JEL. daurica (which, as will be noticed, he calls H. alpestris), with a wing measuring 4-9 

 to 5*2 inches, and H. erythropygia, with a wing of from 4*2 to 4 - 5 inches. Then in his 

 second section of coarsely streaked species he puts H. striolata, with a wing of from 49 

 to 5'4 inches, and H. nipalensis, with a wing of 4'4 to 4 - 8 inches. We find that in the 

 British Museum series the wing varies between 4 - 75 and 5T5 inches. 



The oldest known species of the group is undoubtedly R. dcurica, which was 

 described by Linnams in the Appendix to his 'Mantissa,' from a specimen brought from 

 Siberia by Laxman. There can be no doubt as to the bird intended, and Linna?us's name 

 must be retained in preference to that of alpestris of Pallas, which has probably been 

 resuscitated by Mr. Seebohm for the species as being better known, and therefore 

 auctorum plurimorum. 



Pallas described his Hirxmdo alpestris as nesting in rocks and in caves on the Altai 

 Mountains and in the other Siberian Alps, being found but rarely building in deserted 

 dwellings. In his ' Zoographia,' he again gives the habitat as the Altai Mountains and 

 Dauria, and he states his belief that it occurs throughout the whole mountain-region to 

 Tibet and China. He describes and figures the nest, which is depicted as fixed to a 

 rock ; but it was probably drawn from memory, as it does not coincide with the form of 

 the nest as described by other authors. 



Messrs. Homeyer and Tancre have recorded the species from the Altai Mountains, 

 and, according to Dr. Otto Finsch, it was breeding in a large colony between Urdschar 

 and Bakti on the 20th of May; he again met with the species on the Irtisch Kiver, above 

 Buchtarminsk, on the 16th of June. 



Dr. Dybowski records it as common throughout the whole of Dauria, and found it 

 on the Amoor and in the Ussuri country, but it was not met with near Lake Baikal. 

 It breeds in Dauria, and it was also found nesting in the Ussuri delta by Dr. Grabowski. 

 B.adde's localities for the species were the Krimski Post, the eastern slope of the southern 

 part of the Apple Mountains, and again at Argun and Blagowestchensk. 



In the British Museum are two specimens of Dr. Severtzoff's, procured by him in 

 N.W. Mongolia, one being marked as from the Biver Etyr. The following account is 

 given by General Prjevalski : — 



"The specimens obtained by us in S.E. Mongolia and Kan-su have hardly any black 

 streaks on the rust-coloured rump, and these are scarcely perceivable. At the same 

 time, the black streaks are much narrower on the underparts than is shown in Gould's 

 plate, although they are somewhat wider than in C. erythropygia, Sykes, which also 

 differs from the present species by the absence of all streaks on the rump and the 

 Avider rust-coloured patch on the nape. 



" The Daurian Swallow is extremely common in S.E. Mongolia, Ordos, and Ala- 

 shan. In Kan-su it inhabits the median and low mountain-circles, aud hardly ever 

 visits the Alpine zone. It breeds on rocks, as well as in summer-houses, and even in 

 tents. 



"The shape of the nest is elongated-oval, about 8 or 10 inches long; the front 



