Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Palestine. 79 



actually succeed in saving two sound eggs, both nearly ready to 

 hatch. Several of the broken eggs were quite fresh. 



On my return to Jericho, I found, on April 14th, that all the 

 Swifts which bred in the caves of the Jebel Quarantania had 

 already hatched, and that some of the young were fledged and had 

 left the nest. Yet, on proceeding north the second time, and re- 

 visiting the scene of our first bird-nesting exploit by Gennesaret, 

 the birds we had so plundered had repaired their nests and were 

 again sitting. This was on May 7th. Having no desire to 

 exterminate these little confederates, we did not again disturb 

 them, but proceeded to visit a cave in which, on my former 

 visit, I had discovered a pair of Hirundo imfula building. As 

 we entered, a pair of the pretty Swallows dashed out, and we 

 soon saw the nest at which I had seen them at work, evidently 

 finished. It was at the further end of a low cavern, and Mr. 

 Cochrane, going towards it, was surprised to see a Galilean Swift 

 fly out. Putting up his hand, he caught the other Swift, a 

 female, in the nest, and afterwards drew out two Swift^s eggs, 

 quite fresh. It seems probable that, after we had destroyed 

 their first nest, this pair of Swifts had taken possession of that 

 of the Swallow, close at hand, to save time and labour, and had 

 adapted it to their own purposes by simply adding an aggluti- 

 nated straw-and-feather doorway to the original construction of 

 clay. The nest of Hirundo rufula is very like that of our House- 

 Martin, but larger, and attached to the roof of caves. It 

 has also a long wide passage or neck for entrance, which in this 

 instance the Swifts had contracted. The displaced owners had 

 not, however, quitted the cavern ; for they had patiently built 

 another nest for themselves near the entrance, which they were 

 then occupying. 



We observed the Galilean Swift as far north as the marshes 

 of Huleh (Waters of Merom), but never either further north 

 or away from the valley ; though the Common Swift abounds 

 in myriads on and about Mount Hermon, and there are large 

 colonies of Cypselus melba in all parts of the country, up to the 

 highest ranges of the Lebanon. 



Far more circumscribed in its range is the Crateropus cha- 

 lyheius, Bp., first brought to the knowledge of European orni- 



