June 30, 1908. The Queensland Naturalist. 39 
birds are not devoid of voice. Night closes ; no sound 
save the lov ‘breathing’ moan of the distant sea. Suddenly, 
‘ swish, whiz,’ past goes a Swift, cutting through the dark- 
ness with the speed of a bullet, showing the wanderer 
they are with him still.’ ” — Op. Git., p. 532. 
With regarding the food that they actually partake of, 
I do not think that anything is hitherto definitely ascer- 
tained. Campbell says “ the Spine-tailed Swift lives solely 
on winpd insects,” a fairly safe remark, seeing that, as he 
adds, “ it has never been seen here perched.” Gould 
alludes to it as “ hawking for flies.” 
From the contents of the stomach, derived from the 
bird whose skin is exhibited, and that are before you, 
you will observe that its food consists in this instance 
almost exclusively of beetles, some of which are of quite 
large size, e.g., a female example of the lucanid Lamprima. 
It is, moreover, remarkable that these beetles are ones of 
quite hard consistency : e.g., weevils {Gurculionidce) occur 
amongst their number. It is stranger still that the majority 
compiise C'oleopteia that are not on the wing save after 
sunset, or during the hours of the night. This applies to 
Garahidm, Elateridce, Tenebrio7iidce, and members of other 
beetle families that this food comprises. 
This character, then, that it presents, would suggest 
that the Spine-tailed Swift not only flies during the hours 
of darkness, as stated in the account of its habits cited, 
but also secures its insect diet in large part during that 
period of the day. 
The hulk of the contents of its crop consists of beetles 
triturated into small fragments, and this finds its ex- 
planation m the fact that the Spine-tailed Swift is pro- 
vided with a large muscular thick-walled stomach or gizzard. 
Tins being lined internally, as in gallinaceous and other 
birds, with a dense leathery coat. The fragments of the 
horny beetles evidently serve the purpose of the 
grit used in grinding their food, by other birds provided 
with a true gizzard. Two flying ants (Formicidce) also 
entered into the components of this bird’s food, and one 
bee-sting also was met with. 
