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advantage, as it turns continually, flying* much more slowly than the Common Swallow, and beating repeatedly 

 over a more limited extent of ground. Though feeding in flocks, I never knew this Swallow to breed in 

 company, and very rarely were two nests to be found in one cave. The nest is a beautiful structure, 

 composed of the same materials as that of the House-Martin, but is invariably attached to the flat surface 

 of the underside of the roof of a cave or vault. It is of the shape of a retort, with a bulb of the size of a 

 Thrush's nest, large and roomy, the neck or passage for entrance being sometimes a foot or more in length. 

 The inside of the clay chamber is warmly lined with feathers. Laborious as must be the construction of 

 this elaborate edifice, the little architects are very fastidious, and frequently desert two or three half-finished 

 nests in succession, commencing a new one in the same cavern. A favourite breeding-place is under the 

 arches of the corridors of the Monastery on Mount Carmel. The eggs are four in number, pure white 

 considerably larger than those of the House-Martin, and flatter at the small end." 



Crown of the head, back, scapularies, wing-, and upper tail-coverts deep glossy steel-blue, a few of the 

 white basal portions of the feathers showing on the upper part of the back ; wings and tail deep brownish 

 black ; line over the eye and collar at the back of the neck deep rusty red ; rump rusty red on the 

 upper part, fading into creamy white towards the tail; throat, under surface of the body, and under 

 wing-coverts, creamy white, with a very fine hair-like line of brown down the centre of each feather; under 

 tail-coverts tipped with bluish black, greatly increasing in extent on those nearest the tail ; bill black ; 

 feet brownish black. In some specimens an indistinct mark of dull white appears on the centre of the 

 outer tail-feathers. 



The sexes are alike as regards their plumage; but the female is smaller than the male. 



The figures are of the size of life. 



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