446 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 



I add full descriptions of the present species taken from 

 Dresser. 



Adult Male in Spring. — Head, neck, back, scapulars, and in- 

 nermost secondaries, and entire underparts, excepting the under 

 tail-coverts, deep black ; primary quills blackish grey, fading 

 to greyish white on the outer portion of the inner webs, except 

 on the terminal portion ; shafts of the feathers white ; secondaries 

 light French grey, rather darker on the inner web and the 

 terminal portion; lesser wing-coverts and edge of the wing 

 white, larger coverts French grey; tail, upper, and under tail- 

 coverts pure white ; under wing-coverts black and blackish 

 grey ; the edge of the wing mottled with white ; beak reddish 

 black ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet vermilion red, with a 

 coral tinge. Total length about 9 '5 inches ; wing, 8*2 ; tail, 

 3'0 ; tarsus, 08 ; middle toe with claw, 0*9. 



Adult Female. (May). — Resembles the male, but is, if 

 anything, a trifle less deeply coloured. 



Winter plumage. — Differs from H. nigra in the same stage 

 of plumage merely in the rump and upper tail-coverts, much 

 lighter, indeed almost white, and may be distinguished also by 

 its longer tarsus and foot, as well as by its stouter bill. 



Young. — Posterior portion of the crown, a patch on the 

 side of the head, and one on the hind neck dark sooty grey, 

 the feathers with lighter margins, the patch on the hind neck 

 with brownish markings ; rest of the head, neck, and entire 

 underparts pure white ; back and scapulars blue grey, broadly 

 tipped with blackish grey ; wings as in the adult in winter, 

 but the wing-coverts tipped with light reddish brown ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts white ; tail light French grey, becomin g 

 darker towards the tip. 



984 fen— Hydrochelidon nigra, Lin. 



Adult Male in Summer. — Crown, nape, and hind neck glossy 

 black ; entire upper parts dark blue grey, with a leaden tinge ; 

 the quills darker, nearly blackish on the inner web and in the 

 first quill on the outer web also ; tail short, moderately forked, 

 coloured like the black ; throat, sides of the head and under- 

 parts generally, to the vent, sooty black, with a leaden tinge ; 

 under tail-coverts pure white ; under wing-coverts white, with 

 a faint greyish tinge ; beak purplish black ; iris dark brown ; 

 legs blackish brown, with a purplish tinge. Total length about 

 9 inches; culmen, 13; wing, 8*0; tail, 3*25 ; tarsus, 0'65, 



