H i r u n d o h o is so n ea u ti m in o r , A. E . B r e hm , t . c. p . 3 (1 8 0 0 ).
H i r u n d o ru s tic a , v a r . c a h ir ic a , D o d e rl. Avif. S ic il. 18GS), p . 141.
H ir u n d o r u s iic a , v a r . sa v ig n ii, B re e , B. E u r . iv. p . 85 (1 8 7 5 ).
C h e lid o n sa v ig n ii, S te jii. P r . U .S . N a t. M u s . v i. p . 31 (1 8 8 2 ).
H . similis l i . ru s tica , sed fa sc ia fro n ta li c t corpore su b tù s ca stane is.
Hab. in te r r à /E g y p tia c à .
A d u lt male. G e n e ra l colour above deep piirp lisb b lu e , tb e b in d n e ek and m an tle slig h tly varied with
th e rn fo n s -w h ite ba se s to th e fe a th e rs ; •wing-covcrts like th e back ; quiUs b la ck , glossed e xte rn a lly
witli d u ll g re en ish s te e l-b lu e ; ta il-fe a th e rs b la ck , also glossed with s te e l-blue , with a rufe sc ent
sp o t on tlie in n e r web, la rg e r o n th e o u te r f e a th e r ; crown o f th e h e ad like th e b ack, with a fro n ta l
h a n d o f d a rk c lic s tn u t; lores an d fe a th e rs below tlic eye b la c k ; c a r-co v c rts b lu e -b la c k ; entire
u n d e r su rfa c e of body deep ch c s tiu it, th e tliro a t ric h e r in colour an d sep a ra ted from th e breast
bv a b ro a d ban d o f de ep p u rp lish blue a cross tlic fore n e ck ; u n d e r ta il-covc rts. u n d e r wing-
coverts, a u d axilla rie s like th e b re a st ; q u ills d u sk y b elow. T o ta l lengtli G'-l inches, culmcn 0-3o,
wing ‘T o, ta il 3 '6 , ta r s u s O’-i.
A specimen from G irg e li, killed in M a rc h , is o f a more in ten se c h e s tm it th a n any o th e rs we
have seen ; th e ru fo u s bases to th e do rsa l f e a th e r s a rc very stro n g ly p ronounc ed, and form a very
co nspicuous fe a ture .
Hab. E g y p t.
T i n s sp e c ie s c lo se ly r e s em b le s th e C om m o n C h im n e y -Sw a llow , h u t is ea s ily d is tin g u is h e d
h y i t s d e e p c h e s tn u t fo r e lie a d a u d u n d c r p a r ts . T h e o th e r c lie s tn u t-h r e a s te d Sw a llow s o f
tliis g ro u p do n o t h a v e a c om p le te b r c a s t-h a n d .
I t is a re s id e n t in E g y p t a n d N u b ia , a n d a l th o u g h i t h a s h e c n r e c o rd e d fr om m a n y
o th e r c o u n tr ie s o f E u ro p e , e v e n from E n g la n d , th e r e c a n h e l i t t l e d o u h t t h a t fine m a le s
o f I l i r u n d o r u s tic a in s p r in g p lum a g e h a v e h e o ii m is ta k e n fo r th e E g y p tia n fo rm . T h e
m a le o f I I . ru s tic a , o n i t s a r r iv a l in th i s c o u n try , is o fte n b e a u t if u lly t in g e d w i th ru f o u s
u n d e r n e a th , b u t n e v e r h a s s u c h a d e e p c h e s tn u t u n d e r s u r f a c e a s I I . sa v ig n ii. M r. S ty a n ’s
n o tic e o f tlie sp e c ie s iu C h in a (P . Z. S. 1 8 8 6 , p. 2G8) re fe r s o f c o u r s e to II. ty tle r i.
C a p ta in S h e llc v w r ite s :— ^
“ T h is sp e c ie s is r e s id e n t in E g y p t a n d v e r y a b u n d a n t . I t d iffe rs from tb o la s t
sp e e ie s (Zi. ru s tic a ) in n o t b e in g m ig r a to ry , a n d i t k e e p s m o re e x e ln srv e ly to t h e n c ig h -
b o u rlio o d o f h o u s e s , u s u a lly s e le c tin g th e in s id e o f som e n a tiv e m u d - lm t fo r i t s n o s t,
w h ic h i t b e g in s to c o n s t r u c t in I ’c h r u a ry .” „ ,
M r E C T a y lo r s t a t e s t h a t h e fo u u d th o p r e s e n t sp e c ie s re s id e n t m E g y p t th r o u g h o
u t t l .e w i n t e r -, a n d v o n U e n g iin fo u n d i t b r e e d in g i n t b a t c o u n try b e tw e e n J a n u a r y
a u d A p r il b u t re c o rd s t l i a t i t d o e s n o t o c c u r f u r th e r s o u th th a n 2o N . la t . I lie n e s ts
a r e m e t wi t h in tow n s a n d v illa g e s , p la c e d u n d e r r a tt e r s , in th o c o rn e rs o t w in d ow s a n d
e ls ew h e re in in h a b i t e d b u ild in g s , a s w e ll a s in tom b s , w e lls , a n d m o sq u e s . H e d id n o t
n o tic e th e sp e c ie s in A ra b ia , h u t M r. M 'y a tt saw i t o n c e in th e S in a itic P e n in s u la , a t
W a d y U r e i t, on th e 2 4 th o f M a r c h . I t w a s n o d o u b t a n a c c id e n ta l v is ito r from E g y p t ,
a n d a s M r . W y a t t wa s w e ll a c q u a in te d w ith th e sp e c ie s in th e l a t t e r c o u n try , th e r e c a n
b e n o d o u b t a s to t h e id en tific a tio n .
C a n o n T r i s t r am s t a t e s t h a t H i r u n d o s a v ig n ii is a c o n s t a n t re s id e n t in th e H o ly
L a n d ; b u t i t sh o u ld b e rem a rk e d t h a t we h a v e e x am in e d s e v e ra l sp e c im e n s o b ta in e d
d u r in g C a n o n T r i s t r am ’s e x p e d itio n s to P a le s tin e , a n d th e y w e re c e r ta in ly u o t t r u e
n . sa v ig n ii, b u t a v e r y d a r k fo rm o f H . ■nistica. E o r th i s re a so n w e b e lie v e t h a t th e
fo rm e r b ird is s tr ic tly co n fin e d to E g y p t.
T h e d e s c rip tio n is ta k e n fr om s p e c im e n s in th e B r i t is h M u s e um , a n d th e P la t e is
d raw n from a b ird s h o t b y M r. W y a t t n e a r C a iro .