DENDRO'CHELIDON. 395 



extremely common and breeds in the islands of the Mergui Archipelago, from 

 Tavoy Islands southwards. Breeds in caves, and makes the edible nests of 

 commerce. " The nest is composed of the most exquisite silvery white gelatine. 

 Exteriorly the surface is compact and somewhat roughened in laminae ; 

 interiorly it is a network of the finest and whitest threads, reminding one of 

 the Euplectella. The true nest is pure white, and in shape rather more than 

 half of a shallow cup from 2 to 2-75 inches broad ; stands out from 1*5 to 2 

 inches from the wall, and varies in depth interiorly from \ to I inch. The 

 eggs are white and two in number." (Davison.) 



967- Collocalia Linchi, Horsf. and Moore, Cat. B. E. I. Co. i. 

 p. 100; Wallace, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 384 ; Hume, Str. F. ii. p. 157 ; id., Nests 

 and Eggs Ind. B. p. 89; Sahad, Ucc. Born. p. 1 21 ; Hume and Dav., Sir. 

 F. vi. p. 49 ; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 85 ; Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 10. 

 Hirundo fuciphaga, apud, Horsf., Trans. Linn. Socy. xiii. p. 143. Collocalia 

 fuciphaga, apud, Bl. and Wald., B. Burm. p. 85. Collocalia francica, apud, 

 Legge, B. Ceylon, p. 324. HORSFIELD'S SWIFTLET. 



Above glossy bronze-black ; chin, throat, sides of the head and of , the body 

 ashy-brown, each feather margined paler ; abdomen and vent white, streaked 

 with brown ; under tail coverts dark brown margined with white ; wings and 

 tail glossy black. Bill black; irides brown; feet brownish black. 



Length. 4 inches; tail 1*75 ; wing 4 ; tarsus 03 ; bill from gape 0*4. 



Hab. Java, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, Tenasserim and Arracan; also the 

 Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The correct distribution of this Swiftlet has not 

 yet been ascertained. Mr. Davison's experience of the species is that they 

 are very familiar birds, coming even into the house, and taking up their quarters 

 in it, day after day. It breeds abundantly in both the Andaman and Nicobars. 

 Eggs pure white, devoid of gloss, long ovals, and average 0*7 x 0^45 inch. 



Gen. DendrOChelidon, Boie. (Macropteryx, Sws.) 



Hallux not reversible ; tarsus short, either naked or feathered; wings long ; 

 first two primaries sub-equal ; tail long and forked; head sub-crested. 



968. Dendrochelidon coronatus (Tick.), Sdater, P. z. S., 



1865, p-6i7; Jerd., B. Ind. i. p. 185, No, 104; Hume, Nests and Eggs, 

 p. 92; id., Str. F. iii. p. 45; Hume and Dav., Str, F. vi. p. 51 ; Legge, B. 

 Ceylon, p. 328 ; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 85 ; Parker, Str. F. ix. p. 476. 

 Hirundo coronata, Tick., J . A. S. B. ii. p. 580; xv. p. 2. Macropteryx 

 coronatus, Blyth, B. Burm. p. 86; Wardlaw- Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 458; 

 Oates, B. British Burmah ii. p. 12. THE INDIAN CRESTED TREE-SWIFT. 



Upper plumage and sides of the neck ashy, tinged with metallic green on 

 the forehead, crown, and the longer upper tail coverts ; lores and a narrow 

 space round the eye black ; a narrow white supercilium ; chin, moustache and 

 ear coverts ferruginous ; under surface of the body pale ashy, whitish on the 



