THE BIRDS OF NORTH CACHAR. 545 



able to trace the movements of this bird with any accuracy. Here in 

 North Cachar, where it is confined ahnost exclusively to the lower 

 valleys, it appears in about March or April and disappears again in 

 August. During May, June and July they are often to be seen in 

 considerable numbers, yet very few breed anywhere in the hillsj the 

 few nests which I have seen having been built in the houses of the 

 hill tribes. 



In Hailakandy I am informed that the bird appears in April and 

 leaves in June, a few birds being still met with in July. During the 

 first three months it is always to be met with in very great numbers 

 and they must breed somewhere near at hand ; but I can find out very 

 little about their nesting arrangements. 



From a part of the district further north I have received nests and 

 eggs, although the bird is not nearly so common in that direction. 



(452) Tachoenis infumata.— The Palm-roof Swift, or Eastern 



Palm Swift. 

 ffime, iVb. 102 Bis ; Cat., B. Museum, Vol, XVT, p. 468. 



Extremely common all over North Cachar and the adjoinino- dig^ 

 tricts. I see Hartert gives the dimensions as being very much the 

 same as I did many years ago in the columns of " The Asian," when I 

 drew attention to the fact that Gates gives their length as beino- 5-2" 

 which exceeds greatly in size any bird which I have seen. The proba- 

 bility is, therefore, that his measurements were taken from an unusual- 

 ly large bird. 



There are many statements extant about this bird which require 

 either contradiction or explanation, though this is not perhaps the place 

 in which to enter into a discussion. 



There is but little on record regarding the breeding habits of this 

 Palm-swift although it is so common, and the nests are so easily 

 obtainable. They are built of down, feathers, and inspissated saliva 

 in the roofs of the Naga huts, not, as Gates says, in those made of palm 

 leaves, but in the ordinary grass-thatched ones. They are fairly large 

 in comparison to the size of the bird, being from 2*5" to 1*5" across 

 the widest part and varying much in depth, according to the angle 

 at which the thatch lies in which they are built. The amount of 

 saliva used is sometimes only sufl&cient to mass the feathers, down. 

 etc., together, at other times more than half of the nest conaists of it. 



