5600 Birds. 



The kingfisher (Alcedo ispida) I never observed, but Dr. William 

 Carte procured a specimen in May, and I saw another which had also 

 been obtained in the Crimea. These specimens do not differ materially 

 from others killed in England. 



We now pass on to a favourite tribe, the swallows, and to com- 

 mence, I will take the first to arrive in the spring, after the dark season, 

 when vegetable life may be said to be asleep. This bird, the white- 

 bellied swift (Cypselus alpinns), which has in such few instances been 

 observed in the British islands, is by no means uncommon in the 

 Crimea, where, last year (1856), it was observed on the 2nd of April, 

 though I did not notice it till the 6th in the Inkermann Valley, where 

 I also saw the swallow (Hirundo ruslica) on the 8th, which I noted 

 "common" on the 12th, when I also observed a migration southward 

 of the former. I fancied that I observed a pair of martins (Hirundo 

 urbica), on the 4th of April, and am certain of having seen a congre- 

 gation of them flying about the camp rather low on the evening of the 

 18th. From observation, 1 can say that all three species remained in 

 numbers till the end of May. 1 also observed the martin and white- 

 bellied swift in July of the year previous, and think that the latter took 

 their departure about the end of August : they were building on the 

 Inkermann cliffs on the 2nd of May. 



The first supposed sand martin (Hirundo riparia) I saw on the 

 24th of April, among a great number of Hirundines, about a swamp at 

 the lower part of the Tchernaya. I also observed the swift (Cypselus 

 apus) at the same time, and while fishing higher up the same river, 

 among the rocky hills, I heard a good many uttering their wild shrieks. 

 The sand martin I have placed among the doubtful, because I only on 

 one other occasion saw what I took for it on the wing, and never 

 killed a specimen for comparison. 



Now I have only to finish up with the latter part of the swallows' 

 visit: they were numerous during summer, and by the middle of 

 September had given no signs of migration, but I think that soon after 

 the mass of them took their departure. I observed some on the 27th, 

 but, though on the look out, none on the two following days, and I 

 concluded that I had seen the last of them for the year : however, on 

 the 2nd of October I saw a large assemblage hawking about in the 

 vicinity of our camp, which I supposed w r ere some which had bred 

 northward. 



Circumstances prevented my making any observations for a month 

 after this. Specimens of Hirundo rustica, H. urbica and Cypselus 

 alpinus were brought home by Dr. William Carte. 



