272 CO TILE 



middle ones. The young bird has the upper parts browner, most of the 

 feathers margined with fulvous, chin washed with pale rusty buff, and the 

 sides of the throat slightly tinged with the same colour. 



Hcib. Europe generally, in Scandinavia as far north as the 

 Porsanger and Varanger fiords, wintering in Africa as far south 

 as the Transvaal ; Asia, as far north and east as Kamchatka, 

 wintering in Burma, India, S. China, and the Philippines ; 

 America from the Mackenzie river and Alaska south throughout 

 the United States, wintering in Cuba, Jamaica, Central America, 

 etc., south to Brazil. 



In general habits it resembles other Martins, but differs 

 wholly in its nesting places. Its food consists of small insects, 

 which it usually captures on the wing, and will frequently pick 

 one from the surface of water when skimming over it. Its 

 note is a somewhat harsh scheer, which in the spring it modulates 

 into an apology for a song. It nests in holes bored in river 

 banks, old gravel pits, or in earth banks, or occasionally it will 

 make use of a hole in an old wall. In a chamber at the end of 

 its hole it forms a loosely-made nest of dry grass and feathers, 

 never making a nest of clay. In May or June, 4 to 5 oval 

 elongated pure white eggs are deposited, which in size average 

 about 0*83 by O'ol. Two broods are usually raised in the 

 season. 



401. SUBSP. COTILE SINENSIS. 



Cot He sinensis (Jerd.), Madr. Journ. xi. p. 238 (1840) ; David and Oust. 

 Ois. Chine, p. 128 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. x. p. 104 ; Gates, F. 

 Brit. Ind. Birds, ii. p. 273 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 188 ; Hirundo 

 chinensis, Gray, Illustr. Ind. Zool. i. pi. 35, fig. 3 (1830-32). 



Abali, Hindu ; Ndkuti, Beng. 



<J ad. (India). Differs from C. riparia in having no collar across the 

 breast and no tuft of feathers above the hind toe ; chin, throat, 

 breast, sides of the head and neck pale grey ; rest of the under parts white. 

 Culmen 0'25, wing 3'4, tail 1'8, tarsus 0'35 inch. 



Hob. The Himalayas down to Bombay, where it is resident, 

 ranging east to the Ussuri country in Manchuria ; wintering in 

 Southern China, Burma, Siam, and the Philippines. 



In habits aiid nidification it does not differ from C. riparia, 

 and like that species deposits 4 to 5 pure white eggs, which in 

 size average about 0'68 by 0*5. 



