THE SPINE-TAILED SWIFT, CHAETURA CAUDACUTA. 

 By H. E. FINCKH. 



Strolling round my garden on the morning of the 21st of January, 1919, I noticed a Spine-tailed 

 Swift Chtptinu 1 uutim uta. hanging on a low branch of a shrub, and as it made no attempt to fly from 

 my approach I had no difficulty in securing it. So far as I could ascertain it showed no signs of 

 injury, though its eyes appeared to be very dull. Thinking the bird could not rise, I threw it into the 

 air, but though it made an attempt to fly it could only manage a few yards, and then landed on the 

 lawn. 



I could not hope to be able to keep it alive in one of my aviaries, but thought I would endeavour 

 to feed it till it gained strength and then liberate it, trusting that it might pick up company on 

 its flight to northern regions. So I put the bird into an aviary, one side of which consisted of the 

 stone foundation of my cottage. 1 offered it as food some meal-worms, the larvae of the beetle 

 Tenebrio molitor, which it accepted readily, taking about a dozen a day. It would climb up to the 

 top of the wire netting from the ground and hang there amongstithe^branches of a climbing Ficus ; 

 it always supported the body with its tail, and remained for hours in this position. After a few day-. 

 the bird appeared to be gaining strength, so I gave it another chance of flight. It Hew some fifty 

 yards, and then came to the ground ; so it went again into the aviary. 



Spine-tailed Swift clinging to a Vertical Stone Wall. 



