THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
in distinguishing the two species, but this bird is a rare visitor to 
Tasmania.” 
Captain S. A. White has written me : “ These wonderful birds always 
visit us during thundery conditions with northerly winds, which always come 
before a change in the weather. During the summer they attract one’s 
attention by their whistling caU, something like the sound produced by 
forcing the breath through closed teeth, only much louder : upon looking up 
they will be seen at times very high, describing circles in the air and flying 
at great speed. Manj^ are of the opinion that these birds do not roost at night, 
but keep up their flight. One night just at dusk I saw a large party swoop 
down in a dense mass and enter the flags and reeds growing in a swamp, where 
they took up their quarters for the night. Upon one occasion specimens 
taken were found to be infested with vermin (flying lice).” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor’s notes read : “ At times these large Swifts pay visits 
to South Australia, and I have often seen them flying about the Adelaide 
Plains at the Reedbeds, but have not known them to settle even to rest, 
although sometimes they stay several days before departing again for more 
northern climes. Their visits here are generally in the summer time, and are 
the forerunners of stormy weather ; their flight seeming to be forced in front 
of the wind aaid rain, and after hot sultry conditions ; they come a few at 
first and high up in the air, then more arrive, until hundreds can be seen at 
once, and often very close to the ground, but generally they are well up in 
the air out of gunshot reach. They utter a peculiarly weird and loud whistle 
or wheezy screech as they dart about, and thus their presence is at once made 
known. They can be seen ‘ hawking ’ about after the insects, which are 
always plentiful just at the time and condition of the weather when the 
Swifts arrive. When departing they circle up to a great height and eventually 
are lost to view when they make away. Their large size and long narrow 
‘ rakish ’ cut of wing make them very conspicuous in the air, and they can be 
easily distinguished from our common Swallows and Tree Martins with which 
thejT- mingle during their aerial visitations to these parts.” 
Macgillivray recorded {Emu, Vol. XIII., p. 161, 1914) : “ White*-rumped 
Swift. Mr. M‘Lennan made notes at Sedan on 11th February, 1910, that 
probably apphed to this bird : ‘ Saw a large flight of Swifts passing over the 
tent at 7 p.m., flying north. Could not identify them, as it was too dark. 
14th Feb., 1910. Another flight of Swifts passed over, going north, at dusk. 
8th April, 1910. Saw some Swifts flying south-west this afternoon — ^Australian 
Swifts I think they were, as I distinctly saw the white rump. One of the men 
on the station told me that they usually put in an appearance ;^af ter a steady 
fall of rain. At Cape York the earliest note is 5th November, 1911 : Australian 
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