DENDROCHELIDON KLECHO. 



Klecho Tree Swift. 



Hirundo Klecho, Horsf. in Trans. Linn. Soc, vol. xiii. p. 143. — Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 293. 



Dendrochelidon Klecho, Boie ? Isis, 1844, p. 106.— Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 66, Dendrochelidon, sp. 2.— lb. 



Rivista Contemporanea, Feb. 1857, p. .—Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. 



Comp., vol. i. p. 110. 

 Macropteryx Klecho, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 54.— List of Birds in Brit. Mus., part ii. sect. 1. Fissi- 



rostres, p. 17. — Blyth, Journ. of Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xiv. p. 212, vol. xv. p. 22, and vol. xxiv. 



p. 479.— lb. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 87. 

 Cypselas longipennis, Temm, PL Col. 83. 

 Macropteryx longipennis, Swains. Zool. 111., 2nd ser., pi. 74. 

 Hirundo urbica, Raffles in Trans. Linn. Soc, vol. xiii. p. 315. 

 Apus (Pallestre) Klecho, Less. Compl. Buff., torn. viii. p. 490. 

 Cypselus Klecho, Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 81. 

 Samber-galeng of the Javanese, Horsfield. 



The Dendrochelidon Klecho of Java is distinguished from the D. coronatus of India and the D. Wallacei of 

 Macassar by the deep green colouring of its head, back, and shoulders ; it is also somewhat smaller in size 

 than either of those birds. Its true habitat is Java and Sumatra; but it is also said to inhabit the Indian 

 Archipelago and Malacca. I have now before me several specimens lent to me from the East India House 

 Museum, all of which present the same difference in colour that I have mentioned above, namely, the deep 

 green tint pervading the upper surface, which in D. coronatus is grey or greenish grey. 



Dr. Horsfield, who observed this bird during his residence in Java, mentions that the male has a spot 

 of chestnut below the ears, which mark is wanting in the female, confirming the accuracy of Mr. Wallace's 

 labels as to the sexes of the specimens of another species dissected by him. 



The following is the description of an example of this bird which I consider to be fully adult : — 



The male has the crown of the head, back of the neck, and back deep green, slightly tinged with umber- 

 brown ; lower part of the back and rump greenish grey ; throat and under surface deep greenish grey, 

 becoming much lighter on the centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; shoulders green ; primaries 

 bluish green; a patch of greyish white on the tertiaries ; tail green; a spot of dark chestnut on the ear- 

 coverts; bill and feet black; irides brown. 



Total length, 8 inches; bill, |; wing, 6±; tail, 4f ; tarsi, i. 



The female is similarly coloured, but has the ear-coverts green instead of chestnut. 



A young male which had nearly completed his moulting has the white feathers of the centre of the 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts strongly barred with brown, and the shining green of the head, back, and 

 wings very clear and well-defined. I observe, too, that although the wings are as fully developed and 

 quite as long as in the adults, the tail is comparatively short, particularly the outer feathers, suggesting the 

 idea that, like those of our own Common Swallow, these feathers do not attain their PTeatest length until 

 the bird is two or three years old. 



The figures are of the natural size. 



