4880 THE ZooLocGist—APRIL, 1876. 
of wing are swift-like. It also appears that the Hirundo Martinicana of 
Brisson, which is but three inches eight lines in length (French measure) 
is swift-like too, though he says it has twelve spinous tail-feathers, but that, 
I think, requires confirmation: possibly some reader of the ‘ Zoologist’ 
may be acquainted with the species. Yarrell, in the generic character of 
the swift, says that ‘it differs from the Hirundines in the greater extent of 
wings ;” and Cuvier remarks of the swifts that they are “de tous les oiseaux, 
ceux qui ont les plus longues ailes 4 proportion,” but in the Hirundo 
pelasgia and the Hirundo Martinicana the wings are proportionately longer, 
particularly in the latter, which has “ huit pouces, huit lignes de vol, est sa 
longueur depuis le bout du bec jusqu’ a celui de la queue est de trois pouces 
huit lignes.” Macgillivray, in the synopsis of the swift, says that it chiefly 
differs from the swallow in the formation of the foot; but should that alone 
in the Hirundo pelasgia outweigh the many points of similarity in form, 
structure, plumage, length of wing, rapidity of flight, manner of feeding, 
roosting, and nesting, too? for, like the swift, the chimney swallow builds 
in lofty towers, spires, and hollow trees, and the materials of which the nest 
is constructed are, Wilson says, ‘ fastened together with a strong adhesive 
glue or gum secreted by the glands;” and Macgillivray, in describing the 
nest of the swift, remarks, “there were fibrous roots as well as other 
material, felted and agglutinated, the matter being of a gelatinous nature.” 
Evidently the Hirundo pelasgia of Wilson was, by Iliger and 'Temminck, 
taken for a swift, nor had Ia doubt about it, till referring to Wilson— 
having had favourable opportunities of observing it during my stay in 
Canada. Like our swift, though the last to arrive it is the first to depart; it 
is constantly on the wing throughout the day, hawking after thg manner of 
the common swift, and long after the barn swallow, whitebellied swallow and 
purple martin have retired to roost. If birds are to be classified by the 
form of the foot, why not quadrupeds? but he would be a bold man indeed 
who attempted it. Only imagine, for instance, all cloven-footed beasts 
being united into one family !—Henry Hadfield ; March 6, 1876. 
[For the information of my readers who may not be so intimately 
acquainted as Captain Hadfield with modern works on Ornithology, I will 
add a few words on Swifts and Swallows: the authorities to which I shall 
more particularly refer are Professor Blasius—whom Professor Newton 
pronounces to be one of the highest authorities on this branch of Science— 
and Captain Elliott Coues, author of the ‘ Birds of the North-West,’ a work 
which may be considered the most complete of its kind ever published. 
Professor Blasius, about the year 1860, compiled a list of European birds 
for his own private use, and Professor Newton (or rather Mr. Stevenson, of 
Norwich), in 1862, reprinted this list, as most of my readers are aware, 
for the use of British ornithologists. Captain Coues, one of the highest 
authorities on the birds of the United States, published his exhaustive 
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