186 birds of india. 



The Indian Crested Swift. 



Descr, — Above bluish-gray, somewhat darker on the head, clearer 

 on the back and rump, and glossed throughout with greenish ; 

 wings anteriorly with a slight purple gloss ; beneath pale ashy, 

 whitening on the middle of th^ belly and lower tail-coverts ; ear- 

 coverts ferruginous in the male, black in the female with a whitish 

 line bordering the throat. 



Bill black ; legs blue-black ; soles of feet reddish-white ; irides 

 deep brown. 



Length about 10 inches ; wing 6^ ; tail 5^ (the outer feathers), 

 the next 3, the centre ones only If. Weight 1 oz. 6 dwt. The 

 outer tail-feathers reach 1^ inch beyond the tips of the wings. 



This very elegant Crested Swift is found throughout the jungles of 

 Central and Southern India, and Ceylon. Tickell found it in Central 

 India ; and I saw it in Bundclkund, and the Chanda jungles, and got 

 it from the southern Ghats of Nellore ; but it is most abundant on the 

 Malabar coast and the Wynaad, extending up the slopes of the 

 Neilgherries to 4,000 ft. or thereabouts. It also inhabits the province 

 of Pegu. It is sometimes in large Hocks, but usually in small parties ; 

 flies very rapidly, and, should there be a tank, or pool of water, or 

 river near, is very fond of descending suddenly, just touching the 

 water, and then rising again with unrivalled grace and great speed. 

 It has a loud Parrot-like call, which it is continually uttering whilst 

 on the wing, and by which I have often detected its presence in 

 thick and lofty jungle, before I had seen it. This call Tickell likens 

 to kia, kia, hia. He also states that, when seated on a branch, it has 

 a sort of song which he compares to chijie-chajlle, klecko-klecko. It 

 is very fond of perching on bare or leafless trees, and when so 

 seated often raises its peculiar crest quite vertically. It is said 

 by the natives of Malabar to breed in holes of trees, lining the 

 hole with a few feathers. Two eggs, pure white, and of a very 

 elongated form, were brought me as those of this bird. 



A very diflferent account was lately given of the breeding of an 

 allied species, D. klecho. The nest is said to be similar in form 

 and materials to that of Collocalia, but smaller and flatter, fixed on a 

 small horizontal branch, high up a tree, the walls very thin and 



