FOR NORTHERN INDIA 55 



saucer-shaped mud nests to the arches of 

 bridges and culverts. 



With a nest in such a situation the. parent 

 birds are not obliged to go far for the mud 

 with which the nest is made, or for the insects, 

 caught over the surface of water, on which the 

 offspring are fed. 



The nesting season of wire-tailed swallows 

 is a long one. According to Hume these 

 beautiful birds breed chiefly in February 

 and March and again in July, August and 

 September. However, he states that he has 

 seen eggs as early as January and as late as 

 November. In the Himalayas he has obtained 

 the eggs in April, May and June. 



The present writer's experience does not 

 agree with that of Hume. In Lahore, 

 Saharanpur and Pilibhit, May and June are the 

 months in which most nests of this species 

 are likely to be seen. The writer has found 

 nests with eggs or young on the following 

 dates in the above-mentioned places : May 

 1 3th, 1 5th, i6th, i/th ; June 6th and 28th. 



The nest of June 28th was attached to a 

 rafter of the front verandah of a bungalow at 

 Lahore. The owner of the house stated that 

 the swallows in question had already reared 



