\ HIRUNDO RUSTICA. 363 
we have noticed a few stragglers as late as the 2nd of April. 
Although the species stays with us for the greater part of the year, 
it does not appear to breed, and we believe that all the young birds 
which are seen in South Africa are not natives but are visitors from 
the north. These young birds, during their stay with us, go through 
a peculiar phase of plumage which was fully described by Messrs. 
Sharpe and Dresser in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 
1870 (p. 244), from specimens obtained at the Cape by Mr. F. R. 
Surtees. Captain Shelley during his three months’ visit to South 
Africa found it by far the most abundant Swallow in Capetown. 
Victorin obtained it at the Knysna from September to November. 
In Natal, writes Mr. Ayres, “these Swallows arrive in November 
in great numbers, and congregate and leave again in March and 
April; they are fond of alighting to rest on the outer twigs of 
bushes, stems of tall grass, and trees, especially at the time of their 
departure, when many hundreds assemble together. Like most 
other Swallows they are almost constantly on the wing.” Mr. F. 
A. Barratt states that “these Swallows appear every year in the 
district of Potchefstroom during our summer months,” and in th 
Lydenburg district,of the Transvaal, Mr. Thomas Ayres states that 
they “appeared in fair numbers amongst the mountains during the 
summer months, and very probably bred among the rocks.” Al- 
though not observed to breed in other parts of South Africa it 
would seem to do so from the accompanying note of Mr. Anders- 
son’s :—‘ This well-known species is pretty common in Damara and 
Great Namaqua Land during the rainy season, and I have found it 
very numerous at Walvisch Bay and in other localities near the 
coast. In uncivilized parts of Africa these Swallows affix their nests 
to some projections of a rock or trunk of a tree, or occupy cavities 
in rocks or banks.”” 
Upper side steel-blue, with greenish reflections; quill-feathers of 
wing and tail rusty ; throat and forehead deep rufous; under parts 
dull flesh-colour, with a broad collar of the same colour as the back, 
joining the red throat; tail deeply forked; the two outer feathers 
much prolonged ; all the inner vanes with a patch of white, which 
together form a distinct white bar, most visible on the under side ; 
“iris dark brown, bill black, legs brownish” (Andersson). Length, 
63"; wing, 5’ ; tail, 4”. 
Fig. Dresser, B. Europe, pt. xxxvii. 
