420 HIRUNDINHLE. 



scream, nowise resembling the long-drawn and shrill cry of the com- 

 mon species. Towards the end of May, I saw a few alpine swifts at 

 Constantinople, wheeling about the heights of Pera, and near the 

 high tower of Galata, in which they probably build. In the 

 month of June, I met with this species at the island of Paros, 

 and about the Acropolis at Athens. Throughout this tour, the 

 common swift was more frequently seen than the C. alpinus, and 

 at one locality only did they both appear ; — this was at Constan- 

 tinople, where the former species was abundant, and a few of the 

 latter were observed. This seemed rather remarkable, as in no 

 scene did I meet with the one species, in which the other would 

 not have appeared equally at home. The only difference in their 

 habits which struck me, was, that the alpine swift is apparently 

 more partial to cliffs than buildings, the common swift more 

 partial to artificial structures than to rocks. 



As but little has been written on the alpine swift, the following 

 interesting extract from Captain S. E. Cook's Sketches in Spain, 

 is introduced : — 



" Cypselus Alpinus. — "Were living at the Breche cle Roland, 

 skimming the glaciers in July. I could not ascertain whether 

 they bred in the mural precipices there, or below in the villages. 

 I never saw them in Spain, excepting at Merida, where they were 

 in April, in company with innumerable martins and others of the 

 tribe flying very low, with a note not unlike some of the terns 

 {Sterna) . When high in the air, as I have seen them in descend- 

 ing the Rhine, they have a loud and melodious whistle. I have 

 heard they were not uncommon in Catalonia, but I never met 

 with them, probably from their habit of going to feed at vast 

 heights and distances in the day time, winch prevents their being 

 seen. They arrive at Naples at the end of March, and then fly 

 low. I believe they depart early." — vol. ii. p. 276. 



