170 CYPSELID^. 



Genus TACHORNIS, Gosse, 1847. 



The toes are arranged in pairs, the 3rd and 4th toes outwards, 

 the 1st and 2nd (inner and hind) inwards. Size small. 



The nests are alwaj's attached to the leaves of palms (where 

 palm-leaves are employed in thatching huts, the Swifts make their 

 nests on the thatch). 



This genus is found throughout the Oriental and Ethiopian 

 regions and in the West Indies. Two species are found \vithiu 

 our limits. 



Fig. 50. — Left foot of T. batassiensis, 



Key to the Species. 



Dull earthy brown above T. batassietisis, p. 170. 



Glossy blackish brown above T. infumatus, p. 171. 



1075. Tachornis batassiensis. The Palm-Sivift. 



Cypselus balasiensis (batassiensis), Gray, in Griffiths An. Kingd., 



Aves, u, p. GO (1829) ; Bli/th, Cat. p. 86. 

 Cypselus batassiensis, Horsf. ^ M. Cat. i, p. 108 ; Jerdon, B. I. \, 



p. 180; Bhjth, Ibis, 1866, p. 340; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, 



p. 420; Davidson t^ Wenden, S. F. vii, p. 77; Davidson, ibid. 



p. 172; Ball, ibid. p. 202; Criijps, ibid. p. 257; Hume, Cat. 



no. 102 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 44 ; Butler, ibid. p. 379 ; Legge, Birds 



Ceyl. p. 322 ; Hume, S. F. x, p. 348 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 87 ; 



Cripps, S. F. xi, p. 31 ; Oates in Hume's N. ^ E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 25 ; 



St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156. 

 Cypselus palmarum, Gray in Hardto. III. hid. Zool. i, pi. 35, fig. 1 



(1832) ; Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 236 ; Hume, N. 8f E. i, 



p. 87 ; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 454. 

 Tachornis batassiensis, Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 466. 



Tdri ababil, Tal-chatta, Patta deuli, H. ; Batassia, Chamchiki, Beng. ; 

 Ambattan Katthi, Tamul ; Wcehcelaniya, Cing. 



Coloration. Dull brown above, head slightly darker, wing and 

 tail-feathers much darker ; beneath pale greyish brown, chin and 

 throat palest. 



Bill black ; irides reddish ; feet dusky brown. 



Length about 5-25 : tail 2-6 ; wing 4*5 ; tarsus '4 ; tail deeply 

 forked, outer rectrices about 1*2 inches longer than middle pair. 



Distribution. Peninsula of India and Ceylon wherever there are 

 fan-palms {Borassus flahelliformis). Wanting in the Punjab and 

 Sind, and found in Eajputana only at Mount Abu. Common 

 throughout Bengal and as far east as Dibrugarh in Assam ( CH2:>ps), 



