The following note is by Mr. Thomas Ayres :—“ These birds arrive
in Natal in October or November, and leave again in March or
April; they are fond of building under the eaves of houses, constructing
a chamber of about eight inches in diameter, with a long
horizontal neck to i t ; the nest is lined with fine grass, feathers, and
down. When flying about in search of food, they constantly utter
a short note, somewhat resembling the ‘ chisick’ of the Sparrow, but
rather modulated/ 5 The same gentleman has found it in the Transvaal
; and during his visit to the Lydenburg district he also
noticed the species. Mr. Frank Oates procured it at Tati in
October. Mr. Andersson gives the following account of the bird
in South-western Africa :—“ This is not a very common Swallow
in Damara Land, where it usually arrives later than Hirundo dimi-
diata ; it courts the society and neighbourhood of man, and, where
permitted, will unhesitatingly enter his dwellings and construct its
nest and rear its young in the midst of the household duties of the
family. The nest is built of clay, and at first resembles in shape
that of Hirundo rustica; but gradually the hollow bowl is narrowed
into a tube of some extent. If the nest be destroyed at this
stage, the poor bird at once sets about repairing the damage, but
generally contents itself with rebuilding the dome, to which a
narrow entrance is added. I have known a pair'of these Swallows
reconstruct their nest three times in one season, the female depositing
a nearly full complement of eggs on each occasion. At the
Cape this species commences its incubation towards the latter end
of September or early in October, but in Damara Land it is somewhat
later. The eggs are four or five in number, of a pure white,
dotted over with minute brown spots/ 5 Senor Anchieta has procured
it at Humbe, on the Cunene River, and also at Huilla and on
the Rio Coroca in Mossamedes.
Adult.—Head intense sienna, the base of the feathers blue-black,
shewing occasionally a few markings of this colour on the crown;
upper part of back and scapulars steel-blue, marked with white on
the extreme upper part at the back of the neck, the feathers being
edged with whitish ; wing-coverts steel-blue, the edge of the wing
marked with white, especially on the primary-coverts which are
all edged with white; quills brownish black, lighter on the inner
web, washed externally with dark greenish steel-blue; lower part of
back pale sienna, much lighter on the upper tail-coverts, which are
nearly white, the outermost tail-coverts steel-blue ; tail brownish
black, glossed with greenish steel-blue, the middle feathers without
any white spot, the next two on each side with a small white spot on
the inner web, and so on till the last, where the white spot is very
large; under surface buffy white, the shaft of each feather strongly
marked with brown, these shaft-streaks very minute on the throat
and cheeks; sides of body marked with pale sienna; under tail-
coverts white, with very distinct shaft-stripes ; “ bill black ; legs
and irides brown55 {Shelley). Total length, 7'8 inches; culmen,
0-35; wing, 5T ; tail, 4T ; tarsus, 0'6.
Fig. Buff. PL' Eul. 723, fig. 2.
3 5 9 . H iru nd o puella, Temm. Smaller Stripe-breasted Swallow.
This is a diminutive of H. cucullata, and differs from that species
by its smaller size and broadly striped under surface, which has'the
appearance of being profusely spotted with black. It was first
observed by Dr. Edwin Atherstone near Grahamstown, and we
ourselves afterwards saw it, in company with Mr. G. Atherstone, in
the open space near the fort at Committee5s drift (in the Eastern
province). Here it was in large flocks, perching freely on the
ground, and we were assured by the hotel-keeper that it had bred
there: this we can easily believe, as we shot both old and young
birds. We have since seen specimens from Natal, and the late
Mr. Prank Oates shot the bird at Tati in Matabili Land, in October,
1874, along1 with H. cucullata. Dr. Kirk states 3 O that it was observed
during two successive seasons, building in the house at Shupanga,
on the Zambesi, in the months of December and January : it was
not seen elsewhere, and was absent during the dry season. It is a
well-known species in Western and North-eastern Africa.
Adult.—Head and back of neck pale sienna; back and scapulars
bright steel-blue; wing-coverts steel-blue, but rather duller; lower
part of back and rump deep sienna; quills brownish black, glossed
with dull greenish blue; tail-feathers brownish black, glossed above
with greenish steel-blue, with a large white spot on the inner web of
all but the two centre ones; underneath buffy whitish, profusely
marked with broad longitudinal stripes of dark brown; under wing-
coverts deeper buff; bill and feet black; iris black. Total length,
7-8 inches; culmen, 0-3 ; wing, 4-2 ; tail, 4'8 ; tarsus, 0-5.
Fig. Rupp. Syst. Uebers. pi. 6.