by Mr. Claude Grant in South Africa. 433 



372. HiRUNDO SMITHI. 



P. Tete, Aug. 25, Sept. 1, 16 (4). 



[I first saw this Swallow near Beira in January, 1907, 

 Avheu I noted a single individual sitting on the telegraph-wire 

 among numbers of H. rustica. On another occasion I saw a 

 pair in that locality, but no more were observed until I reached 

 Tete in August, where the birds could be seen hawking up 

 and down the river near my camp on the Mazoe, congregating 

 in flocks towards evening and roosting in the reeds. These 

 flocks consisted wholly of young birds, and I only saw one 

 ])air of adults, the male of which I shot. I presumed that 

 the young birds were on migration, but whether going north 

 or south I could not, of course, ascertain. The flight and 

 twitter of this Swallow are similar to those of H. rustica. 



The soft parts of the adult are : — Irides dark hazel ; bill, 

 legs and toes black. In the young the gape is yellowish.] 



373. HiRUNDO GRISEOPYGA. 



Z. Umfolosi Station, July (3) ; U mzinele River, Aug. 15 

 (2 juv. taken from nest). 



The nestlings are fully feathered, they have the crown 

 rather darker and more uniform than in the adult ; the rump 

 is slightly tinged witli rufous, as also are the under parts. 



[I have o1)served this Swallow only in South-East Zulu- 

 land, where it was by no means uncommon. Its flight and 

 appearance much resemble those of Chelidon urhica, for which 

 it might easily be mistaken. It usually hawks close to the 

 ground and in more or less sheltered situations, and it has a 

 regular Swallow twitter. I believe I can now record some- 

 thing of its nesting-habits for the first time. It apparently 

 breeds early, as a fully-fledged young specimen was shot in 

 July, and two others nearly ready to fly were taken from the 

 nest in August. 



It was long before I could find out where this bird bred, 

 and nothing could be learnt from the natives ; but one day 

 in August 1904, having halted the waggon on the flats just 

 above the Umzinele River in Zululand, when proceeding 

 towards False Bay in search of wild hogs, my attention was 



