430 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



At the former season it makes its appearance about the second week 

 of April, and migrates until the end of May. In autumn, the first 

 individuals arrive about the middle of September, their migration 

 continuing throughout October, and sometimes even into November, 

 as among other instances, in the year 1883, when small flights of 

 these birds were observed as late as the 7th and 8th of the latter 

 month. 



The summer home of the Swallow extends over almost the 

 whole of Europe and Asia. In Scandinavia it has been found 

 breeding as high as 68 N. latitude, and exceptional cases of its 

 occurrence have been recorded from East Finmark, and even Spitz- 

 bergen and Nova Zembla (A. Newton: Y smell's British Birds, ii. 346). 



234. Chestnut-bellied Swallow [EGYPTISCHE 

 KAUCHSCHWALBE]. 



HIRUNDO CAHIRICA, Lichtenstein. 1 



Heligolandish : Road-bosted Swoalk= Bed-breasted Swallow. 



Hirundo cahirica. Naumann, xiii. ; Blasius, Nachtrdge, 207. 



Chestnut-bellied Swallow. Dresser, iii. 473. 

 Hirondelle Boissoneau. ' Temminck, Manuel, iv. 652. 



A very beautiful example of this species was seen among the 

 hundreds of thousands of Swallows which occurred here on the 20th 

 and 21st of May 1881. The bird in question, which was described 

 to me by a builder's assistant, as ' as red as a new brick,' and by a 

 fowler, ' as red as a Redstart,' was sitting with hundreds of Common 

 Swallows on a large roof. I was prevented by a window from 

 shooting at once, and while I was hastening to a more favourable 

 position, a Hobby came flying like an arrow over the roof ; all the 

 Swallows rose at once to an immense height, and did not return. 

 All our search after this much-coveted individual proved futile ; 

 although either the same bird, or a second example, was again seen 

 on the next day, but was not killed. Several of these Swallows 

 were reported to have occurred in Sleswick-Holstein about that 

 time, whilst, as already said, an exceptionally powerful migration 

 was in progress over this island. This was not strictly limited to 

 the island ; for from boats at sea, about a mile off on one side of the 

 island, as well as from others at the same distance from the 

 opposite side, thousands of migratory flocks were observed travel- 

 ling in a broad column across the sea without break during the 

 whole of the forenoon. 



1 Hirundo savignii (Steph.), 



