and sepia-brown, resembling those of S. erythrogustra and S. rustica. Dr. Dybowski 

 procured three nests with eggs near Petropaulowski, and Dr. Taczanowski describes the 

 latter as similar to those of the European species with the same variations. 



The present species has been considered as, at best, a variety of JI. rustica and 

 n. (julturalls by the Siberian explorers MiddeudorfF, Schrenck, and P^adde, and it is 

 therefore difficult to determine the ranges of each species in their works. Dr. Stejneger 

 has made some clever deductions, and shows that it is Tytlcr's Swallow which was 

 found by Middendorff at Udskij Ostrog at the mouth of the Uda Valley, whence its 

 migration to and from Lake Baikal and Dauria extends along the southern line of the 

 Stanovoj Mountains. 



The other references to the Siberian Swallows are very confusinij, and we fancy that 

 Taczanowski's ideas as to the two rufoi;s-breasted Swallows, K. tytleri and R erijihro- 

 gastra, are somewhat uncertain, and would have been revised if he had lived to publish 

 his own book. He refers Middendorff's bird from Udskij Ostrog to S. erythrogastra, 

 which he allows on the same authority to nest on the Yenesei. There seems to be 

 a thorough muddle regarding these Siberian specimens, and the matter will never be 

 cleared up till some competent naturalist re-examines the original specimens in the 

 St. Petersburg Museum. This will doubtless soon be done by Dr. Pleske, but until then 

 our surmises are likely to be incorrect. 



Suffice it to say that an example from Irkutsk in the British Museum is identical 

 in every respect with the birds from Kamtschatka, and doubtless the bird breeds in the 

 former locality. 



In China the present species has only been seen near Pckin, where Abbe David 

 records having noticed specimens with peculiarly dark underparts, as well as in Upper 

 Mongolia. The only authentic record, however, of the capture of a specimen of 

 //. tytleri has been furnished by Mr. Styan, who describes two specimens killed near 

 Pekin; and as a friend of his noticed several dark-coloured specimens, it is possible that 

 Tytler's Swallow is not uncommon in the vicinity. 



Ty tier's Swallow was first described by Dr. Jerdon from Daccn, where it was first 

 brought under his notice by that excellent naturalist Mr. P. B. Siiuson, ^vho thus 

 describes the discovery of the species : — 



" In April 1SG3 I observed, for the first time, that a groat number of Swallows 

 Hying about the low marshy land to the east of Dacca and near the river Lukya. wliich 

 lies southward from Mymensing to Naraiiigunge, where it mingles with tlie niiuierous 

 streams from Sylhet and the eastern outlets of tlie Ganges, Jiad red bellies. >»o such 

 bird was descril)ed in the first volume of Jerdon's ' Birds of India,' at that lime the only 

 work on Indian Birds publislied. I Avrote to Jerdon about it, aiul he told mo that the 

 l)ird had l)oon ol)served before by Tytler, and tiiat ho would outer it in ,111 appiMulix, 

 wliich he accordingly did unchn' 1 bo iiauio of Hiriiiido tyllcri. .lonlon says tlicy wore 

 abundant at Dacca in .Juno, but wore absoul ia (Jctolior; I iiavo, 1io\m-\ rr, si'on thcui 

 near Dacca towards the end of Oofolicr. I saw them in tlirir ^rcali'sl uuiuIxts in 



I I', 



