120 MALAYAN ORNITHOLOGY.. 
unable to examine their contents. 
One of this species, which I shot at Singapore on 5th May, out 
of a flock of six, measured 54 inches in length; irides dark brown, 
under parts brownish black, darkest on the back, and slightly gloss- 
ed with green ; head brownish, palest on the forehead ; chin, throat, 
and rump white; underparts brownish black; tail square. To me 
this bird seems to answer exactly to Dr. Jmrpon’s description of 
the Indian Swift, C. affinis. | 
CYPSELUS INFUMATUS (Sclat.). The Palm-Swift. 
Common in the Straits, where it breeds, affixing its tiny nest to 
the under surface of the leaves of the palm trees. During the 
month of July I saw a large gathering of these Swifts flying round 
some betel-nut palms bordering the Bukit Timah road, Singapore. 
They kept up an incessant twitter, every now and then darting 
under and remaining for some seconds among the leaves, where 
they evidently had nests, as I could hear the feeble twittering of 
the young birds. The day being extremely hot, and the tall, slen- 
der stems of the trees anything but inviting, I regret to say I had 
not sufficient energy to climb up and secure a nest; however, I 
shot one of the birds, so as to be quite certain as to their species. 
it measured 42 inches in length; irides dark brown; plumage 
mouse brown, darkest on the head and wings, which have a faint 
bluish green tinge, beneath pale brown. 
Cottocata LIncut (Horsf.). The Hdible-nest Swiftlet. 
This tiny Swift is one of the Malayan representatives of the 
genus Collocalia, or Edible-nest-building Swifts, of whose gelatine- 
like nests, formed of mucus from the bird’s salivary glands, is 
made the glutinous soup which, with Sharks’ fins and other deli- 
cacies strange to the European stomach, is found on the dinner- 
tables of the ‘‘ upper ten”’ among the Chinese, though, as the nests 
cost something like a guinea an ounce, it is only by the wealthy, 
and probably by them only on great occasions, that this expensive 
luxury is indulged in. This delicacy tastes rather like ordinary 
vermicelli soup. [ was told that the birds built in caves on the 
coast; the nests adhere to the rocks, often in very precipitous 
places, and are only obtained at considerable risk to the collectors ; 
hence the fancy price they fetch. 
