p. horhonica of La E,eunion and Mauritius, but the constancy of the characters on which 

 it has been separated from that l)ird convinces us that these two Swallows are really 

 distinct species. 



The accounts of the habits of P. madagascariensis vary little from those of its 

 relative in Mauritius, concerning which more details have been jiublished by travellers. 

 M. Grandidier, in his splendid worii: on the Natural History of Madagascar, gives the 

 following note : — " The Fhedina of Madagascar, which is common throughout the 

 Avhole island, has the same habits as other Swallows. It is as lively and as graceful in 

 its movements as our familiar European species, and, like that bird, it courses unceas- 

 ingly over the open ground in pursuit of its insect-prey, but it is not so familiar as our 

 //. rustica is with mankind. It is not uncommonly seen perched on the branches of a 

 tree, as well as on rocks. Coquerel says that in La E-eunion Fhedina borhonlca con- 

 structs its nest in caverns, the nest being of plastered earth attached to the face of the 

 rocks. It is probable that the Madagascar race nests in the caverns which are found in 

 the northern parts of the island, or in the fractures in the great blocks of granite which 

 are so frequent in Madagascar. The eggs are white, dotted with clear brown, more 

 abundantly at the larger end. 



" These birds are called by the same name as the Swifts : IlaiKwiandro (lit. ' Bats 

 of the day ') ; FUUiandro or Voroiiaiidro (lit. ' Birds of the day ') ; or Sldintsidina (lit. 

 ' Something which flies without cessation '). The Hovas call it Kiriodamtra, the Bet- 

 sileo and Antaimorona people Firiringa ; the Bara and the Antanala Firio, words whose 

 root seems to be rioiia or r'mgito, which mean ' galloping through the sky or passing 

 rapidly by without stopping.' " 



Notes on the osteology of Phed'ma, with excellent figures, are given by Professor 

 Alphonse Milne-Edwards in the work above quoted. 



Messrs. Pollen and Van Dam remark: — "The habits of the Madagascar bird are 

 the same as those of the La Reunion species. During our stay at Ambassuana on the 

 7th of October, 186-1, we were witness to the assembly of a large band of these Swallows 

 before tlieir flight, when they formed a formidable crowd. They mounted in the air, 

 crossing hither and thither, before going off in a south-westerly direction, and uttering 

 continuous cries. Among the Sakalava of the north this Swallow is called Manawry. 

 "We have met with it also in Nossi-Be, near the lake of Pombylaba." 



The Rev. Deans Cowan informs me that he procured eggs of a Swallow in caverns; 

 they are now in the possession of Mr. Stoate of Burnham, who has identified them as the 

 eggs of the present species. 



The descriptions and figure are taken from s^jeciniens in the British Museum. 



