Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



recognised. The other species is the white- 

 capped bunting (Emberiza stewarti). This is 

 a chestnut-coloured bird with a pale grey cap. 

 Buntings associate in small flocks and affect 

 open rather than well-wooded country. They 

 are not very interesting birds. 



THE hirundinim: OR SWALLOW FAMILY 



A small bird that spends hours together on 

 the wing, dashing through the air at great 

 speed, frequently changing its course, now 

 flying high, now just skimming the ground, 

 must be either a swallow or a swift. Many 

 people are totally at a loss to distinguish be- 

 tween a swallow and a swift. The two birds 

 differ anatomically. A swift is not a passerine 

 bird. It cannot perch. When it wants to 

 take a rest it has to repair to its nest. Swal- 

 lows, on the other hand, are fond of settling 

 on telegraph wires. It is quite easy to dis- 

 tinguish between the birds when they are on 

 the wing. A flying swift may be compared to 

 an anchor with enormous flukes (the wings), 

 or to an arrow (the body) attached to a bow 

 (the wings). As the swift dashes through the 



air at a speed of fully ioo miles an hour, it 



73 



