Sabaragamuwa Province, Ceylon. 543 



March and April. The nest is a beautiful structure, com- 

 posed of fine mosses and thin roots. The eggs are pale blue 

 and three in number. 



137. HiRUNDO RusTicA (Lcggc, B. of C. p. 587). 



A migratory species, arriving in September and becoming 

 exceedingly abundant soon after arrival, departing late 

 in March and up sometimes as far as the middle of April. 

 During the course of the arrival-period birds in all stages of 

 dress will be found, from the most perfect bluish black to a 

 faded brown-black. I know of no instance of the bird 

 breeding in the island, 



138. HiRUNDO HYPERYTHRA (Lcgge, B. of C. p. 592, 

 pi. xxvii. fig. 1). 



Very abundant in all the moist parts of the province 

 from 100 feet to 3000, but rarely found above that altitude. 

 It is particularly abundant in the Ratnapura country and 

 all through the Kegalla district, and especially at Ambepussa, 

 where it was first discovered nearly 50 years ago by Layard. 



I have repeatedly found its nests both in caves as well as 

 in dwellings, one of the last instances I noted being a nest 

 built in the Government Agent's Residency at Ratnapura. 

 The eggs are pure white and nearly always two in number. 

 Endemic. 



139. HiRUNDO JAVANICA (Leggc, B. of C. p. 597). 

 Chiefly confined to the high hills from 2000 feet and 



upwards, where it becomes very common and is generally 

 known to the Europeans as the " Bungalow Swallow," owing 

 to its frequently nesting in houses, I have for some years 

 watched the nidification of this interesting species, and have 

 found that a pair will not only return to the same nest for a 

 second breeding-season, but will repeat the operation more 

 than twice, so long as the nest is not damaged. I would 

 call attention to a remarkable instance of intelligence in 

 animals that I recorded in 'Nature' (22nd July, 188G, p. 265), 

 in which a pair of these Swallows constructed a nest on the 

 top of a hanging lamp. The intelligence was displayed by 

 their placing their dome-like structure over the pulleys by 



