THE BIRDS OF KOKAT AND THE KURRAM VALLEY. 793 



to the last-named species, has been overlooked. In Kohat it is common 

 enough and resident, large colonies nesting in the banks of the Indus and 

 Kurram Rivers in February and March. The specimen, shot at Thall in 

 March, was one of a breeding-colony. Major Magrath also found a large 

 colony in March, nesting in the banks of the Kurram River (south of our 

 limits), and secured two typical examples. 



Besides these there are five specimens in the British Museum, viz., a 

 doubtful one obtained by Jerdon at Madras, two from Afghanistan, and 

 two from Central Asia. 



[809.] Cotile sinensis. A resident species in the District. 



[810.] Ptyonoprogne rupestris. The Crag-Martin. 



Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xiv. p. 604 (nests freely round Quetta) ; Fulton 

 op. cit. xvi. p. 55 (Chitral: summer visitor, found up to 13,000 ft.) ; Rattray, 

 t. c. p. 659 (nests in the Murree Hills) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 483 (nests in 

 Ladak). 



277. Ad. Samana, 6,500 ft., 12th April. 



A winter visitor from October till April. Probably resident on the 

 Samana. Nests fairly common in the precipices of the Safed Koh. 



[812.] Ptyonoprogne obsoleta. The Pale Sand-Martin Major Magrath 

 shot an example out of a flock at Bannu in December 1907 and I found it 

 quite common in the precipitous hills of southern Kohat in March. A few 

 were then in pairs so perhaps it nests there. 



[813.] Hirundo rustica. The Swallow. 



Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (Murree Hills: a common resident) ; 

 Marshall, op. cit. xiv. p. 605 (abundant in summer : Quetta) ; Cumming, op. 

 cit. xvi. p. 688 (Seistan, 1,700 ft. : summer visitor) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 483 

 (summer visitor: Kashmir); Perreau, op. cit. xviii. p. 186 (Chitral). 



A fairly common resident in the Miranzai Valley, nesting freely at Thall 

 (2,550 ft.) and at Doaba, but becoming scarce in winter and temporarily 

 disappearing in severe weather. A summer visitor to the Kurram Valley 

 in small numbers. 



Major Magrath has found this highly migratory species to be resident 

 even in the hot plains of Bannu (1,200 ft.) {vide ' Field,' March 28th, 1908). 



[818.] Hirundo smithi. The Wire-tailed Swallow. 



Rattray, J. B. N. H. S. xii. p. 341 (common) ; Ward, op. cit. xvii. p. 483 

 (summer visitor : Kashmir). 



A summer visitor and abundant from April till October, the first birds 

 arriving in the middle of March. 



Occurs in the Kurram Valley up to 6,000 feet, but only in small numbers. 



[822.] Hirundo nepalensis. Hodgson's Striated Swallow. 



Marshall, J. B. N. H. S. xiv. p. 605 (summer visitor : Quetta) ; Rattray, 

 op. cit. xvi. p. 659 (nests freely in the Galis). 



Numbers pass up the Miranzai Valley in the first half of April. I shot an 



