T h is was a t th e e n d o f A p r il, a n d I g o t b o th e g g s a n d y o u n g b ird s . T h e n e s ts we re
com p o sed o f p e lle ts o f c la y , a n d w e re m o s tly r a th e r d e e p s a u c e rs p la s te r e d in a n g le s o f
t h e c liff u n d e r p ro je c tin g le d g e s. T lie y we re w a rm ly lin e d b o th w ith g ra s s a n d
f e a th e r s .”
T h e l a t e G e n e ra l P r je v a ls k i g iv e s th e fo llow in g n o te s o f h is o lise rv a tio n s o n th e
R o c k -S w a llow :— “ I s c om m o n in th e m o u n ta in s o f S .E . M o n g o lia a n d K a n -s u . I n th e
l a t t e r p la c e th e y d o n o t a s c e n d a s h ig h a s th e A lp in e re g io n . T h e y sp e n d w h o le d a y s
in f ly in g a b o u t t h e ro c k s w lie re th e y b re e d . T h e i r n e s ts a r c u s u a lly s tu c k to p r o tru d in g
s to n e s , o r ro o fs o f sm a ll c a v e rn s in t h e ro c k s . T h e firs t m ig r a n ts a r r iv e d a t M u n i-u l ou
th e lO tli o f A p r il, a n d in K a n -s u o n th e 2 0 th o f th e s am e m o n th .” A b b é D a v id s ta te s
t h a t h e m e t w i th th e sp e c ie s iu a l l p a r ts o f W e s te rn C h in a a n d A lo n g o lia v is ite d by h im ,
a n d t h e l a t e C o n su l Sw in lio e re c o rd s i t a s c om m o n iu th e m o u n ta in s n e a r P e k in iu
N o rth e i-n C h in a .
T h e fa c t t h a t th e R o c k -A Ia r tiii l a y s s p o tte d e g g s a n d b u ild s a n e s t lik e a C om m o n
Sw a llow is v e r y in te r e s tin g , a n d a p p a r e n t ly p ro v e s t h a t th e sp e c ie s is n o t a t r u e m em b e r
o f th e g e n u s Cotile. I n Air. T a i l ’s P o r tu g u e s e n o te s h e sa y s :— “ T h e f l ig h t o f th is
sp ec ie s is e x trem e ly g ra c e f u l— so sm o o th , s ile n t, a n d a p p a r e n t ly e ffo rtle s s—a n d I h a v e
o fte n w a tc h e d i t w i th p le a su r e . O c c a s io n a lly a b ird w o u ld se em to t u r n a s om e rs a u lt,
l ik e a T um b le r P ig e o n , b u t w i th a w id e r r a d iu s a n d w i th o u t d is tu r b in g i t s flig h t. I
c o u ld n e v e r, h ow e v e r, fe el q u ite s u r e t h a t i t w a s n o t a n o p tic a l d e lu s io n o n m y p a r t .”
A s w ill b e s e e n b y t h e n o te s g iv e n ab o v e , th e s i tu a t io n s o f th e n e s t a r e v e ry v a r io u s ,
a s i t is fo u n d n e s t in g u n d e r tb e e a v e s o f h o u s e s , a s a t A n d o r r a in th e P y re n e e s , a g a in s t
cliffs, a n d som e tim e s ev e n in ca v e s. O n A lt. P a rn a s s u s , D r . K r ü p e r fo u n d a n e s t in a
sm a ll c a v e w lie re a C h o u g h h a d a n e s t a lso a n d w a s f e e d in g h e r y o u n g .
T h e fo llow in g in t e r e s tin g a c c o u n t o f th e sp e c ie s was c o n tr ib u te d b y Air. H e n ry
S e e b o bm to Air. D r e s s e r ’s ‘ B ird s o f E u ro p e ’ :—
“ C. r u p e s tr is o u g h t r a th e r to b e c a lle d th e C av e-Sw allow , th a u th e C ra g -Sw a llow o r
R o c k -A Ia r tin , i f i t s n am e re fe r s to i ts clioice o f a b r e e d in g -s ta tio u . So f a r a s I k n ow
C. r u p e s tr is a lw a y s ch o o se s to n e s t in c a v e s , w ith w h ic h G re e c e a n d A s ia M in o r a b o u n d .
I n b o th th e s e c o u n tr ie s i t is a r e s id e n t b ird , f r e q u e n tin g , D r . K r ü p e r te lls m e , th e p la in s
a n d t h e se a -sid e in w in te r . I n s um m e r i t g o es in to th e m o u n ta in s to b r e e d ; b u t V o n
d e r A lü h le a n d L in d e rm a y e r a r e c e r ta in ly w r o n g in s a y in g t h a t i t is o n ly se e n in th e
h ig h m o u n ta in s a t th i s se a so n o f t h e y e a r. W e n e v e r o n c e m e t w ith th i s b ird in th e
p in e -re g io n s o f t h e P a rn a s s u s . B e low th e p in e s com e som e tw o th o u s a n d fe e t o f ro c k
a n d g ra s s be fo re y o u g e t in to t h e o liv e a n d v in e v a lle y s . I n th i s re g io n we o n ly fo u n d
i t v e ry low d ow n , in t h e m o s t s h e lte r e d s itu a tio n s , in th e m o u n ta in -g o rg c s a s h o r t s tro ll
ab o v e th e le v e l o f tb e v in e s . T h e se m o u iita in -g o rg e s , lik e a l l o th e r lim e s to n e d is tr ic ts ,
a b o u n d in ca v e s, w h ic h a r e th e fa v o u rite h r e e d in g -p la c e s o f th i s Swallow. O n th e lOtli
o f Alay, 1 8 7 3 , I h a d a n e x c e lle n t o p p o r tu n i ty o f w a tc h in g a sco re o r m o re o f th e s e b ird s
liaw k in g fo r flies o n a s u n n y s p o t in a d e e p m o u n ta in -g o rg e in tlie P a rn a s s u s . T h e s u n
wa s s h in in g b r i l l ia n t ly a f te r a h e a v y s to rm o f w in d a u d ra iii. T h e b ird s w e re v e r y tam e .
a n d m y s i tt in g d ow n o n a ro c k in th e m id s t o f th em to w a tc h th e i r m o v em e n ts d id n o t
a p p e a r to d is tu r b th em in th e le a s t. T h e ir s ty le o f flig h t rem in d e d m e v e ry m u c h o f th a t
o f a b u tte r f ly o r a b a t— a s o r t o f irre s o lu te f lu tte r, v e ry u n lik e th e ra p id d a r ts o f th o t r u e
II ir u n d o . T h e y se em e d a lso o c c a s io n a lly to re q u ir e re s t, o fte n p e r c h in g on th e b ra n c h e s
o f a fa lle n o a k n o t f a r from th e ro c k o n wliich I was s ittin g . 'L'hey aro r em a rk a b ly
s ile n t b ird s . T h e o n ly n o te I b e a rd w a s a n o c c a sio n a l ch o r chch, s c a rc e ly lik e ly to
a t t r a c t th e a t t e n t io n o f a n y o n e n o t l i s te n in g f o r it. AVhen I re p a s se d tb e s p o t a few
h o u rs a f te rw a rd s n o t a b ird w a s to b e seen . AVlienever w e desc ended low e n o u g h d own
in to th e v a lle y s wc m e t w ith th e s e b ird s , b u t c o u ld n o t d isco v e r th e le a s t t r a c e o f th e i r
b re e d in g . I n th e m o u n ta in -g o rg e s th e r e w e re n um e ro u s ca v e s, in to wh ic li we som e tim e s
saw th em f l y ; b u t i t w a s n o t u n t i l th e 1 6 th Alay, a t B eliz a , t h a t w e saw a n y s ig n s of
th e i r h a v in g b e g u n to b u ild th e i r n e s ts . T h is l i tt l e v illa g e is b u i l t a t th e e n tr a n c e o f
o n e o f th e m o s t p ic tu r e s q u e g o rg e s in th e P a rn a s s u s . I s tro lle d o u t o n e m o rn in g up
th e g o rg e , a n d h a d n o t l e f t th e v illa g e m o re th a n five m in u te s , w h e n I e sp ied a g ro u p
o f Swallows o n th e g ro u n d , r o u n d a p u d d le in th e m u le -tra c k . I s h o t in to th e m id d le
o f th em , a n d p ic k e d u p th r e e sp ec im e n s o f I I . r u fu la a n d o n e o f C o lile ru p e s tr is . il ie y
h a d e v id e n tly com m e n c e d to b u ild , a s th e i r b e a k s w e re fu l l o f m u d , w h ic h th e y h a d
go n e to th o p u d d le to c o lle c t. AA'hcn D r . K r h p e r p asse d th r o u g h th e v illa g e a fo r tn ig h t
la te r , C. r u p e sM s h a h fr e sh e g g s ; b u t v e ry few n e s ts c o n ta in e d th e fu l l c om p lem e n t. It
is a v e ry u n u s u a l th in g fo r a n o n -m ig ra to ry b ird to b re e d so la te ; a n d i t h a s b e e n s u g g e s te d
b y m y frie n d Air. H ow a rd S au n d e rs , in liis in t e r e s tin g p a p e rs in ‘ T lic F i e l d ’ on th e
o rn ith o lo g y o f S p a in , t h a t th e J u n o n e s ts o f th is b ird a ro fo r a se c o n d b ro o d . I h a v e
n o t, liowev e r, n o r h a s m y fr ie n d D r. K r iip e r , b e e n a b le to fin d tlie le a s t ev id e n c e in
(ire e c o in fa v o u r o f th i s th e o ry . I n A s ia A lin o r, in 1 8 7 2 , I m e t w ith th e b ird b re e d in g
in e x a c tly s im ila r lo c a litie s , a t a b o u t th e sam e e le v a tio n , in th e la s t w e ek in M a y .
A lth o u g h m o re o r less g re g a rio u s w h e n in s e a rc h o f food th e y a r e n o t so m u c h so iu
th e i r n e s tin g -h a b its , a n d y o u se ld om find m o re th a n o n e o r tw o n e s ts in tlie sam e cave.
I t is a v e ry com m o n th in g to see a s o lita ry b ird p e rc h e d fo r som e tim e u p o n a le d g e in
th e cave. T h e y p re fe r th o s e t h a t ave lo fty , a u d b u ild n e a r th e ro o f, a t t a c h in g th e n e s t
to th e ro c k im m e d ia te ly b e low a n o v e rh a n g in g p ro je c tio n , b u t n o t q u i t e to u c h in g it,
e x a c tly a s I I . ru s tic a docs w h e n i t b u ild s a g a in s t a p o rp e iid ic u la r s u rfa c e . T h e n e s t
re sem b le s t h a t o f th o la s t-m e n tio n e d b ird in s im ila r p o s itio n s , b e in g a sh a llow c u p of
m u d , o p e n a t I,he sid es ; b u t i t is s c a rc e ly so la rg e in size. I t is lin e d w i th wool, th i s t l e d
own, a n d fe a th e r s . T h e eg g s , five o r six in n um b e r , e x a c t ly re s em b le p a le v a r ie tie s o f
th e e g g s o f / / . ru s tic a . T h e g ro u n d -c o lo u r is p u r e w h ite , g e iie r a lly p ro fu s e ly sp o tte d ,
e sp e c ia lly a t th e la rg e e n d , w ith p u le g re y is li b row n . V e ry r a re ly th e sp o ts a r e i r r e g u l
a r ly ro u n d in sh ap e . T h e y avc u s u a lly a n ir r e g u l a r o v a l, s om e tim e s r u n n in g in to
s tre a k s . T h e u n d e r ly in g sp o ts a r e v e ry few a n d in d is tin c t.”
T h e d e s c rip tio n s a r e from sp e c im e n s in th e B r itis h A lu seum , a n d th e b ird s fig u re d
a r e iu tb e sam e co lle c tio n .