HIEUNDO. 31 



on April 17tli, 1864, I took a nest with fresh eggs from the same 

 buildings." 



"In choosing a site for the nest they seem tobeeven less particuhir 

 than in their time of breeding. Almost any building will serve 

 them wliere they can obtain a horizontal beam or ledge. On this 

 they place their round bowl-shaped nest, the wall of which is 

 composed of pellets of mud, mingled with grass, and securely 

 fastened on the beam. As soon .as the mud-work is dry, it is 

 warmly lined with grasses, horsehair, or feathers ; and the nest 

 is then ready for tlie eggs, which are usally from three to five in 

 number, O".") iricli in length by 0'.5 in breadth. The ground colour 

 is of a delicate white, having numerous dots and freckles of 

 yellowish-brown and faint lilac sprinkled over the wliole svirface, 

 but more thickly at the larger end. The nests are 1 to 6 inches ( 

 wide by 2 '.5 inches deep." 



"In 18.58, while fishing ofli'a small .steamer, which liavingbeen 

 out of use for some months, was moored a few hundred yards from 

 the North Shore, in the Sydney Harbour, I observed a pair of these 

 Swallows fly round the boat, and frequently dive underneath the 

 paddle-box. After a long search I discovered their nest, which 

 was composed of black pitchy mud, lined with seaweed and 

 feathers. It was placed upon one of the horizontal beams of the 

 paddle-box, and contained three young ones about half fledged. 

 The man in charge informed me that the nest had been made wlien 

 the steamer was lying lower down the harbour, and upon its being 

 tugged to where it then lay the birds flew round and round it the 

 whole time, evidently in a great state of excitement.'' {Ramsay, 

 Ibis, 1868, Vol. iv., Kew Series, p. 27-").) 



A set of the eggs of tliis species in the Australian Museum 

 Collection measures as follows : — length (A) 0-73 x 05 inch ; (B) 

 0-74 X 0-59 incli ; (C) 0-72 x 0-58 inch ; (D) 0-76 x 0-6 inch ; (E) 

 0-73 X 0-58 inch. 



Hah. Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port 

 Denison, Wide Bay District, Dawson River, Richmond and 

 Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria 

 and South Australia, Tasmania, West and South- West Australia. 

 {kamgay.) 



