102 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



three parts of the length, the apical portion being white, 

 stained with freckled buff and black on the outer webs ; the 

 basal or dark portion crossed by narrow indistinct and irre- 

 gular bars of deep buff; breast freckled buff, grey, and brown, 

 some of the feathers in the centre of the breast largely tipped 

 with buff; abdomen and under tail-coverts deep buff, crossed 

 by narrow regular bands of dark brown ; irides blackish 

 brown ; bill black ; feet and claws reddish brown. 



Specimens of this species were brought from the Aru Islands 

 by Mr. Wallace. 



Family CYPSELID^. 



Whether the Swifts and the Swallows are naturally sepa- 

 rated by the interposition of numerous other genera of birds 

 is a point respecting which it is not necessary for me to enter 

 into in a handbook on the ' Birds of Australia.' I place them 

 next each other here, because they were so in the folio edition. 



Of the Cypselines two very distinct forms or genera are 

 found in Australia — ChcBtura and Cypselus ; both are 

 migrants, and at present it is uncertain whether either of 

 them breed in that part of the world. The power of flight 

 enjoyed by both is enormous, and it is probable that their 

 migratory movements extend from India and China to the 

 extreme southern limits of the mainland of Australia; one of 

 them, the Spine-tailed Swift, even crosses Bass's Straits to 

 Tasmania, and occasionally appears there in great numbers. 

 Other Spine-tailed Swifts are found in America ; but these 

 differ somewhat in form ; it was, however, to a species inhabit- 

 ing that country that the generic term Chxctura was first 

 applied. 



