MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 631 



The eggs are a broad oval, the ground colour being a very pale greenish white; 

 the markings (chiefly at the broad end) consist of fine spots and blotches of 

 greyish brown and greyish green. 



Incubation had lasted about 4 or 5 days. My friend had watched the birds 

 building. 



A. E. JONES. 

 Tattersall House, Simla, 



nth August 1920. 



No. XI.— THE SPINE-TAILED SWIFT (C. INDICA) AND THE 

 BURMESE SWIFT (C. PAGIFIGUS) IN ASSAM. 



C. indica (1078) is a fairly common bird here and occurs pretty well throughout 

 the year, it is especially plentiful when the Avinged termite is about on which it 

 feeds till gorged, judging by the tightly packed mass of these insects I've taken 

 from the stomach of birds shot. At other times when seen in small numbers, 

 flying either high or low, it is a sure indication of either rain or a storm to come 

 and that usually mthin 48 hours, in this case the bird has been rather useful 

 to me as by it's appearance, though there has not been a cloud in the sky, it has 

 settled my doubts as to whether I should carry on certain work in the plan ling 

 line or not; there is a saying I believe "Look for the clouds and you'll never 

 sow " but he who sees the Spine-tail in any numbers and doesn't plant is 

 foolish. 



The bird in ordinary circumstances is usually seen in the early morning or 

 towards evening, before a change of weather at any time of the day, also it flies 

 to a very late hour and at that time low, it's pace then must be something 

 amazing as it passes with a bullet-like swish which is audible for some little 

 distance though one sees nothing of the bird. As regards the shooting of this 

 species, I will only remark hold straight, d-d straight, and if the shooter drops 

 one out of three I should say he knows how to shoot. The bird Avhen hawking 

 seems to be flying slowly and fairly low but it is wonderful the misses one makes. 

 On a good day one may account for four snipe out of every six shots fired 

 but I'd not like to place my cartridges on record as regards the bringing down 

 of the spine-tail. Full plumaged birds, though of quiet colour, are handsome 

 in the decidedly scale -like markings of the plumage of the back, this seems to 

 disappear after the bird is skinned. 



Chaetnra nudipes also occurs in this district, but so far I have found it very 

 scarce compared with C. indica still I have hopes of sendmg the Society speci- 

 mens. Its habits are similar to that of the former bird ; its English name is 

 misleading as there is little white about the necks of the birds shot or observed 

 by me, ash or grey necked would perhaps be more descriptive. 



Cypselus pacificus (if my identification be correct) occurs in this part 

 of Assam as a very casual visitor but then in some numbers, its time of 

 occurrence being from the end of August to the middle of September, few 

 birds being seen before or after these dates; they likewise seem to prefer 

 disturbed weather. 



A. M. PRIMROSE. 



Gholaghat, Assam, 

 19th September 1920. 



No. XIL— NOTE ON THE NIDIFICATION OF HODGSON'S STRIATED 

 SWALLOW (HIRUNDO NEPALENSIS). 



On arrival in Simla on the 22nd May of this year I noticed that a pair of 

 these birds had begun to build a nest against a beam in the roof, 10 feet high, 



