106 
THE WHITE-BELLIED SWIFT. 
brown, through which runs a strong tinge of green that gives a beautiful glossy aspect to than 
part of the plumage. The throat and breast, together with the under tail-coverts, are very 
light gray, and the abdomen, part of the scapularies, and a well-defined streak over the eye, 
are white. 
This bird is a native of many parts of India, and has been taken in Java and Malacca. 
The true Swifts, of which one is known very 
familiarly, while the other is a very rare and 
almost unnoticed species, are remarkable for the 
feathered tarsus, the long wings, and the peculiar 
form of the feet. In this member, all the toes are 
directed forward, a structure which is admirably 
adapted to the purpose which it fulfils. The 
Swifts build their nests, or rather lay their eggs, 
for the nest is hardly worthy of the name, in 
holes under the eaves of houses, or in similar 
localities, and would find themselves greatly 
inconvenienced when seeking admission into their 
domiciles, but for the shape of the feet, which ena- 
bles them to cling to the slightest projection, and 
to clamber up a perpendicular surface with perfect 
ease and safety. In one species, the White 
Collared Swift ( Cypselus cayenensis ), the feet are 
clothed with feathers to the base of the claws. 
The White-bellied, or Alpine Swift, 
which the reader will find illustrated together 
with the next bird, is the largest of the Hirundi- 
nidse, being rather more than eight inches in total 
length. It is common on the continent of Europe, 
and in many parts of Africa and Asia. 
Unlike the common Swift, which is possessed 
of a loud and stridulous note, the Alpine Swift 
is sweet of voice ; its cry, although loud, being 
musical in its intonation. The popular name of 
klecho swallow . -Dendrodieiidon longipennis. this bird is given to it on account of the white hue 
of the under portions of its body, the only excep- 
tion being a broad dusky bar across the breast. The toes are brown with an orange tint, and 
the black beak is longer than that of the common Swift. The general color of its plumage is 
brown. The nest of this bird is made in crevices of lofty cliffs or buildings, and is composed 
of straw, hay, moss, and other substances, connected firmly together with a glutinous secretion 
furnished by certain glands, and rendered very hard and firm when the cement is dry. The 
eggs are four or five in number, white, and very long in proportion to the breadth. 
The following interesting account of the habits of this bird is given by Mr. Thompson : — 
“ The first place I met with the Alpine Swift was almost ten miles to the north of Naples, 
on the 12th of August, 1826, when a great number were observed associated together in flight, 
at a high elevation. Their evolutions in the air were similar to those of a common Swift. 
Independently of their superior size, which at once distinguishes them from that bird, the 
white color of a portion of the under plumage, from which they have received the name of 
White-bellied Swift, is conspicuous, even when the bird is at a considerable altitude. 
‘‘When on the Continent, in 1841, with my friend, Professor E. Forbes, this species was 
first seen by us on the 9th of April, as we descended the Phone, from Lyons to Avignon. 
About half way between these cities, several appeared flying over the river, and a few at all 
suitable places thence to Avignon. On the morning of the 28th of April, as we entered the 
