THE NEEDLE-TAILED SWIFTS. 
43 
short, and scarcely forked at all. The wings, on the other 
hand, are extremely long, and project far beyond the tail. 
In the Sub-family Chaeturina are included the edible Swifts 
( Collocalia), which might very well be separated as a separate 
Sub-family, on account of their peculiar nesting-habits. Mr. 
Hartert includes them with the Chceturince, though they have 
not spiny tail-feathers. 
The Short-tailed Swifts are found in most parts of the world, 
but do not extend very far north, especially in the Old World. 
THE NEEDLE-TAILED SWIFTS. GENUS CH/ETURA. 
Chestura, Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. 2, p. 76 (1826). 
Type, C pelagica (Linn.). 
The members of this genus vary very much in size, and in- 
clude both the largest and some of the smallest Swifts. They 
can, however, always be told by the stiffened shafts of the tail- 
feathers, the points extending beyond the tip of the tail and 
presenting the appearance of spines. 
The geographical range of the genus includes nearly the 
whole of America from north to all but the extreme south. 
In the Old World, species are found from Amoorland in 
Eastern Siberia south to India, and the Malayan Region to 
Australia, as well as the whole of Africa below the Sahara. 
I. THE NEEDLE-TAILED SWIFT. CH.ETURA CAUDACUTA. 
liirundo caudacuta, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl. ii. p. 57 (1801). 
Acanthyllis caudacuta. Dresser, B. Eur. iv. p. 613, pi. 270 
(1880); Newton, ed. Yarn ii. p. 371, note (1874); 
B. O. U. List, p. 74 (1883) ; Saunders, Man. p. 255 
(1889). 
Chcelura caudacuta, Seebohm, Br. B. ii. p. 303 (1884) ; Har- 
tert, Cat. B. xvi. p. 472 (1892). 
Adult Male. — Of large size. Upper surface of the body pale 
brown, shading off into lighter brown on the lower back, the 
rump with white bases to the feathers ; upper tail-coverts 
black, glossed with steel-blue ; wings and tail black, with a 
gloss of green or steel-blue, very distinct on the upper wing- 
