410 'II1I-. lU.AcK SWIl'l. 



No. I5Q. 



BLACK SWIIT. 



A. I I. I . .\m. 4j_'. Cypseloidcs nixer borealis (Keiiiicrly). 



Synonyms. — Cuhd Swiit. Xhrhikkn I'.lack Ctoti) Swift. 



Description. — .Idiilts: Souiy l)lack; fcatluTb of extreme cliin, anterior por- 

 tion of Inres, forecrown. lininjj nf winjjs, alxlonien, siiles, crissum, and under tail- 

 coverts, narrowly skirted with while. Hill, feet, and eyes black. Length about 

 7.00 ( 177.H1 : win^,' (1.50 ( 1O5.1 ) : tail 2.01 (53t. 



Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size but appearing larger; long wings and 

 rapid flight, cloud-haunting habitb with color and size distinctive. 



Nesting. — Xcst: in crannies of cliffs; rejiorted by i'lcndire from the breaks 

 of the Columbia in Douglas County. Ii(j(js: unknown. Season: presumably 

 June. 



General Range.— Western North .\merica from the R<Kky Mountains to 

 the I'acilic. north thru I'ritisit Columbia to southwestern Alaska; partially 

 nomadic, erratic, and far-ranging; winters M)uth to Central America. 



Range in Washington.— Stmimer resident in the higher Cascades and (pre- 

 sumably) the Olympics: appears sporadically at lower levels, chiefly west of 

 the Cascade Moimtains. 



Migrations. — Sfriiii/: Seattle, .May i<'. i</)5. /"d//. Seattle. Se])tember 

 20, 1907: < >ctobir 7, 1905: Tatoosh Island, June 4, i'707. 



Authorities. — Cyf'scloidcs hoiralis. Kennerly, I'roc. .\c. Nat. Sci. I'hila. IX., 

 Nov. 18^7. joj; tiiii- iiaird. Rep. I'ac. R. K. Surv. l.\., 1858, p. 14V Rh. !>'. Ka. 

 I'.. E. 



Specimens. I'rov. C. E. 



NO Other bin! of e(iiial proinineiice in the North .American ornis has 

 so successfully ehuled the investigation of the curious. Of equal prom- 

 inence, I say, fur on occasion the birds do exhibit themselves at close 

 (juarlcrs with every ajipearance of frankness. .And it is precisely Ix'cause 

 they do occasionally stoop to our level, that we long to follow them as 

 they sweep the cli)uds or hasten hack at a thought to their mountain 

 fastnesses. 



Cloud Swifts hunt in great straggling companies, and when one of 

 them has attracted attention by swooping near the groun<l, and the eyes 

 .ire lifted, a dozen others may be note<l in the neighljorhoiKl. and a hun- 

 dred more in the sky, up, up to the limit of vision. Certain atmospheric 

 conditions, especially a drizzling rain. m.\v impel the whole company to 

 seek the lower levels, and hundreds may l>e seen at once hawking over 

 the lownsile. or. better vet. over the surf.ice of n lake, as Whatcom, or 



