

 in almost every homestead. Being a resident bird, and not sub- 

 ject to distant migrations, we should naturally expect, according 

 to recent theories, to find it subject to some variation through its 

 insular position ; and this we do observe in the larger form, 

 longer wing, and almost entire absence of the red nuchal collar 

 in our bird. The same facts are observed and indirectly admitted 

 in the variety prevalent at Japan by a thorough anti-Darwinian — 

 Professor Schlegel, who is so struck with the differences offered 

 by the Japanese bird as to make of it a subspecies under the 

 term H. alpestris japonica. The variations in the Formosan bird 

 are, however, too trifling to found on them a new species ; and 

 were not the triple nomenclature held in such objection by the 

 majority of modern naturalists, we could not do better than 

 employ it in this instance. On taking possession of our native 

 house at Tamsuy, I observed a nest of this Swallow under the 

 rafters in the central hall. It was exteriorly built of specks of 

 mud,-like the nests of the Martin, but had a neck-like entrance, 

 giving the whole the form of a French flask, flattened against 

 the roof; the inside was lined amply with feathers. Pallas^s 

 figure gives a very good idea of its structure. The mouth, 

 however, does not always point upwards, but is adapted in form 

 and direction to the shape of the spot against which it is placed. 

 At the close of March the pair to which the nest belonged 

 returned, and in April began to repair the old nest. Towards 

 the close of this month the female was sitting on three white, 

 unspotted eggs. The male and female share the duties of 

 incubation, the female usually taking the longest spell. For the 

 sake of science, we let the birds have their own way, though they 

 made a great mess about our small house, and nearly drove us 

 wild with their loud, discordant twittering. 



In a ramble one spring morning, at dawn, I saw large numbers 

 of these Swallows perching on some high bamboos. The sua 

 was fast dispeUing the thick night-fog that still hung low and 



