Of a pair of specimens from Palestine the measurements are given in the ' Catalogue of Birds ' as 

 follows : — 



Total length. Wing. Tail. Tarsus, 



in. in. in. in. 



n. S ad. Mt. Quarantania {H. B. Tristram) .... 4-8 4-55 2-00 0-35 



b. ? ad. Engedi [H. B. Tristram) 4-9 4-55 2-15 0-40 



These dimensions may be compared with those given by Mr. Hume of his series from Sind 

 (/. c), as follows : — " The sexes do not differ in size, though individuals differ in each sex con- 

 siderably. The males (seven of each sex were preserved) varied in length from 5-35 to 5'6 inches ; 

 expanse 12-25 to 13 inches ; wing 4-4 to 4-7 inches. In the females, the length varied from 5'25 

 to 5-5 inches ; expanse 12'3 inches ; wing 4-5 to 4'75 inches. In both sexes the tail measures 

 about 1-8 inch from vent. The wings, when closed, exceed the tail by a little more than 0-5 inch, 

 and the weight was a trifle over 0'5 oz. The bill was black and the legs and feet horny brown." 



A good deal of difference is noticeable in the colour of the underparts in a series of this Martin, 

 some specimens being rufescent and darker below. These are probably in fresher plumage, as the 

 feathers apparently bleach a good deal with tiie sun and exposure. Mr. Dresser believes these to 

 be younger birds. They do not show any pale edgings to the feathers, such as usual in a Cotile, 

 and we think it probable that they are merely individuals whose plumage has not got bleached. 



Hab. North-eastern Africa, Arabia, Palestine, and the shores of the Indian Ocean as far as Sind. 



This is a smaller species than C. rapestris, with which it has often been confounded. 

 Besides the lesser dimensions, it may also be distinguished by its very pale colour and 

 uniform throat, the latter being spotted in C. rupestris. 



Von Heuglin states that it is a resident in Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia, occurring 

 as well on the Arabian coast and in the mountains of Sinai. He writes : — " It lives 

 among the bare rocky walls and old graveyards, both near the sea and high up near the 

 region of snow. In Semien we shot it at a height of between 11,000 and 12,000 feet 

 above the sea-level. Its flight resembles that of an arrow and is generally straight, though 

 sometimes whirling and uneven, at times low down over tlie desert, and at other times 

 so high in the air as to disappear from sight altogether. The pale colour of this active 

 and restless bird, amid the glaring sunlight, which is sometimes truly dazzling, makes 

 it appear to vanish suddenly, as if dissolving in mist. The breeding-season is at the 

 beginning of the year. The nest is small and constructed of sand and clay cemented 

 with saliva. AVe found them breeding in ravines, stone-quarries, catacombs, sepulchral 

 monuments, and isolated buildings in the desert." 



Captain Shelley, in his ' Birds of Egypt,' observes : — " This species of Crag-Swallow is 

 very plentifully distributed throughout Egypt and Nubia, where it is a resident. It only 

 frequents the rocky districts, and is therefore of rare occurrence in the Delta, although 

 at Cairo and the Pyramids it is abundant. It may be easily^ recognized by the paleness 

 of the colouring of its back. It begins to breed about the middle of Eebruary, placing 

 its nest under the shelter of an overhanging rock, or attaching it to the ceiling of some 

 of the less-frequented passages of the ruined temples, or even occasionally in the native 



