CYPSELID^ CYPSELUS 23 



London, and from near Upington on the Orange river in August ; 

 Eeid describes it as visiting the north-west portion of Natal in 

 considerable numbers, arriving there early in September, he also 

 specially notes it from near Maritzburg in April and August. 



There is a specimen in the Pretoria museum shot close to that 

 town in January, and in Damaraland Andersson obtained it at 

 Otjimbinque in July and at Omaruru in November. 



Beyond our limits this species is recorded from Kilimanjaro and 

 Shoa in southern Abyssinia. 



Habits. — The White-bellied Swift, even more than others of the 

 same group, is a bird of very rapid flight and is seldom seen except 

 in the immediate neighbourhood of mountains, where it probably 

 returns not only to breed but also to roost. Like other Swifts its 

 food consists entirely of insects, such as flies and beetles. Mr. 

 Layard specially notices the fact that it has no note, if this is the 

 case it shows a marked distinction from the Alpine Swift, the voice 

 of which is stated to be louder than that of the smaller Common 

 Swift. The evidence points to its breeding in South Africa, but 

 is by no means perfect ; Levaillant originally stated that it built a 

 nest among the rocks and laid four white eggs. 



Reid shot a female on the Incandu river in Natal on November 

 4, which contained enlarged eggs and appeared about to lay, while 

 Dr. Stark in his diary, notes on November 1 : " Alpine and Common 

 Swifts apparently breeding in the cracks of Bushman's Caves ; " 

 these are situated on the Bushman's River pass between Basutoland 

 and Natal 6,800 feet above the sea. 



Alpine Swifts are found in Central Europe only in summer, from 

 April to September, when they breed ; during the northern winter 

 they retire to the South. If the South African birds are those which 

 have come from Europe, it seems unlikely that they would again 

 breed in November in South Africa ; the probability therefore is 

 that the European and South African birds are distinct races, the 

 former spending the northern summer in Europe and visiting 

 (October to March) Central /Vfrica, the latter spending the southern 

 summer in South Africa, and visiting (from April to August) also 

 Central Africa. 



386. Cypselus apus. European Stvift. 



Hirundo apus, Lz?m. Sysf. Nat. i, p. 344 (1766). 



Cypselus apus (in part), Grill, K. Vet. Al-ad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 41 



(1858) [Kuysna] ; Gum ey, Ibis, 1863, p. 321; Layard, B. S. Afr. 



p. 50 (1867) ; Sharqe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 90 (1875) ; Ayres, 



