HIRUNDINID^.. 57 



88. AttiCOra HolomelaS, Sund. ; Hartl. W. Af. ; 



A . Hamigera, Cass. ; Psalidoprocne Cypselina, Cab. 



Of a uniform black, with slight green tinge throughout. 

 The inner vanes of the quill-feathers rusty towards their 

 edges. Tail deeply forked. Total length, 51", wing, barely 

 4" ; tail, 2" 9"'. 



This little swallow first fell under my notice on the " Keurboom's 

 E/iver," Knysna district, where I saw it apparently breeding in holes 

 in the banks, but was unable to investigate its doings more closely. I 

 found it abundantly in the forest, hawking after flies over pools, 

 frequently dipping into the water, and perching on the overhanging 

 boughs in clusters of six or eight, to dry themselves. 



Their habit of perching is noted by Mr. Cairncross, who writes : 

 " This bird flies about very much like a bat (this resemblance also 

 occurred to me when I saw it), amongst thick forests, and is generally 

 more visible in rainy, heavy weather ; but I have never seen or heard 

 of their breeding here (Swellendam). They remain here after the 

 winter has set in. Sometimes I have seen them roost on trees at the 

 bottom of my garden, where I shot the specimen sent." 



Genus COTYLE, Boie. 

 Bill moderate, very flat, extremely broad at the base, and 

 gradually narrowed towards the tip ; the nostrils vei'y promi- 

 nent and rounded. Wings very long, with the first quill the 

 longest. Tail moderate, and emarginated, or nearly straight 

 at the end. Tarsi rather shorter than the middle toe, slender 

 and scutellated. Toes rather short, very slender, the lateral 

 ones unequal; the claws moderate and slightly curved. 



89. Cotyle FuligUla, Hartlaub. ; H. Fuligula, 

 Licht. ; H. Hyemalis, Forst ; L' Rirondelle Fauve, Le 

 Yail., PI. 246, f. 1.; Cuv. Vol. 2, p. 61. 



Upper parts uniform hair-brov/n ; throut and chest dull sal- 

 mon-colour ; belly and vent as on upper parts, but tinged with 

 rufous ; tail very slightly forked, and with a row of white 

 spots, one on each feather : these are sometimes obsolete. 

 Eye reddish-brown. Length, 6" ; wing, 5" 6'" ; tail, 2" 4'". 



This swallow remains with us all the year round, merely shifting its 

 quarters from a town to a country residence. As soon as our sum- 

 mer visitants are gone, these crowd into the villages and take their 

 places. I have counted upwards of one hundred sitting together on 

 the cornices of the Dutch Church in Cape Town on a cold day, bask- 

 ing in the sun. They breed in the mountains, and seem generally 

 distributed, as I have received specimens from Damaraland, Swellen- 

 dam, Beaufort, and Colesberg ; I have also found them nesting under 

 the eaves of houses in November, They lay 3 or 4 eggs, of a creamy 

 white, much spotted with brown, with here and there a grey patch ; 



H 



