lo British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



be held together without some such device. The glutinous mass is very apparent 

 in the nests exhibited in the Museum at Bern, which are hardly pleasing in 

 appearance, being not unlike a series of ancient and gruesome cheesecakes well 

 flattened. The eggs are pure white, and of an elongated oval shape." 



The food of the Alpine Swift consists of small insects caught upon the wing ; 

 the harder and indigestible portions are subsequently cast up in the form of 

 pellets. For avicultural purposes this bird is useless. 



Family— C YPSELID^. 



The Needle-Tailed Swift. 



Acanthyllis caudacuta, LatH. 



ONLY two examples of this species have been obtained in Great Britain, the 

 first near Colchester, in July, 1846, and the second in Hampshire towards 

 the end of July, 1879 (s- third being seen at the same time). This Asiatic species 

 can only be regarded as an accidental straggler to our shores. When there is an 

 interval of thirtj^-three years between the first and second appearance of a species 

 one may vaguely comprehend the likelihood of its ever being seen by the readers 

 of the present work. 



