f 



November 1867. These birds were closely looked for by me for eight years in various 

 parts of Eastern Bengal. I never found that they bred there ; and it was very seldom 

 that I observed them far from Dacca, and there only in very scanty numbers. I observed 

 them at Mymensing, the next district to Dacca, once, but only for one day. They visited 

 Dacca regularly, certainly twice every year, from the end of April to June, and again 

 after the rains. They seemed only to stay a few weeks, and then to disappear. For 

 months I had been looking out for them in vain ; of a sudden they would appear in 

 considerable numbers, and then disappear as siiddenly." 



Dr. Jerdon writes : — " I found this apparently new Swallow in abundance at Dacca 

 in June. It had evidently finished breeding, for there were many yoimg birds. It had 

 entirely left the place in October." Mr. Hume, writing in 1875, says : — " It is a 

 mystery where //. tytleri, which is only seen at Dacca for a month or two at a time and 

 that often after an interval of some years, comes from. Mr. P. B. Simson, the late 

 commissioner of Dacca, who first pointed out the species to Dr. Jerdon, watched vainly 

 for them for tliree successive years ; then they came in great numbers, and he sent me 

 a very large series. A couple of months later they had entirely disappeared ; this 

 was in the early part of the I'ains. It Avas in June also that he first drew Dr. Jerdon's 

 attention to them." 



Colonel Godwin-Austen procured a Swallow in Manipur, which he found nesting 

 near Imphal, the capital, in February and March ; it was then commencing to breed. 

 He has specimens in his collection from the Manipur Hills and the Lhoto Naga Hills, 

 Assam, and he remarks : — " It would appear that Ibis species breeds in the neighbouring 

 hilly districts, migrating soon after into the plain country." He has kindly lent us 

 these specimens for examination, and we find that they are only H. rustlca, though 

 rather hia-hlv-coloured individuals of that form. 



Mr. Hume believes that he observed the species in Manipur, but did not procure a 

 specimen. He writes : — " This is tlie more remarkable as Godwin-Austen says that 

 during his visit it was the only form seen in Manipur during February and March." 



Mr. Gates writes : — " Tytler's Swallow visits British Burmah in considerable 

 numbers every winter, but is much more common in some years than in others." Major 

 WardlaAv Eamsay records it as common in the plains of Karennee, but no specimens 

 from this locality are in the Tweeddale collection. 



Mr. Davison says : — " I only met with this race at Tavoy ; they appeared for a few 

 days in the latter end of April and the early part of May in great numbers, and then 

 disappeared entirely ; but whether moving north or south I am unable to say." 



Occasionally Tytler's Swallow appears to visit the American continent and to 

 accompany II. erythrocjastra in its migrations south. Three specimens, from Dueuas in 

 Guatemala, from Para, and from Brazil, are referable to this form. 



Tlie description of the bird is taken from an Irkutsk specimen in the British 

 Museum, and the figure has been drawn from a specimen from Petropaulowski in the 

 same Institution. 



For the geographical distribution of this species, vide infra Plate 44 [Map]. 



