44 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



coverts, the innermost secondaries conspicuously paler, whitish 

 on the inner webs ; crown and nape, as well as the sides of 

 the head, glossy blackish-brown ; forehead and lores white ; 

 under surface of body sooty-brown, with white bases to the 

 feathers of the lower abdomen and lower flank-feathers, the 

 latter being glossy blue-black throat white ; vent and under 

 tail-coverts also white ; under wing-coverts blackish-brown, 

 with a slight metallic gloss ; bill black ; feet brown. Total 

 length, 8 inches ; culmen, 0*35 ; wing, 8-2 ; tail, 2*3 ; tar- 

 sus, o 6. 



Adult Female, Similar to the male, but slightly smaller. 



Young, Similar to the adults, but with less white on the 

 forehead, and to be distinguished by some brownish spots on 

 the under tail-coverts. 



Range in Great Britain. A rare and occasional visitor, having 

 only been met with on two occasions, both in the middle of 

 summer. One was shot at Great Horkesley, near Colchester, 

 on the 8th of July, 1 846, and another towards the end of July, 

 1879, near Ringwood in Hampshire. In the latter case, two 

 were observed flying for some days over the River Avon. The 

 species has not been obtained anywhere else in Europe, and 

 the Needle-tailed Swift is apparently one of those birds which, 

 for some reason or other, sometimes wanders westward, out of 

 the ordinary course of its migrations. 



Range outside the British Islands. The breeding range of this 

 species extends from the neighbourhood of Krasnoyarsk in 

 Siberia eastwards to Amoorland and South-eastern Mongolia, 

 as well the northern islands of Japan. In winter it migrates 

 by way of China to Australia. 



Habits, Very similar to those of our Common Swift, 

 arrives in its northern quarters about the end of April or 

 beginning of May, and departs in August, a few staying on 

 September. On migration vast flocks are often seen. Its 

 powers of flight are prodigious, and it is often noticed at a 

 great height in the air. It also visits the lowlands in the 

 vicinity of the mountain f istnesses in which it breeds, and is 

 there noticed hawking over the ground in company with otl 

 Swifts. 



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