PASSERES. 



common Wood-owrs cry. Sir T. S. Raffles, in his "Descrip- 

 tion of the Birds of Sumatra " (Transactions of Linnsean 

 Society, vol. xiii.), says that the name Burong Hantoo is 

 given to Owls in general by the Malays. 



Order Passeres. 

 Tribe Fissirostres. 

 Fam. Hirundinidse. 

 Sub-fam. Cypselinae. 

 Gen. Macropteryx. 



Macropteryx Klecko. 



Cypselus longipennis (Temm. PL Col. pi. 83). 



Above, metallic green black with, reflections of steel-blue, gra- 

 dually passing into light gray at the upper tail-covers. 



Below, from the chin dusky gray, becoming lighter towards the 

 lower tail-covers, which are white. 



Behind the eye and covering the ears is a patch of dark chesnut- 

 coloured feathers. 



The covers of the wings are the same colour as the back ; quills 

 steel-blue. 



Tail, steel-blue ; deeply forked. 



Total length, Sg inches. 



Length of bill from gape, 8|- lines. 

 „ of bill from front base, 3 lines. 



„ of wings, 6| inches, extending to the end of the tail. 

 „ of tail, 4'inches. 

 „ of tarsus, 2^ lines. 

 „ of middle toe and claw, nearly 7^ lines. 



The female wants the patch of red on the ears, but in other 

 respects resembles the male. 



The plumage of the young of this species is oddly mottled, the 

 feathers of the upper parts being dusky brown at the base, passing 

 into metallic green, and tipped with a sort of fringe of reddish brown 

 and white ; on the head the brown predominates over the white in 

 this fringe, and is of a much richer colour than that of the back ; 

 the lower parts are light brown, each feather being tipped, a crescent 

 of dark brown succeeded by another of white ; the wings are irre- 

 gularly marked with brown of difierent shades and tawny white. 



These birds are common in the island, flying very high, 

 and screaming like the common English Swift ; they fre- 

 quently perch upon dead branches of trees, but always at a 

 great height ; the young one which we have described 

 above was caught alive and lived for several days upon grass- 

 hoppers ; for want of room, however, it was put into a cage 



