HIRUNDINTN^. 159 



Length 4f ; wing 4 j^^ ; tail, very slightly forked, 2. The wing 

 reaches j'\j or nearly ^ an inch beyond the end of the tail. 



This little Swallow I have hitherto only procured on the Neil- 

 gherries, nor has it been noticed in any other part of India ; but 

 in passing hurriedly through Bangalore, I saw some Swallows flying 

 about, which I believe to have been of this species ; and I saw 

 some nests in a verandah of a house there, which must, I think, have 

 been of the same Swallow. It is also found in Ceylon, at Penang, 

 and other parts of Malayana, extending to Java; a very closely 

 allied species (U. neoxena, Gould) being found in Australia. I 

 found it breeding, chiefly in deserted bungalows and out-houses, 

 at Ootacamund ; also at the Government wooden bungalow at the 

 avalanche : the nest small, open at the top, and profusely lined with 

 feathers ; the eggs were two or three, white, spotted with reddish 

 brown. It also breeds in houses at Nuwera EUia, in Ceylon. 



With tail nearly even, outer feathers much prolonged, (sub-gen. 

 Uroniitus, Bon.) 



84. Hirundo filifera, Stephens. 



Sykes, Cat. No. 24— Jerdon, Cat. 260 — Blytii, Cat. 1193— 

 HoRSF., Cat. 114 — H. filicaudata, Franklin — Leishra, Hind. 

 The Wire-tailed Swallow. 



Deser. — Above, very glossy steel-blue ; top of head deep ferru- 

 ginous ; lores deep black ; beneath pure white, with white spots 

 on all, except the four central, tail feathers, the outermost prolonged 

 in the form of a thin string or wire. 



Length, to end of the middle tail-feather, 4| ; outer tail-feathers 

 beyond 5 inches, and sometimes more ; wing 4j''^, 1^ inch beyond 

 the square tail, which is 1| inch only : weight about ^ oz. The 

 female differs in having the wire-like feathers much less developed. 



This very beautiful Swallow is found, though in small numbers, 

 throughout India, not in general ascending mountains to any 

 height, but according to Adams occurring rarely in the North-west 

 Himalayas, and Cashmere. It is more rare in the extreme South of 

 India than towards the North, and is unknown on the Malabar coast, 



