THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 57 



Order PICARI^. 



Family Cypselid^. 

 SWIFT.— %«e/?<s (qms (Linn). 

 A COMMON summer visitant, arriving generally in 

 May, but sometimes during the last days of April ; 

 recorded to have prolonged its stay in one instance 

 until the 27th of JSovember (Yarrell B.B. 4th. ed. 

 vol. II p. '6^^)^ though it usually leaves the 

 County in August, Its high soaring flight and harsh 

 scream are known to all. It nests chiefly about old 

 towers and under cottage eaves, but the cliffs of our 

 precipitous coasts afford breeding stations to some 

 colonies of this bird. Thus, Mr, Gatcombe instances 

 colonies of Swifts established at Seaton and Beer 

 Head (Zool. 1872. p. 3168). Others might be 

 cited. 



ALPINE SWIFT.— 6V/'se/ws mdha (Linuj, 



A RARE visitant. "When shooting along the coast 

 [near Ilfracombe] with my brother," writes Mr. 

 Rawson, "on the Ith October, 1876, he shot a 

 young specimen of the Alpine Swift {Gypselus 

 melba, Illiger) which was flying about with two 

 others in company with C. ajncs, of which there were 

 about a score. We thought they would lodge on 

 the cliff for the night, but nothing was to be seen of 

 them next morning. Unfortunately the other two 

 never came within gunshot. I have the skin in my 

 possession" (Zool. 1880. p. 108). This is a late 

 occurrence for the British Isles, but not the latest. 



