AND NORTHERN GUZERAT. 453 



rivers. The bird I now send you would never have struck 

 me as belonging to the European species, C. riparia, as it is a 

 smaller bird in the first place, secondly has not got the white 

 chin and throat bordered with a bold pectoral baud like its 

 European ally. 



" No doubt Cotile sinensis which hitherto on the wing I have 

 (since I entered the species in my list) mistaken for C. riparia is 

 the common species of Sand Martin in this part of the country ; 

 but, as I said before, I believe firmly that I shot a specimen of 

 C. riparia here last year also, and shall watch vigilantly in future 

 and try and get another. Cotile sinensis I have no doubt breeds 

 here as those I shot the other day were flyiug to and from some 

 holes in the river bank and had the sexual organs well deve- 

 loped. There are more left and I shall watch for their eggs." 



It must therefore be left to the future to decide, whether 

 C. riparia does really occur in Northern Guzerat, &c. 



The present species, besides being common, as Capt. Butler 

 tells us, in the last mentioned district, occurs in suitable locali- 

 ties in Sindh, Cutch, Kattiawar and Jodpoor, being, however, 

 comparatively rare in the three latter. — A. 0. H.] 



90 —Cotile concolor, Sykes. 



The Dusky Crag Martin is common in the hills, breeding at 

 Mount Aboo in June and July. It is not so common in the 

 plains. In the neighbourhood of Deesa it breeds in August 

 and September, building an open nest like H. rustica, which 

 it fixes to the wall under the eaves of houses and laying two 

 or three eggs. 



[Has not been yet observed in Sindh. Elsewhere through- 

 out the whole region not uncommon. — A. 0. H.] 



91.— Cotile rupestris, Scop. 



The Mountain Crag Martin is not uncommon at Mount Aboo 

 in the cold weather. It delights in high inaccessible rocks, and 

 may generally be seen in company with C. concolor. 



[Nowhere else throughout the whole region. Stoliczka's sup- 

 posed rupestris from Cutch is C. obsoleta, Cab. 1 misnamed 

 the species, which I did not discriminate till later. — A. 0. H.] 



98.— Cypselus melba, L. 



The Alpine Swift arrives in large numbers at Mount Aboo 

 about the beginning of September, and remains during part of 

 the cold weather. 



I have also observed large numbers of these Swifts in the 

 neighbourhood of Deesa. The first noticed was on the 14th 

 August, after which they were very plentiful for about a month 

 when they disappeared. They fly to the hills every evening 



