Novelties. — Chatura indica. 473 



that often it is impossible to see them in the glare of noontide, 

 and their presence can only be detected by their sharp^ clear 

 note which they frequently utter while on the wing*; but towards 

 sunset they may be found hawking in company with H. ntstica, 

 and C. linclii over the surface of pondsj or tanks. I have seen 

 them at the Andamans from December to May. I did not notice 

 them at the Nicobars, and do not think they occur there.^' 



Mr. H. R. P. Carter to whom I have owed many specimens 

 from Southern India, remarks : 



" The first of these splendid swifts I saw was on 3rd July, 

 1865, within 4 miles of Coimbatore, at the Railway Station. 

 On 30th July, 1866, I saw a large flock 6 miles west of Coim- 

 batore, and on 16th July, 1867, I saw two or three at the 

 Coimbatore Railway Station. On the 18th July, I saw hundreds 

 hawking about the tanks at Coimbatore, and on 1 9th, I killed 

 three ; there were then large flocks with some alpine swifts. On 

 the 20th at the same place : there were only a few visible. On 

 the 6th August, I saw some at 4,000 feet above sea level on the 

 Anamully Hills. On 26th, of the same month, I saw an im- 

 mense flock at 6,000 feet above sea level. On 31st, I saw one 

 or two at Polachy, 26 miles from Coimbatore. On the 2nd of 

 September, I saw one or two at Coimbatore Railway Station. 

 Their coming seems to depend on the S. "W. Monsoon which 

 just touches Coimbatore, (where little or no rain falls, being re- 

 tained by the hills west of it.) I have seen these swifts at Salem, 

 100 miles east of Coimbatore. I have never seen them in any 

 other months than those above mentioned, although constantly 

 on the look-out for them. Their note is a squeal, seldom uttered, 

 but of the usual swift-like tone. 



" I should think twelve or fifteen days in the year is the great- 

 est total amount of time they spend in the low country and 

 then not continuously. They fly in large flocks, generally, and 

 in five minutes after hundreds have been seen, not one remains 

 in sight. I found in the stomachs principally the elytra of bee- 

 tles, some entire, so that I could identify them, one of the hos- 

 trachidce (a borer), some of the i-^mibf cassida, species, aspidomor- 

 pha cnicis, some of the cimex tribe (green bugs,) sand wasps, 

 entire, and grasshoppers. 



" I remarked that the swifts were infested with a parasite so 

 like the common house bug in appearance and smell, that it was 

 not until after examining them carefully, I was satisfied that 

 they were not the house bug but decidedly a cimex." 



On another occasion he wrote ; 



"On the morning of 5th October, 1868, we had a slight driz- 

 zle. About half past 6 a. m., (I was about three miles S. W, 



