Notices of New Books. 8625 



rapid downward plunge, again to unite after a longer or shorter 

 interval. Their voice, remarks Mr. Blyth, is a sort of shivering 

 scream rather than a twitter." — (P. 178). 



Indian Edible-nest Swiftlet. — "In 1846 I paid a visit, in company 

 with Mr. Ward, M.S.C., to Pigeon Island, some miles out at sea to 

 the south of Honore, which was said to be a resort of these birds. We 

 found a large cavern at one end of the island, with a few of the nests, 

 but of the second make, and inferior to the first, being mixed with 

 feathers and extraneous matter. There were no eggs at this season (the 

 end of December), and we did not see any of the birds to identify the 

 species. A native who had guided us to the cave said if we waited till 

 8 or 9 o'clock p. m. the birds would come. We instructed him to do so, 

 and to catch some of them in a net he had with him for the purpose. 

 Next day he returned to Honore, bringing several individuals alive of 

 this species. He said they had not returned till 9 p.m. What a vast 

 distance these birds must have come from, to have taken full three 

 hours after sunset to reach their homes, and what powers of sustained 

 flight are here shown ! It is known to have other breeding places on 

 the Malabar coast, viz., the Vingorla rocks, where one hundred weight 

 of nests is said to be produced annually ; if so, this must be the largest 

 breeding spot on the coast : also the Sacrifice Rock, twenty miles 

 south of Tellicherry ; besides, I dare say, others. I visited Sacrifice 

 Rock in March, 1849. (It is so called because Hyder Ali was said to 

 have left state prisoners, and others occasionally, on this perfectly bare 

 rock to die of hunger and thirst). There is one cave here which had per- 

 haps fifty to a hundred nests, and a few had eggs in them. Very few 

 of the nests were of the first make, these being annually taken away 

 by some moplahs from the mainland. The birds were at this time 

 flying about, feeding on the flies which abounded at the edge of the 

 rock. About twenty couples, perhaps, were present, not more. I 

 doubt if all the places I have enumerated on the western coast would 

 contain the nests of a quarter of the number of these swifilets which 

 I have seen at once in one locality. If so, where do the others breed ? 

 It has been suggested that they may nestle in inland caves, but all 

 my inquiries have failed to discover any in India. Mr. Layard has, 

 however, visited some caves in Ceylon where they breed." — (P. 183). 



I have said that Mr. Jerdon touches lightly on the views of Darwin 

 as to the origin of species, and on the identity or otherwise of closely- 

 affined species inhabiting localities widely separated : the two para- 

 graphs on these subjects are so well worthy of an attentive perusal 

 VOL. XXI. 2 S 



