370 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIAN'A. 



Ai'wye River, Tiger Creek, Great Falls Demerara River, Arawai 

 River, Wurema River [McConnell collection) ; Bartica, Kainakusa 

 (WIntely) ; Retreat River (British Museum). 



Extralimital Range. North Brazil, Pern, Ecuador, Colombia. 



Habits. Schomburok states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 753) that he 

 found this new species fairly common near the Lower Essequebo 

 River, where it was generally found in pairs perched on the rocks 

 rising from the river. It allowed a very close approach before 

 rising, and only flew a short distance before settling again. The 

 nest is a shallow hollow in the ground under low bushes, and 

 the eggs are two in number. 



Family MICROPODID^. 



The Swifts are birds of small size, and the majority of dark 

 colour. The bill is very short, curved at the tip, broad at the 

 base, and very wide at the gape. No rictal bristles. The wings 

 are long and pointed. The tail is composed of ten feathers. 

 The feet are very small. 



They are distributed over the greater part of the known world. 

 Five genera and twenty-four species occur in South America, of 

 which four genera and eight species are represented in British 

 Guiana. 



Genus CH^TURA Steph. 



Chcetiira Stephens, in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. 2, p. 76, 182G. Type 

 C. pelagica (Linn.). 



The chief characters bv which this genus is distinguished are 

 the spines at the tips of the t:iil-feathers, the hind-toe directed 

 backwards, and the plumage particoloured. 



Kej/ to the Species. 



A. Larger, wing more than 130 mm. ; a white 



collar which encircles tlie neck C. alhicincta, p. 371. 



B. Smaller, wing less than 130 mm. ; no white 



collar encircling the neck. 

 a. Under surface black ; lower back and 



rmnp snioke-grey C. hrachyura, p. 371. 



h. Under sui-face smoke-brown ; lower back 



blaclc with a white band across the 



rump C. spinicautln^ p. 372. 



c. Under surface hoar}^ gre}' like the lower 



back and rump C. qnianensis, p. 373. 



