1922.] the Birds of Sind. 661 



Hirundo smithi filifera Stepli. 



The Wire-tailed Swallow is in the better watered parts a 

 common tliougli rather local bird; to Upper and Central Sind 

 it is a summer visitor and is there much commoner than 

 perhaps elsewhere; both Hume and myself failed to see it in 

 these parts in the cold weather and Butler says it arrives on 

 the E. Narra Canal in May. In the Karachi district however, 

 which is the warmest ])art of Sind in winter, it is a constant 

 resident though not present in great numbers, so that the 

 birds from farther north must winter outside the province. 



Mr. Ommaney tells mc he knew of one which nested in a 

 verandah of a bungalow in the canal area, and I suspect 

 tliat those seen at Malir near Karachi were nesting under 

 verandahs on house-tops, round which they were constantly 

 flying, as there are no canal bridges there and none so far as 

 I could ascertain were nesting in wells. At the Hal)b River 

 several pairs nest annually in a small rocky cliff over- 

 hanging the river whence Mr. Ludlow has eggs, and 

 probably odd birds seen occasionally in the hot weather at 

 Karachi have come from that colony. 



It is surprising to find that this bird is frequently referred 

 to as smithi, described from the Congo, from which it 

 differs markedly in the much longer " wires " in the tail and 

 rather longer wings, though Reicheuow (Vog. Afr. ii. p. 411) 

 recognized the differences. 



I have examined 14 males of each race with the following 

 results : — - 



smithi : wing 109-114 (117) mm. 



filifera : ,, 113-122, mostly about 111), mm. 



smithi : " wire " exceeds tip of next feather by 25-62, 



once 72 mm. (mostly 40-55). 

 jUifera : " wire " exceeds tip of next feather by 62-138, 

 mostly over 80 mm. 



The colour of the crown varies a good deal, from chocolate 

 to pale cheslnut, partly due to wear and partly individually, 

 but not geographically in India. 



There is no colour difference between smithi and filifera. 



