NOTES. 289 



From the sides of the breast a narrow white band runs 

 round the base of the hind neck, dividing the black collar from 

 the back, which, with the scapulars and longer upper tail-coverts, 

 are brown, more or less faintly margined paler. The rump and 

 shorter upper tail-coverts ave white, as are the edge of the wing 

 and primary greater, upper and under coverts. The rest of 

 the wing and the tail a darker brown than the back, every 

 feather tipped with white, of a breadth and purity varying in 

 different specimens ; in the case of the wings often obsolete or 

 nearly so on the primaries, and everywhere less conspicuous 

 in younger birds ; in the case of the tail the tippings com- 

 paratively narrow (say 5 of an inch) on the central pair, and 

 growing wider and wider on each succeeding pair, until, on the 

 exterior ones, they are fully an inch in width, and moreover 

 run upwards beyond this, occupying the outer half or more of 

 the outer web. 



In quite young birds (we are told, non vidi), the head, 

 throat and upper breast are brownish, the feathers margined 

 paler, the lower parts are sullied white, and there are no traces 

 of the black collar. 



We know that this species extends from Bankok, where it is 

 very common, right through Siam, the Shan States, Yunan and 

 Southern China, as far north as the province of Fokien. Pro- 

 bably it extends to Tonquin, Cambodia, &c, but of this I have 

 no certain information. 



Recently, when looking through Hodgson's original draw- 

 ings, I came upon a picture of two Swallows which had puzzled 

 me before. They were exactly like the hill Collocalia, which I 

 have hitherto called unicolor, of Jerdon, but they were de- 

 picted with the tarsi feathered, whereas the tarsi in unicolor, as 

 also in spodiopygia, are perfectly bare. It occurred to me to 

 examine my Himalayan specimens, and lo and behold ! they had 

 the tarsi feathered, and corresponded exactly with Hodgson's 

 drawing No. 962. 



I have, on several occasions, hesitated to unite the Himalayan 

 and Southern Indian forms, owing to a certain difference in 

 shade of colour, which is difficult to express in words, but which 

 one feels when a series of both is before one ; but this present 

 difference, now discovered by the help of Mr. Hodgson's draw- 

 ings, of the tarsi being bare in the Southern Indian bird unicolor, 

 Jerdon, and feathered in the Himalayan bird, settles the 

 question. 



And here I may say one word about this feathering for fear 

 of mistakes arising. It is not only rather sparse, but extremely 

 delicate, and easily rubbed off, and where the legs have had strings 



