cypselin^. 171 



The White-bumped Spine-tail. 



Desnr. — Above, the whole plumage glossy green black, except 

 the ramp which is pure white, and the upper tail-coverts which are 

 also white, the outermost being tipped black ; the throat, cheeks, 

 and breast, pale grey, gradually passing into black on the sides of 

 the body ; belly and under tail coverts pure white ; bill black ; 

 irides dark brown : le^s and feet livid. The under tail coverts 

 extend nearly to the end of the tail, the spiny shafts of which are 

 thin and flexible. 



Length, 4;^ inches; wing, 5; tail, 1|-. 



This pretty little Swift reminds one b}'- its colors and size so 

 much of the Martins that it follows them very appropriately. 

 Tickell was the first naturalist who observed this species, near Ghye- 

 bassa, in Central India, and subsequently near Darjeeling ; and I 

 fancy that I am the only other observer who has procured it. I first 

 saw it south-east of Chanda, in the Nagpore territories, in small num- 

 bers, and throughout the whole hilly and jungly tract east of the 

 "Wyn-Ganga river, but most abundant on the Indrawutty river ; also 

 within a few miles from Chinnoor on the Godavery. I thought 

 that I saw it near Darjeeling, on a cultivated hill facing the Kursion 

 bungalow, but I did not obtain specimens. 



It is, of course, chiefly a jungle-haunting species, 'preferring 

 the vicinity of rivers, and has a very elegant, but, for one of tliis 

 genus, not remarkably rapid flight. I saw it at first in small scat- 

 tered parties, afterwards in tolerably large flocks. Tickell states 

 that, in Central India, "it haunts open cultivated grounds in the 

 midst of forest ; also the cleared patches on the sides and sum- 

 mits df hills." 



An allied species is A. leucopygialis, Blyth, from Penang, 

 diiFering from our bird in having the shafts of the tail feathers much 

 stronger, more resembling those of A. (jiganten, whilst in our 

 species the tail feathers more resemble those of A. caudacuta. 

 The Penang bird is black beneath, and is thus more normally 

 coloured for a Swift. A nearly allied, if indeed distinct species, 

 must be ^. co mcmz/s, Miill., apud Bonaparte, from Borneo: size 

 of a Martin, black, with the upper tail coverts white, the stems 



