CYPSELINiE. 181 



The Palm Swift. 



Descr. — Wholly glossy ashy-brown, darker on the wings and 

 tail, and lighter and somewhat albescent beneath ; bill black, irides 

 brown, feet dusky-reddish ; tail deeply forked ; wings about 

 equal to the tail. 



Length 5 or 5^ inches ; wing 4^ ; tail (outer feathers) 2^ or 

 something more, 1^ inch longer than the middle tail-feathers; 

 2nd quill longest, 1st a good deal shorter than 2nd, and attenuating 

 to the tip. 



The Palm Swift abounds in all the districts of India, wherever the 

 Palmyra and Cocoa-nut palms are found ; being common on the Ma- 

 labar coast, the Carnatic, the Northern Circars, and Bengal ; rare in 

 the Central Table-land and North-west Provinces. It is never 

 found at any distance from where these palms grow. It extends to 

 Ceylon, Assam, and Burmah. It builds its nest almost entirely of 

 the inspissated mucus from its salivary glands, mixed now and then 

 with feathers, or bits of grass, or the down of some seed, often 

 that of the Bombax. It is very small, and always placed on the 

 leaf of the Palmyra (Borassus jiabelllformis). A good represen- 

 tation of the nest is given in Hardwicke's Illustrations of Indian 

 Zoology, referred to above. Blyth considers the nest as remai'k- 

 ably similar to those of certain Humming-birds. 



The eggs are two in number, small and white. Tickell has 

 evidently been misled in stating that the eggs are large and spotted; 

 the nest and eggs of Artamiis ficscus, most probably, having been 

 brought, as both birds are often called by the same native name. 

 At times twenty or thirty pairs build their nests on the same tree, 

 but more generally one or two pairs only. Sundevall says that 

 some which he killed had their mouths all slimy, and filled with the 

 down of some syngenesious (or asclepiadeous) plant, which they 

 appeared to catch during their flight. 



The Bengal name signifies, according to Buch. Hamilton, a bird 

 resembling the wind, w^hich is given on account of its rapid flight ; 

 this, however, is not remarkably speedy for one of its family, but 

 fluttering and irregular. It is stated by some of the older authors 

 that it is nocturnal. I need not say that this is not the case ; but 

 it is often seen flying for some time after sunset, and it is not uncom- 



