No. 4. — 1848.] sketches m NATURAL history. 



95 



the Chinese, never attempting to speculate in it themselves, 

 and when, as is the custom, the u rent " is put up to auction 

 by the Government, the Chinese are the only bidders. 

 Other species of nest-builders may perhaps be found in the 

 Island. C. fucifaga, for instance, being probably an exclu- 

 sively sea-coast species, may breed among the rocks and clefts 

 of the Trincomalee coast. They are known to breed along 

 the Bay of Bengal ; their nests are of a superior quality to 

 those of C. nidifica^ and might be worthy the attention of any 

 person residing on the eastern side of our Island. 



For the purpose of enabling our readers to identify the 

 species, I give the description of C. nidifica from a specimen 

 before me, that of C. fucifaga from Dr. Blyth's pamphlet : — 



C nidifica. * — Length from 4| in. to 4| in.; of middle tail 

 feather 2 in., outer f in. longer, thus forming, when spread, 

 an indented tail ; length of wing about 4J in. The general 

 colour is a glossy fuscous brown, rather light on the 

 body, and below very pale ; bill very short ; nostrils broad 

 and prominent ; eyes large and sunken. 



C. fucifaga; H. fucifaga (Thim.).— About 3 J in. in 

 length by 9 in. in expanse ; the tail 1^ in., and even ; 

 wing 3f in. ; colour above blackish green, and purple 

 glossed; below, fuscous brown, passing to white on the 

 middle of the belly, with whitish edges to the lower 

 tail-coverts. A single large feather with a distinct supple- 

 mentary plumelet grows on the hind toe, being nearly as 

 long as the toe with its claw : this is always normally 

 present, but is often lost in dry specimens. 



Before quitting this subject I must glance at a para- 

 graph which has been brought to my notice in a work 

 entitled " Illustrations of Instinct," by J. Couch, Esq., f.l.s., 



* C. nidifica; H, nidifica (Lath.); II. esculenta, assud. Horsfield ; II. 

 fucifaga y assud. Shaw ; II. brevirostris (McClelland) ; II. tin i color 

 (Jordon), and Cypselus concolor, of the same author. 



l 2 



