MALAYAN ORNITHOLOGY. 119 
with the Chinese race, as specimens I shot at Singapore were 
exactly similar to others which I got near Hongkong; nor does 
it appear to differ much from the well-known European I. rustica, 
unless perhaps in being slightly smaller. 
CHZTURA LEUCOPYGIALIS (Blyth). The Small Spine-tailed Swift. 
I obtained this birdin Singapore in July, 1879; also in Pérak. 
CHETURA GIGANTEA (Temm.). 
The large Malay Spine-tailed Swift is apparently distributed 
in considerable numbers throughout the country, as I met with it 
in all the Straits Settlements, also in Johore, Pérak, Larut; and, 
far up the Moar river, at Sagamet, in the very heart of the Penin- 
sula, I saw large flocks of them hawking over the river. I shot 
my first specimen one morning in February. 
While walking along the flat sandy beach bordering the Pérak 
river near Saiyong, a party of eight of these large Swifts darted 
past at a tremendous pace, so fast that one heard the shish! of 
their wings, and the next instant they were almost out of sight, 
but circling round, again came within shot, which I took advantage 
of and secured one. It was a female, 94 inches in length, irides 
dark brown, legs and feet dark purple, under tail-coverts white, 
with the feathers dark-shafted ; rest of plumage brownish black, 
lightest on the back, with a steel-blue metallic lustre on the head, 
nape, wings, and upper tail-coverts : the tail consisted of ten fea- 
thers, with their terminal portions bare and as sharp as needles; 
the wings projected 3 inches beyond the tail. 
CyYpsELus suBFuRcaTus (Blyth). 
Plentiful throughout the Straits. When at Malacca, during 
the first week in December, 1879, I found a colony of these Swifts 
breeding in the ruined convent which stands on the hill overlooking 
the town and anchorage. In the early part of the day hundreds 
of them were flying in and out of their nests of clay and straw, 
which hung in great clusters of thirty or more under the crumb- 
ling arches of the convent windows, and apparently contained 
young. The old birds became very much excited at my approach, 
and made 4 tremendous noise as they flew backwards and forwards. 
I was told that they commence to build early in November. 
Without a ladder it was impossible to get at the nests; so I was 
