91 
Expedition to the Zambesi River, 
from the throat, sides of the face, and fore-neck. In old 
males the crown appears to become like that of the female. 
Adult. Iris black; bill slate-colour ; wattled eyelids blue ; 
legs and feet bluish slate-colour. 
118. Cotile paludicola (Vieill.). 
A large colony of these birds was breeding in holes in a 
flat sandy stretch of ground close to the river, some 60 miles 
below Tete, at Umquasi, where we landed on August 1. The 
holes went a considerable distance into the ground, but were 
not deep, and were very tortuous. 
A specimen shot off the nest had the upper parts brownish 
black, rump white, striated with brown, and underparts 
white. 
119. Hirundo rustica (Linn.). 
From October 20 onward Chimney-Swallows kept on 
increasing in numbers, the adults appearing first and then 
the immature birds. 
On December 28 we witnessed a remarkable flight. It 
was towards evening, and we were just able to reach a sandbank 
before a heavy storm came on. Large flocks of Swallows 
kept passing us, flying southward before the inky darkness of 
the rain-clouds. 
When nearing Tete on January 29, we pitched our tent 
for the night close to a large reed-bed. Just before dusk, 
countless numbers of Swallows, all adult birds, appeared 
high in the air flying round in circles. Then, suddenly, 
they swooped down with a rustling sound of wings into the 
reed-bed close to our tent, where they stayed for the night, 
and when morning broke not a Swallow was to be seen. 
120. Hirundo smithi Leach. 
A well-distributed resident on the Zambesi and observed 
as far as the Kafue river. It builds its nest on the ledges and 
under the projecting eaves of rocks that border the river, 
and also on the roof-trees of the Kaffir huts, paying no regard 
to the inhabitants, flying in and out of the hut-doors, that are 
continually surrounded with Kaffir cliildien. 
