1920.] Birds of Nor/h-Easl Chihli. 895 



1914 there were nests with unfled<;ed young at the railway 

 station on the 30th of August. These were uo douht a second 

 brood. The majority of the local birds were congregating 

 on the telegraph-wires and preparing to leave on the 

 27th of August that year. In the spring of 1915 the scarcity 

 of Swallows here was remarkable. I hardly noticed any 

 migration and tiie local birds appeared very late. None 

 bred at the Custom House, where in previous years there 

 had been numerous nests. At the railway-station, four milei 

 inland, on tlie 18th of May one nest was about three-quarters 

 built and the others were only just begun. In 1911 they 

 Avere already building on the 23rd of April. 



115. Hirundo rustica erythrogastra Bodd. 

 Hirundo gutturalis D. & O. p. 124 (part). 

 Hirundo erythrogastra La T. p. 574. 



The Ameiican Swallow was not at all uncommon in the 

 spring of 1913, and was observed from the middle of April 

 to the 20th of May. I saw one at the port on the 1 3th of July 

 which was evidently breeding. This Swallow probably passes 

 regularly, and the Avant of records is due to no special 

 observations having been made. 



While at Peking in 1883, I rememher seeing large flocks 

 of red-bellied Swallows which were probably this bird or 

 H. tytleri. There is a specinien of this latter Swallow col- 

 lected at Peking in the Shanghai Mnseurii, and Mr. Styan 

 some years ago recorded in the Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society of Loudon the capture of rufous-bellied Swallows 

 which he identified as H. savignii. 



116. Hirundo daurica nipalensis Hodgson. 

 Cecropis daurica D. & (). p. 125. 

 Hirundo nipalensis La T. p. 574. 



Hodgson's Striated Swallow passes m great numbers with 

 the House-Swallow. In 1913 it was observed migrating 

 from the 1 4th of April until the 20th of May, and these are 

 probably the average dates for the spring passage. The 

 return passage begins in the first week in August and lasts 

 until about the lirst week in October, but the majority of 



SEll. XI.— VOL. II. 3 o 



