CYPSELUS. 165 



Soc. i, p. 177 ; Littledale, ibid. pp. 31, 196 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 347 ; 



Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 85 ; id. Journ. Bom. N. H. Soc. iii, p. 47 ; 



iv, p. 4 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 155 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 



2nd ed. iii. p. 20. 



Cypselus alpinus, Jerdon, Mad. Jour. L. S. xi, p. 235 (1840). 

 Micropus melba, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 165 ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, 



p. 438. 



Coloration. Upper parts, sides of head and neck, a broad band 

 across the upper breast, and the lower tail-coverts brown, varying 

 slightly in depth of tint, nearly uniform in old birds, the feathers 

 darker near the end, and with whitish edges in young individuals ; 

 chin, throat, lower breast, and abdomen white, feathers sometimes 

 black-shafted; under wing-coverts always with whitish edges, 

 especially near the bend of the wing. 



Bill black ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet blackish purple. 



Length about 8-5 ; tail 3 ; wing 8-5, tarsus 0-6. The tail is 

 deeply forked, the outer feathers being about -75 inch longer than 

 the middle pair. 



Distribution. Europe as far north as the Alps, Northern Africa, 

 South-western Asia, India, and Ceylon. This bird is resident, 

 and breeds in the Himalayas, on rocky precipices amongst the 

 Western Ghats, and doubtless in other hilly parts of the 

 Peninsula. The nests and eggs have been taken by Miss Cockburn 

 on the Nilgiris near Kotagiri, and nests have been seen by 

 Mr. Davidson near Nasik, and by Mr. Littledale in Kashmir; 

 whilst the hills of Ceylon (Legge), the cliffs of Gersoppa (Jerdon), 

 Satara (Davidson), and Gawilgurh in Berar (McMaster) have been 

 shown to be probable breeding-places. The Alpine Swift may be 

 seen at times throughout the peninsula, and it has been recorded 

 from Darjiling and Assam, but not farther east. 



Habits, fyc. This fine Swift is probably, with the exception of the 

 larger species of Chcetura, the swiftest and most powerful flyer 

 amongst birds. It roosts and breeds in companies on rocky cliffs, 

 but flies enormous distances each day, generally in scattered flocks, 

 and may be found hawking insects in the air hundreds of miles 

 from its roosting-place. It has a shrill cry, often uttered during 

 flight. The nests have walls about an inch thick made of feathers, 

 dry grass, &c., firmly cemented together by the saliva of the birds ; 

 they are 4 or 5 inches in diameter, not lined. Several nests are 

 often clustered together. The eggs are laid in Europe about May 

 and June ; they are white, elongate, 3 or 4 in number, and measure 

 about 1-2 bv '75. 



1069. Cypselus apus. The European Sivift. 



Hirundo apus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 344 (1766). 



Cypselus apus, ///. Prodr. p. 230 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 85 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. 



i, p. 109 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 175 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 177 ; 



id. Ibis, 1871, p. 354 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 18 ; 



Hume, S. F. i, p. 165; id. Cat. no. 99; Barnes, Birds Bom. 



p. 85 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 156. 



