THE MALAYAN HOTJSE-SWIFT 
A pus afftnis subfutcatus (Blytk) 
Malay «awf Layang layang. 
Description: — Our plate of this bird almost suffices for 
a description, It merely is necessary to say that this swift is 
black with a conspicuous white rump or *'tail-patcli*' and a 
dirty white throat. There is little difference between the sexes. 
The irides are brown, the bill and feet blackish. 
Length approximately 5A inches; wing^ 5 to sl inches. 
Deshi^icfTi : — The Malayan house-swift is a common bird 
in the Malay Peninsula, Borncoj Sumatra and Java. It extends 
through Siam into China, in the greater part of India it is 
replaced by a slighter paler bird, obviously but a race of the 
same species and there is again another sub-species which was 
described from Palestine and is found in N. W. Africa and 
also Kashmir. 
Siatus m Singapore : — ^ Very numerous in Singapore and 
easily the commonest swift on the island. It breeds freely in 
the town and nests exist in convenient places in some of the 
large building^s in the busiest and noisiest spots of the com- 
mercia! quarters. 
Field Notes: — A small, swiftly flying bird with a shrill 
v^oice, roug:hly about the size of a swallow and in flight appear- 
ing all black except for a conspicuous white "stem" can be 
none other than this species. 
Other habits: — This swift is familiar to most people on 
account of its close association with many houses In Singapore, 
During the breeding season the birds are most confiding dash- 
ing to and from their mud-nests, often situated on the roof 
of the porch of an occupied house, and paying little attention 
to cars stopping a few feet below them. In the evening they 
sometimes congregate into large flocks, often in company with 
bee-eaters, and indulge in aerial evolutions till nightfalL Sit- 
