HUME'S SWIFTLET. 7 



The Small Black Spine-tail was observed by Mr. Davison in the extreme 

 southern portion of Tenasserim. 



It occurs in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. 



Mr. Davison says : " In habits they much resemble the greater Spine- 

 tails, shooting down with the rapidity of lightning with a shrill scream, 

 just touching the surface of the water, and rising again with equal rapidity, 

 turning and swooping down again, upstream and downstream for the hour 

 together. It appears to be a forest-loving species, never being found far 

 from it, and frequenting only those streams whose banks are lined with, 

 and those clearings surrounded by, forest." 



R. sylvatica occurs in India ; it is of small size, and has the abdomen 

 and under tail-coverts pure white. 



Genus COLLOCALIA, G. E. Gray. 



407. COLLOCALIA INNOMINATA. 



HUME'S SWIFTLET. 



Collocalia innominata, Hume, S. F. i. p. 294, ii. p. 160; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. 

 p. 49 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 85. Collocalia linchi, Horsf. apud Bl. B. Burm. 

 p. 85. Collocalia maxima, Hume, S. F. iv. p. 223. 



Description. Male and female. c< The adult has the whole of the fore- 

 head, crown, occiput, nape, mantle and upper tail-coverts smoky black ; 

 the rump a rather pale brown ; the feathers dark-shafted j the wings and 

 tail blackish brown, the latter with a distinct bluish lustre towards the 

 tip ; the tail, except the external feathers, which are about '05 inch shorter 

 than the penultimate when fully spread, is perfectly square, and therefore 

 when partly closed has the appearance of being somewhat emarginate. 



" There is a similar bluish gloss towards the tips of all the later prima- 

 ries, while on the head and back there is a faint greenish gloss. 



"There is a black line which surrounds the eye in front below and 

 behind ; a greyish-white spot, conspicuous in good specimens, in the lores 

 just in front of the eye ; the rest of the lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, throat, 

 breast, abdomen, vent and lower tail-coverts a dusky grey-brown ; all the 

 three latter with the feathers conspicuously dark-shafted ; wing-lining and 

 axillaries blackish brown. 



" In younger specimens the colours are everywhere lighter, and some 

 immature birds, like the type specimen, show a distinct darker cap. 



" In some specimens the rump is greyish white, and the underparts pale 

 brownish grey. But at all ages, in good specimens, the black orbital line, 



