172 BIRDS or INDIA. 



black ; and A. Sabini from Africa must be also very near to 

 sylvatica, and was considered to be the same by Tickell. 



2nd. — Pallene. 

 There are birds of mostly large size and paler colours. 



96. Acanthylis gigantea, Tem. 



Cypselus, apud Temminck, PI. col. 364— Jerdon, Cat. 

 Suppl. 257 — HoRSF., Cat. 625. — A. caudacuta, apud Blyth, 



Cat. 418. 



The Brown-necked Spine-tail. 



Descr. — Crown, nape, and back of neck, wings, tail, and sides 

 of the rump, glossy black, with blue and green reflections ; back, 

 scapulars, and the middle of the rump, light brown, palest on the 

 middle of the back ; chin whitish; vent and vmder tail coverts 

 pure white ; the rest of the plumage beneath glossy brown ; a 

 white spot in front of the eye ; also a white border to the rump 

 behind the thigh ; and the inner webs of the smallest tertiaries 

 also whitish ; bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet livid 

 blue. 



Length, ^\ inches, wing 7| to 8, extending 2\ inches beyond 

 the tail, which is 2\. The tail is slightly wedge-shaped from the 

 great length of the central naked shafts which are -^ inch long ; 

 and all the shafts are strong, robust, and Wood-pecker-like. 

 The 1st and 2nd quills are nearly equal in length. 



I first saw this magnificent Swift at the foot of the Neilgherries 

 near MetapoUiam, and again at Goodaloor, on the western side of 

 the hills. Since my second supplement was written, I have seen it 

 very frequently in Malabar and the Wynaad, and at times on the 

 sea coast, and hawking over the sea. They are always in immense 

 flocks, but scattered, crossing and re-crossing with a rapidity that 

 the eye can scarcely follow, and vanishing out of sight in a few 

 moments. This and the next must, I imagine, be the swiftest birds 

 in existence. Where they roost at night, or breed, I know not. 

 I think that they probably have a fixed roosting place, and that they 

 travel over immense distances from and to it daily. On one occasion. 



