112 BIRDS. 



Section 2. OSCINES LATIKOSTKES. 



Family HIRUNDINIDJE. 

 Hirundo rustica, L. Swallow. 



Low mentions Swallows at p. 25 of his Tour as building at Stowse 

 Head in S. Ronaldsay, every year in numbers, as well as in 

 Kirkwall, and, as he also mentions Martins and Sand Martins 

 as breeding at the same place, he must have been sure of his 

 point. 



Barry, probably quoting from Low's Fauna Orcadensis, men- 

 tions Swallows as building in the chimneys of houses in Kirk- 

 wall, but Dunn makes no mention of them. 



Mr. Moodie-Heddle says that Swallows have become more 

 frequent in Hoy of late years, and that they breed there. 



Mr. T. W. Eanken says he has noticed Swallows at Kirk- 

 wall almost annually for the last ten years, and that a pair 

 built under the eaves of his house in the summer of 1876. 



Mr. Irvine-Fortescue has seen this bird either at Kirkwall 

 or Swanbister on different occasions since 1878, more frequently 

 of late years, but even yet not common. 



Buckley saw Swallows at Rousay on two occasions only in 

 1883, but was told that they had once bred there. 



Mr. Harvey says that the Chimney Swallow comes to 

 Sanday in June, and breeds about the chimneys and the eaves 

 of houses. There is a specimen in Mr. Denison's collection. 

 Buckley saw a pair of Swallows hawking about the shores of 

 Hoy, not far from Melsetter, on May 30th, 1888, and another, 

 perhaps one of the same pair, near the same place, a few days 

 later. 



From the foregoing remarks it would appear that Swallows, 

 although once fairly numerous in parts of Orkney, became very 

 scarce, and are only now again increasing. 



Chelidon urbica (L*). Martin. 



As before mentioned, under the preceding species, Low found 

 Martins breeding at Stowse Head in S. Ronaldsay; but in 



