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one, and has hatched its young when the other arrives. It may often be seen, during the month 

 of January, high in the air on the plains of the Jordan, and never descending within gunshot 

 until towards evening. The broad white rump gives it at first sight the appearance of the 

 House-Martin, for which indeed it might be mistaken, were it not for its note, which is peculiar 

 and melodious, consisting of two semitones often and rapidly repeated WAth a tremulous twitter, 

 and most unlike the harsh scream of the common Swift. Its flight is quite as rapid and darting 

 as that of the other Cypselidse ; and in spring we often noticed large flocks of all three species 

 intermingled far aloft, and feeding together on the wing. While, however, the white-bellied 

 bird would frequently sweep nearer the ground, and the common Swift occasionally follow it, 

 their little congener never during the day descended from its elevation, and often for hours have 

 we waited in vain for the chance of a shot. 



" Our first specimens were obtained by Messrs. Shepherd and Upcher on the top of the cliff 

 of the Wady Hamam, by the Plain of Gennesaret, on the 8th of March, when the birds were 

 building in society. Their capture was no easy task, as they never approached the cliffs till 

 toward evening; and then, unless they could be brought down on a little projecting promontory 

 near the edge of the wady, it was in vain to hope to secure the spoils. After two or three shots, 

 they became far too wary to afford another chance. 



" Unlike the Sun-birds, they mount to the highest portions of the enclosing mountains of 

 the Ghor ; and Mr. Bartlett obtained a single specimen, consorting with Oypselus melha, near 

 the highest part of Mount Ajalon, east of the Jordan. But it was not until the 1st of April 

 that, in company with Mr. Cochrane, I secured the nest and eggs. Under an overhanging ledge 

 in the fine ravine to the south-west of the Plain of Gennesaret, at the height of 800 feet from 

 the bottom of the wady, we discovered a cluster of nests, about twelve in number, huddled 

 together in one mass on the roof of an open cavern, upwards of twenty feet from its floor. The 

 nests were large, circular, each about half a sphere, and of the capacity of about a quart — a 

 very great size for so small a bird — and composed of straws, large and small feathers, and fine 

 grass, very strongly agglutinated together, and as firmly attached also to the rock. So stout was 

 the consistency of this felting, that it was with some difficulty the nests could be either separated 

 or torn asunder. The saliva of the bird must be the gluten employed; and the construction 

 exhibits a marked approach to the architecture of the genus Collocalia, the Edible Swift. The 

 outsides of the nests were decorated with a liberal supply of the loose downy feathers of the 

 Egyptian Vulture, slightly attached by gluten — a covering which I have observed to be omitted 

 in the nests built inside caverns ; and there is no warm lining whatever. After laying ineffectual 

 siege for half a day, we were reduced to the very vulgar and unsatisfactory expedient of collecting 

 all the sticks we could obtain, splicing them together, and with a fork at the top, tearing down 

 the nests as best we might, while one of the party attempted to catch the eggs as they fell in an 

 open butterfly-net. Sad was the havoc, and loud and indignant the complaints of the birds as 

 they dashed backwards and forwards overhead. But, besides many fragments, we did actually 

 succeed in saving two sound eggs, both nearly ready to hatch. Several of the broken eggs were 

 quite fresh. 



" On my return to Jericho, I found, on April 14th, that all the Swifts which bred in the 

 caves of the Jebel Quarantania had already hatched, and that some of the young were fledged 



