262 REMARKS ON SOME SPECIES OF THE 



too strongly marked for 99 out of every 100 Himalayan birds 

 and the ear-coverts are rufous, which is not the case in our 

 bird, and the red-eyebrow is much too broad. 



I gather, however, from the context that the rump in Mr. 

 Swinkoe's bird is striated, and if it is distinctly so, in the 

 adult, fully plumaged bird, this will suffice to separate it from 

 our Himalayan species. 



We have now to turn to our Indian species, and first to 

 take our Himalayan birds which breed everywhere throughout 

 the ranges south of the first snowy range, at elevations of 

 from 6,000 to 8,000 feet from Afghanistan to Bhootan, and 

 which occurs during the cold season in various parts of the 

 plains in Continental India and in the Northern Tenasserim 

 Hills, and very possibly also breeds in these latter. 



Hodgson thus described the species, J. A. S. B., V., 780, 

 Deer. 1836. 



L. nipalensis, Bodgs. 



II Cap, back, scapulars and wing-coverts, brilliant deep blue ; 

 quills, tail-feathers and the longer tail-coverts above and below, 

 dusky : a narrow frontal zone, cheeks, neck and body below, 

 as well as the rump and lesser tail-coverts above, rusty, p^ler 

 and striped with narrow lines of dusky hue on the whole 

 abdominal surface ; dorsal neck more or less blotched with 

 blue; rump, immaculate; bill, black; iris 1 , dull brown ; legs, 

 fleshy grey ; sexes exactly alike structure typical ; tail long- 

 and deeply forked ; size of H. rustica. 



" This is the Common Swallow of the central region, a house- 

 hold creature remaining with us for seven or eight months in 

 the year." 



In dimensions adults vary in length from 7*4 to 7"8 ; wing, 

 4-6 to 4-8 ; tail, 3-7 to 4-1 ; fork, 1*7 to 2*3. The visible black 

 portion of the upper tail-coverts is usually about 0*5, but 

 varies from - 4 to 0'7; of the lower tail-coverts 0*7 to 0*9, 

 most generally the latter. The rump band in adults varies 

 from 08 to 1. In perfect plumaged adults it is usually a 

 uniform fairly bright bay, unstriated ; but in many birds, 

 during or after the breeding season, it pales posteriorly after 

 the fashion, but not to the extent, of that of rufula. 



The lower parts are creamy white, often almost plain greyish 

 white on the middle of the throat, with a pale ferruginous 

 tinge on breast, rather more decided on flanks, axillaries 

 and wing-lining. The occipital patches and nuchal collar (the 

 latter a little varied with blue glossed feathers) are bright bay. 

 J he ear-coverts are like the lower surface, in some a little more 

 rufescent, and, being very densely striated with dusky, look 



