Descriptive List of the Common Birds 
backward continuation of the beak. When the 
bird is disturbed and when it flies the crest is 
expanded like a fan. Almost every lawn in 
India forms the feeding-ground for at least 
one pair of hoopoes. Hoopoes nest in holes 
in trees or in the walls of buildings. 
123. Upupa indica: The Indian Hoopoe. 
(F. 1067), (J. 255), (IIT) 
Head and body fawn-coloured. Wings and 
tail white with very broad black bars. The 
beak is 2% inches long, and the legs are very 
short. ‘The feathers of the crest have black 
tips. The note is a soft ak—ak—ak, rapidly 
repeated. (Illus. B. D., p. 140.) 
The Swifts, 124 and 125 
These birds are frequently confounded with 
swallows (q.v.). Many species visit India, but 
only two are really common birds. 
124. Cypselus afinis: The Common Indian 
Swift. (F. 1073), (J. 100), (- I.) 
A blackish bird, with a white bar across the 
back, which flies with great velocity; the 
wings form the arc of a circle as it dashes 
through the air. It never perches. When it 
wishes to rest it repairs to its nest, which is 
167 
