THE SWALLOWS. 103 



when it is common in Burma. This bird is smaller than 

 the House- Swallow proper, and has a less forked tail ; 

 moreover its colour is rather different, as the red of the 

 throat runs down nearly through the black band of the 

 breast, and the parts below this are pure white instead of 

 cream colour. 



The House-Swallow builds a cup-shaped mud nest, 

 and lines it with feathers ; the eggs are white or pale pink 

 with red and purple spots, and four or five in number ; 

 its breeding time in the Himalayas is April and May, and 

 it frequents houses and outbuildings as it does at home. 

 The House and Sand-Martins (Chelidon urbica and Colile 

 riparia) are also found in India, but are not common 

 birds. 



THE WIRE-TAILED SWALLOW (Hirundo smithii), called 

 Leishra in Hindustani, is a non-migratory species inhabit- 

 ing both India and Africa, but in the Himalayas it is only 

 a summer visitant. It is a little smaller than the House- 

 Swallow, but has the two outer tail feathers very much 

 longer, so as to look like threads or wires ; in the male 

 they may exceed the other tail feathers by five inches, 

 thus equalling the length of the body of the bird ; in the 

 hen they are not quite so long. 



This is a very prettily-coloured Swallow, the upper 

 parts being steel-blue, with white spots in the tail; the 

 crown is chestnut-red, and all the underparts pure white. 



Young birds have duller caps and cream-coloured 

 breasts, and their tails are not so long as those of old ones. 



This bird breeds at any time of the year, according to 

 locality ; the nest is cup-shaped, and the eggs white with 



