310 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Chimney Swallow in the United States, from its constant habit of 

 resorting to chimneys wherever it can, while in the depths of the 

 forest it roosts and nestles in hollow trunks of trees, and some- 

 times in caverns. M. Audubon relates that he counted nine 

 thousand of them I'oosting in the hollow trunk of a plane tree 

 {Platanus occidentalis) in Kentucky. It migrates in multitudinous 

 hosts, circling in their flight at a great altitude. All observers 

 agree respecting the extreme rapidity of wing of the birds of this 

 genus, and the elevation at which they soar in fine weather. Of 

 the great Austi'alian species (which would appear to be identical 

 with that of the Himalaya), Mr. Gould writes — "I have frequently 

 observed in the middle of the hottest days, while lying prostrate 

 on the ground with my eyes directed upwards, the cloudless sky 

 peopled at an immense elevation by hundreds of these birds, 

 performing immense curves and sweeping flights; hence few birds 

 are more difficult to obtain, particularly on the continent of 

 Australia, where long droughts are so prevalent ; on the contrai'y, 

 the flocks that visit the more humid climate of Van Dieman's 

 Land, where they necessarily seek their food near the earth, are 

 often greatly diminished by the gun during their stay." The 

 nidification of none of the three species has been observed. 



The first two of them are very large. 



A. CAUDACUTA ; Hiruiido caudacuta,Li&thfim;* Cypselus gigan- 

 teus, Tern.; Spiny-tailed Swift, Jerdon, Madr. Journ. xiii. 173. — 

 Length about 9 in. ; of wing from flexure 8 in. ; tail 2^ in. ; its 

 form cuneated, but the barbed portion of the rectrices subequal, 

 their prolonged stems much lengthened and very robust, those of 

 the middle rectrices protruding ^ in. Crown and nape, wings, 

 tail and its upper coverts, and the sides of the rump, glossy black, 

 with steel-blue and green reflections ; the last further bordered 

 with white posterior to the thigh, and the inner web of the smallest 

 tertiaries is whitish ; under tail-coverts also white; back, scapu- 

 laries, and medial portion of the rump, hair-brown ; paler towards 

 the middle of the back ; lower parts dusky-brown, paler towards 

 the chin ; a white spot before the lores in some specimens only. 

 Female (?) rather smaller, with the colours less distinctly con- 

 trasted ; wing 7 in. " Irides deep brown " (Jerdon). 



This bird inhabits (or visits ?) the Nilgiris, Ceylon, the 



* " Throat very pale diisky." Latham. 



