HEMIPROCNE. 351 



Bourns & Worcester, Keay, Whitehead); Panay (Steere Ecep., Bourns & Worces- 

 ter) ; Samar (Bourns & Worcester) ; Sibutu (Everett) ; Sulu (Guillemwrd, Bourns 

 & Worcester) ; Tablas (Bourns & Worcester) ; Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester) . 



Adult male. Lores deep black; ear-coverts chestnut; a broad white 

 stripe from base of culmen, continued over eye and running out in 

 elongated feathers to nape; a similar white line under ear-coverts, con- 

 tinued from the large white chin-patch; remainder of head and throat 

 dark metallic blue; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, breast, and sides of 

 body bronze-brown; middle of abdomen and under tail-coverts white; 

 wings and tail dark metallic blue ; innermost secondaries white. Iris 

 dark brown; bill and legs black. A male from Mariveles, Luzon, meas- 

 ures: Wing, 140; tail, 80; tarsus, 6. 



Adult female. Like the male but ear-coverts metallic blue instead of 

 chestnut. A female from Irisan, Benguet, Luzon, measures : Wing, 140 ; 

 tail, 81; tarsus, 6. 



"Curiously local in its habits. Perches in the same place day after 

 day, taking short flights from time to time in pursuit of insects. The 

 ground under its favorite perch is usually covered with excrement. Five 

 males average, 148 in length; wing, 129; tail, 73; culmen, 6; tarsus, 7; 

 middle toe with claw, 12. Two females are somewhat larger, measuring 

 160 in length; wing, 136; tail, 81; culmen, 6; tarsus, 7; middle toe 

 with claw, 13." (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



Family MICROPODID-E, 



Wing long, pointed, and when closed extending far beyond the end 

 of tail; bill small and weak but gape very wide; legs and feet very 

 small and weak; plumage mostly black or dark brown, slightly glossy, 

 often with patches or mottlings of white; small birds capable of long 

 continued flight; nests usually placed in caves or fastened to cliffs or 

 houses ; eggs two, white and unspotted. Certain species of the genus 

 Collocalia vel Salangana make the edible nests of commerce and nest in 

 great colonies. Birds of this family are wide ranging and one or more 

 species may be expected to occur in any island of the Philippine group. 

 Of the genera, Tachornis may be recognized by its deeply forked tail; 

 Chcetura by its sharp, stiff tail-feathers ; Collocalia by its square, or nearly 

 square, tail without spines ; Micropus by its white throat and tail without 

 spines. 



Subfamilies. 



a 1 . Tarsi unf Gathered or with a few feathers only; tail square or but slightly 

 forked; toes arranged normally, three in front one behind. 



Chaeturina (p. 352) 



a*. Tarsi distinctly feathered; tail decidedly or even deeply forked; all the toes 

 directed forward Micropodinae (p. 360) 



