COMMON SWIFT. 275 



season over England, and is a regular summer visitor to 

 Ireland and Scotland ; but the remarks of several observers 

 seem to prove that these birds are not so numerous now 

 as formerly. They visit Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and 

 Lapland. In Sweden, Professor Nilsson says this bird 

 builds in hollow trees, even in the woods. From Scan- 

 dinavia the Swift appears to range as far to the east as 

 Lake Baikal. It is common over the countries of the 

 European continent ; and Sir William Jardine includes it 

 among the birds of Madeira. Montagu says it goes as far 

 south in Africa as the Cape ; but M. Temminck believes 

 that it does not go beyond the tropics. M. Savi, the orni- 

 thologist of Tuscany, says it leaves Italy for Africa about 

 the end of August. It is seen in Sicily, Malta, Corfu, and 

 Crete ; and according to Messrs. Dickson and Ross it is 

 abundant at Erzeroum from the beginning of May till the 

 end of September. I have never seen our Swift in any 

 collections brought from India. 



The beak is black, the mandibles very short, but the 

 gape is wide ; irides dark brown ; the head, back, the 

 whole of the body and wings, above and below, nearly 

 uniform blackish brown, except a small patch under the 

 chin, which is greyish white ; legs, toes, and claws, short 

 and black. 



The whole length of the bird to the end of the forked 

 tail is seven inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the 

 wing, which reaches an inch and a quarter beyond the end 

 of the tail, six inches and five-eighths : the second quill- 

 feather the longest in the wing ; the first a little longer 

 than the third. 



Young birds have the chin white ; the tertials, and some 

 of the feathers on the upper surface of the body, tipped 

 with buffy white. 



T 2 



