18 
HISTORY OF 
niinck, it is found on the Alps, in Switzerland, in the Tyrol, 
on the shores of the Mediterranean, on the rock of Gibraltar, 
in Sardinia, Malta, and throughout the Archipelago. 
It was observed by a friend of ours,* at Ku snack, near Berne. 
The following is an extract from his journal, which gives some 
idea of its habits and mode of flight: — “ 1 saw here a species 
of Hirundo quite new to me ; about twenty of them were skim- 
ming round the tower of the church, and had certainly nests 
under the roof. They were black on the tail, but white on the 
breast and chin. They seem to have monopolized the church, 
only two or three common Swifts appearing at intervals. My new 
friends were considerably larger, but did not fly so quickly, and 
looked like little Sparrow-hawks. I think that they must be 
allied to the great Gibraltar Swift, f mentioned by Mr. White.” 
The male White-bellied Swift has the back of a light brownish 
slate colour, gradually shaded into a lighter tint towards the 
head, and of a darker towards the tail ; belly and lower parts, 
white, with a broad collar ; thighs, vent, and under tail coverts, 
of the same colour as the back; bill, black ; irides, dark brown. 
The female differs little from the male, but the collar is in 
general narrower, and the plumage of the back rather darker. 
A figure of this bird is given in “ Edwards’s Birds,” and, also, 
in “ Gould’s European Birds.” 
* R. A. Slaney, Esq. t The same. 
