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and had left the nest. Yet, on proceeding north the second time, and revisiting the scene of our 

 first bird-nesting exploit by Gennesaret, the birds we had so plundered had repaired their nests 

 and were again sitting. This was on May 7th. Having no desire to exterminate these little 

 confederates, we did not again disturb them, but proceeded to visit a cave in which, on my 

 former visit, I had discovered a pair of Hirundo rufula building. As we entered, a pair of the 

 pretty Swallows dashed out; and we soon saw the nest at which I had seen them at work, 

 evidently finished. It was at the further end of a low cavern ; and Mr. Cochrane, going towards 

 it, was surprised to see a Galilean Swift fly out. Putting up his hand, he caught the other 

 Swift, a female, in the nest, and afterwards drew out two Swifts' eggs, quite fresh. It seems 

 probable that, after we had destroyed their first nest, this pair of Swifts had taken possession of 

 that of the Swallow, close at hand, to save time and labour, and had adapted it to their own 

 purposes by simply adding an agglutinated straw-and-feather doorway to the original construction 

 of clay. The nest of Hirundo rufula is very like that of our House-Martin, but larger, and 

 attached to the roof of caves. It has also a long wide passage or neck for entrance, which in 

 this instance the Swifts had contracted. The displaced owners had not, however, quitted the 

 cavern ; for they had patiently built another nest for themselves near the entrance, which they 

 were then occupying." 



Mr. Phillips, who states (P. Z. S. 1857, p. 88) that it is very common in the neighbourhood 

 of Muttra, in India, says that he has " caught many specimens by simply standing at the bottom 

 of a staircase in which were numbers of their nests, and waving the hat as they flew out, when 

 they were instantly entangled. They appear half blind or stupid after daylight. They quite fill 

 up with feathers &c. any hole in the wall for their nest ; but when they build in the corner of a 

 building, they make a very thin cup-shaped nest. These nests they fasten one to another. The 

 materials in the latter case appear glued together. Their claws are excessively sharp, and hold 

 on to the flesh with desperate tenacity." Mr. Blyth says (Ibis, 1866, p. 340), " I have known 

 it to construct its continuous mass of nests in a low porch, so near the ground as to be reached 

 by the hand ; and I have also seen a huge cluster of the nests attached to the roofing of one of 

 the lofty minarets of the Mosque of Aurungzebe, at Benares, and I have noticed the species 

 resorting to other elevated sites ; but it very commonly breeds in the porticos of houses, and 

 sometimes within reach of the hand in a crowded bazaar." Mr. Swinhoe describes (Ibis, 1863, 

 p. 254) its nest as similar to those found by Canon Tristram in Palestine, and says that they roost 

 in their nests, and use them again the next year, after having patched them up. These birds are, 

 he says, very gentle and greatly attached to one another. 



I possess two eggs of this species collected by Mr. Cochrane at Magdala on the 1st April 

 and 9th May, 1864, which in form and colour resemble those of Oypselus apus, being pure 

 white and elongated, but are much smaller in size, measuring only ff by f^ inch. 



The specimen figured is an adult male in my own collection, and is the bird described. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser, 

 a, d . Gennesaret, Palestine, April 1st, 1864 {H. B. Tristram) . 



3l2 



