The Common Birds of the Nilgiris 



even then the swifts will have the advantage as 

 regards cheapness of transit. The lower parts 

 of the alpine swift are white, while those of 

 the spinetail are rich brown. Hence the two 

 species may be differentiated at a glance. 



The edible-nest/swiftlet [CoUocaliafucifhaga) 

 is the commonest swift on the Nilgiris. It is 

 only about half the size of the species mentioned 

 above, being less than 5 inches in length. In 

 my opinion, this bird is misnamed the edible- 

 nest swiftlet, because a considerable quantity of 

 grass and feathers is worked into the nest, and 

 I, for my part, find neither grass nor feathers 

 edible. But chacun h son gout. 



There is, however, an allied species — the 

 little grey-rumped swiftlet (C. francicia) — 

 found in the Andaman Islands — of which the 

 nests are really good to eat. This species con- 

 structs its tiny saucer-shaped nursery entirely 

 of its own saliva. 



April and May are the months in which to 

 seek for the nests of the Nilgiri swiftlet, and 

 the insides of caves the places where a search 

 should be made. 



The fourth swift of the Nilgiris, the crested 



swift {Macrofteryx coronata), is not sufficiently 



abundant to merit description in this essay. 

 217 



