HIRUNDININiK. 81 



Above, blue-black ; narrow supercilium ; sides of the head, 

 behind the ear-coverts, and rump ferruginous ; beneath rufescent- 

 white, with dusky streaks ; terminal half or third of under tail- 

 coverts abruptly black. Young more dull in its tints merely. 



The Red-rumped Swallow occurs generally throughout onr 

 limits, but is more common in hilly districts (such as Mount 

 Aboo) than in open country ; most of them retire to the hills 

 to breed about April, but a few remain ; and nests are occasionally 

 found in the plains. The nest, constructed of pellets of mud 

 lined with feathers, is affixed to the under-surface of a ledge of 

 rock, the roof of a cave, the arch of a bridge, or some such simi- 

 lar place ; it is v retort-shaped, having a bulb-like chamber at one 

 end, with a tubular passage, sometimes seven or eight inches long 

 at the other ; they continue to lengthen this passage, eveii after 

 the eggs are laid. I have never myself found nests, of any other 

 type than this, but Mr. Blewitt remarks that " they are eccentric 

 to a degree in the selection of a suitable place for a nest, the 

 form and material of which mainly depends on the locality ; in 

 a hole, a simple collection of feathers answers, &c.," and is* dis- 

 posed to believe that these retort-shaped nests are merely intend- 

 ed for winter residences. I have many times watched the build- 

 ing of the nest and the rearing of the young in these same 

 retort-shaped nests. 



The eggs, three in number, are pure white in color, long ovals 

 in shape, and average 078 in length by 0'55 in breadth. 



Hirundo fluvicola, 



86. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 161 ; Butler, Deccan ; 

 Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 378 ; Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol. 

 Ill, p. 432. 



THE INDIAN CLIFF SWALLOW. 



Length, 4'5 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 175. 



Above, glossy black with some whitish edges to the dorsal 

 feathers ; crown dark-rufous ; rump brownish ; beneath white, with 

 black mesial streaks to the feathers of the throat and breast ; 

 the under-surface of the wings pale brown ; tail slightly furcate, 

 with a small whitish spot towards the tip of the inner weB of 

 each feather. 



; The Indian Cliff Swallow is not uncommon in some parts of 

 the Deccan, but is very locally distributed. It occurs at Satara 

 and Sholapur in some numbers. Near Aboo and Deesa it is 

 very rare, but at Ahmedabad there are several large colonies. It 

 does not* occur in Sind. It is generally a permanent resident 

 where found, breeding against the faces of cliffs,. &c., from 

 February to April, and again in July and August ; the nests, 

 composed of mud, lined with feathers, are retort-shaped, and occur 

 in clusters of from 30 to 200, or even more ; the eggs, generally 

 three in number, are either wholly white, or white, streaked, 



6 



