THE ZOOLOGISTY. 
THIRD SERIES. 
[No. 39. 
Vor. IV.) MARCH, 1880. 
ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE NEEDLE-TAILED SWIFT 
FOR THE SECOND TIME IN ENGLAND. 
By G. B. CorRBIn. 
So far as 1 am aware, but a single instance of the occurrence 
of this species in the British Islands has been hitherto recorded. 
In July, 1846, a specimen shot at Great Horkesley, near 
Colchester, was forwarded (in the flesh) for preservation to the 
late Thomas Hall, birdstuffer, of the City Road, and while in 
his hands was examined by Messrs. Yarrell, Doubleday, and 
Edward Newman, and was recorded in ‘The Zoologist’ for 
that year.* 
The rarity of its visits to Western Europe is hardly to be 
wondered at, seeing that its true home is in Eastern Siberia, 
whence it migrates into India, Persia, China, and Australia, 
where it is found as a winter visitant. Its powers of flight must 
be truly marvellous to enable it to traverse the vast intervening 
space which separates these countries from the British Islands. 
I have now the pleasure to record its recent occurrence in 
Hampshire. The unusual abundance of Swifts in many localities 
during the summer of 1879 has been the subject of remark in 
these pages, and in this neighbourhood they were extremely 
numerous. On the evening of July 27th I saw two strange birds 
flying about over the river in company with Swifts; but they 
kept a long way off, so that I could see nothing very peculiar 
about them, except that they appeared to be larger than the rest 
* « Zoologist,’ 1846, p. 1492. See also ‘ Zoologist,’ 1863, p. 8329. 
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