( 26°) 
but pass, by a foot or two. The Dusky Martin is 4 inches in length ; 
greyish umber above; darker on the wings ; white on the under-tail 
coverts, belly and throat ; brownish band across the breast. 
Il. CRAG MARTINS 
These birds have a partiality for buiding on rocks and crags ; 
a patch of white on the tail distinguishes them, on the wing, from 
the sand martins ; in other points they are much alike, though they 
differ in habits generally. 
(91) CoryLe RUPESTRIS, Mountain Crag Martin. This bird visits 
Darjeeling about close of the rainy season, when it is seen in num- 
bers in company with other species of Hirundinide. Lupestris is 
larger in size than Dusky Martin, being about 52 inches in length ; 
ashy brown in colour above, darker on the quills and tail; large 
white patch on the tail; abdomen and lower body plumage rufous 
ashy ; bill black ; legs reddish brown. | These birds are found more 
frequently foraging over rocky country and bare hill sides. 
GENUS CHELIDON, (House Martins) 
differ a little from the previous group. Their bills are shorter and 
thicker than the swallows ; tarsi and toes feathered ; tail slightly 
forked. 
(94) CHELIDON NIPALENSIS, Little Himalayan Martin, is usually 
found in bigger numbers at a lower elevation, about 5,000 feet 
where it can be seen skimming over the low bush jungle, and gorges 
in the warmer valleys, in October and during winter. These mar- 
tins have been seen building their nests in colonies, in the interior 
of Sikkim, at a fair elevation among the rocks, in cave-like hollows. 
This species of chelidon is 3% inches in length; colour, glossy black 
above, beneath, with the throat and rump pure white. 
Sup-FAMILY CYPSELINAL, (Swifts) are perhaps the swiftest 
birds on the wing we have. I have frequently seen them in North 
Sikkim, come in like rifle bullets, to their nests, in holes, on the 
bare rocks and precipitous hill sides, below the snow-line. This 
you will notice to advantage at day break, then again late in the 
evening they come in thick and fast, reminding one of the targets 
at a big rifle range, or large hives of bees. These swifts come in 
a southerly direction, so, one may safely judge that most of them 
have been on the wing a good part of the day in Darjeeling and 
about other human habitations, circling at lightning/ speed in 
their hunt for insects, ‘They are rarely seen to rest in the station, 
