HIRUNDINIDZA. 287 
portion a bird is, the greater is its power and velocity 
of flight.* 
_ In the colour of its plumage the Swift is a dark 
sombre-looking bird, the whole of its plumage, 
except the chin, which is white, being a dark, dusky 
brown, slightly glossed (in some lights) with dull sap- 
green; the under parts are perhaps a little darker and 
want the gloss of the upper parts; the legs, toes and 
claws are black; the legs are very short and powerless, 
walking being an exercise this bird does not indulge 
in. The young birds have the tertials and some of 
the feathers on the upper parts tipped with buffy 
white. Varieties occasionally occur. 
The egg of the Swift is plain white, and rather a 
long oblong in shape. 
Aupine Swirt, Cypselus alpinus. I find I have 
to mention this rare British bird, in consequence of 
a notice of its occurrence in the ‘Proceedings of the 
Somerset Archeological and Natural History Society.’ 
In the temporary local museum, formed during the 
Meeting of the Society at Weston-super-Mare, in 
the year 1851, amongst other things there exhi- 
bited, Mr. Fry, of Axbridge, is said to have shown 
“Five specimens in Ornithology, neatly mounted, 
with appropriate landscape back-grounds, including 
amongst them one of the Alpine Swift shot in this 
* Paper by the Duke of Argyle in the ‘ Sunday Maga- 
zine’ for 1867. 
