THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 155 



together on some dry branch, or house-top ; now and again one 

 will start off, take a short irresolute flight and return to its perch ; 

 sometimes when one starts off, it is followed by the others in 

 rapid succession, at others all start off simultaneously, and after 

 taking a more or less extended flight, return, each twittering as 

 it alights. I have not found it breeding either at the Anda- 

 mans or Nicobars, but think it must do so, as I found them as 

 numerous as ever they were as late as May." 

 We met with it almost everywhere. 



82 ter.— Hirundo andamanensis, Tytler. (O.) 



Davison says : — "I did not observe this species during my stay 

 at the islands, although I kept an especial look-out for it, shooting 

 every swallow that I thought might be it." I rather doubt this 

 species ; the original description will be found quoted, Stray 

 Feathers, 1873, p. 55. At Macpherson's Straits we once fancied 

 that we saw it, but I came to the conclusion that what we saw 

 was a young bird of rustica, of which we shot one immediately 

 afterwards. 



83— Hypurolepsis domicola, Jerdon. (8.) 



This species appears to be common in the Andamans at any 

 rate from the beginning of June to the end of September, as a 

 number of specimens have been sent me, procured on different 

 dates during these months. They appear to have puzzled the 

 gentleman who collected them considerably, as he has labelled 

 them, Hirundo rustica, Collocalia linclii, and Collocalia spidro- 

 pedia ! the latter being quite a new species. 



We none of us saw this species anywhere about the islands, 

 between the beginning of December and the end of April. It 

 is therefore apparently only a monsoon visitant. 



As is well-known this species is common in the hilly portions 

 of Southern India, and has been observed in Borneo, Java, and 

 the Malayan Peninsular. 



I must say that I consider that this species has been very 

 properly separated generically from the common swallow. 



96.— Cliaetiira indica, Hume. (11.) 



I have already (Stray Feathers, 1873, p. 471) explained 

 fully my reasons for separating the Indian Brown-throated Spine- 

 tail from the Javan gigantea of van Hasselt. I need here only 

 remark that the Andaman birds are precisely similar to 

 those received from various parts of Southern India, and that, 

 though we observed them nowhere else, they are common about 



