HIBUXDO. 193 



broken portion of a wall which stretches out into the Moorna. 

 The nests are retort-shaped ; a few stand apart, but. the majority 

 are attached together, the tubular necks all standing out from the 

 wall, and presenting a very peculiar appearance. With the first 

 heavy showers of the monsoon, the river comes down in a flood 

 and washes the whole place clean. As soon as the rains abate, 

 rebuilding commences, and the bustle in the early morning is pro- 

 digious, the birds hurrying from all quarters with their bills full 

 of mnd. They are much persecuted by Sparrows, w T ho take pos- 

 of the egg-cup of the nest before the neck is added, and 

 a single pair will cause several nests to be deserted before they 

 suit themselves. As soon as the nests are finished the eggs are 

 laid, and when hatched the birds simply throw the egg-shells into 

 the water instead of carrying them to a distance, as is done by 

 most birds, aware apparently that the stream will carry them away. 

 I have noticed this also in the case of the Weaver-bird. The 

 second brood is in February, during which month they swarm 

 about the nests like bees about a hive, while every now and then 

 splash into the water goes some too fragile neck, breaking even 

 under the light weight of the little owner. These breakages do 

 not, however, interfere in the least with the process of incubation, 

 but appear to be repaired even while the mother bird is sitting. 

 The eggs are two, sometimes three, in number, of a white colour, 

 spotted with faint red ; I have seen some, however, pure white. 

 They vary greatly both in colour and size. 



" After the young quit the nest, they associate in a large flock, 

 playing about over the surface of the water, and drinking fre- 

 quently as they fly. The old birds do not by any means confine 

 themselves to the water, but spread freely over the country, and 

 sing much on the wing. Their flight is comparatively feeble.' ? 



Mr. Benjamin Aitken, relating his experiences of this Swallow, 

 says : " You remark that the Indian Cliff-Swallow builds its nests 

 * in clusters of from 20 to 200.' It may therefore interest you to 

 know that the only group of their nests I have observed consisted 

 of about 600 nests. It was on the river at Akola, Berar, below the 

 bund. There was a pool at the place, so that unless heavy rain 

 had flooded the river the water was, in wet and dry season alike, 

 breast-high. The nests were therefore much more difficult of 

 access than one would have supposed, looking at the almost dry 

 condition of the channel below the bund. The lowest rows of nests 

 were only a foot or so above the surface of the water, but on 

 wading up I could not see into a single nest, and could not reach 

 more than a few with my hand. The nests were placed under the 

 wreck of an old bridge, and were quite inaccessible from above. 

 The birds were occupied about their breeding twice a year, but 

 either they had two broods each time or some of them delayed 

 much longer than others to lay their eggs. At any rate, the 

 period between the time the flock returned to the breeding-place 

 and the time when the old and young birds were scattered over 

 the country was about two months. I regret that I was very 



VOL. ii. 13 



