:
J
l i l i '
p. z. s. 1 8 5 8 , p . 1 8 9 , 1 8 5 9 , p. 15-1; id . C a t. J I am m . e tc . N . G u in . p p . 1 8 , 51 (1 8 5 9 ) ;
id . P . Z. S. 1 8 0 1 ,p . 1 IÌ3 ; P in s c h , N e u -G u in e a ,p . 1 0 2 (1 8 6 5 , p t . ) ; G r a y , IT an d -l. JÌ.
i. p . 7 0 , n o . 8 1 2 (1 8 0 9 , p t .) ; R am s a y , P ro c . L in n . Soc. N . 8. AV. ii. p . 1 7 9 (1878).
l l e r s e f r o n ta l i s . L e s s . C om p ì. B uff. v iii. p. 1 9 7 (1 837).
l l e r s e ja v a n i c a . Le s s . t . c. p . 1 9 7 (18 3 7 ).
C e c ro p is ja v a n i c a , Boio, Is is , 1 8 1 1 , p . 171.
C ecropis f r o n ta l i s , B o ie , Is is , 1 8 1 1 , p . 171.
I l i r u n d o d om ico la , J e r d . M a d r . J o u r n . x iii. p . 1 7 3 ( 1 8 1 1 ) ; B ly tli, C a t. B . M u s . As.
Soc. p . 1 9 8 (1 8 1 9 ) ; K e la a r t, P ro d r . C a t. p. 1 1 8 (1 8 6 2 ) ; L a y a rd , A n n . & M a g . N a t.
I l i s t . x ii. p. 1 7 0 (1,853); J lo o r c , P . Z. S. 1 8 5 1 , p. 2 0 1 ; H o r s f . & M o o re , C a t. B.
M u s . E .L Co. i. p . 3 81 (1 8 5 1 ) ; J e r d . B . In d . i. p . 1 58 (1 8 6 2 ) ; Scl. P . Z. S. 1863,
p . 2 1 7 ; B ly th , Ih is , 1 8 0 0 , p. 3 3 0 ; B u lg e r , P . Z. S. 1 8 0 6 , p. 5 68 ; G ra y , Hand-1. B.
i. p . 70, n o . 81 1 (1 8 0 9 ) ; H o ld sw . P . Z. S. 1 8 7 2 , p. 1 1 8 ; E lw e s , I b is , 1870, p. 527 ;
J e r d . Ib is , 1 8 7 1 , p . 3 5 1 ; M o rg a n , Ih is , 1 8 7 5 , p. 313.
H ir u n d o p a c ific a (noe L a th .) , M o th & D illw . N . H . L a b u a n , p . 1 0 (1856).
I lir u n d o n eo x en a (n e o G o u ld ), G r a y , P . Z. S. 1 8 5 8 , p . 1 8 9 , 1 8 0 1 , p . 1 3 3 ; R o se n h .
N a t. T ijd s c h r. N e d e rl. I n d . x x v . p. 2 31 (18 6 3 ).
H y p u r o le p is d om ico la , G o u ld , B . A s ia , i. pl. 33 (1 8 0 8 ) ; H um e , N e s ts & E g g s In d .
B . p . 73 (1 8 7 3 ) ; id . S tr . E . 1 8 7 1 , p . 165.
H y p u r o le p is ja v a n ic a , O a te s , B. B r. B u rm . i. p . 3 08 (18 8 3 ).
H in m d o f r e t e n s i s , B am s a y , P ro c . L in n . Soe. N . S. AV. ii. p . 1 79 (1 8 7 8 , n eo G o u ld ).
It. nm io r : p íleo e t uropygio dorso concoloribus : fro n te ru fâ ; c au d â conspicLiè albo m a cu la ta : su b c au -
d a lib u s fum o so -b ru n n e is, albo n ia rg in a tis .
ìlo h . in P e n in su la Indici! meridionali, in in su la ZeylonicA, in re g io n ib u s In d o -B u rm a n ic is c t p e r totam
regionem In d o -M a lay an am e t in in su lis M o lu c c an is e t Pap u an is.
Adult male. Gen e ra l colour above du ll ste e l-b lu e ; le sse r wing-coverfs like th e ba ck ; th e median anil
g re a te r coverts edged Avith d u ll s te e l-b lu e ; in n e r g r e a te r cove rts a shy towa rds th e end o f tlie
in n e r web ; p rim a ry -co v e rts a n d q uills b la ck ; u p p e r ta il-co v e rts like th e back ; ta il-fe a th e rs
b la ck, slig h tly glossed w ith s te e l-b lu e , all b u t tb e two c en tre fe a th e rs with an ovate spot o f w hite
on tb e in n e r web ; crown o f th e he ad d u ll s te e l-blue lik e th e buck ; a broad fro u ta l band o f
b ric k -re d ; lores blackish, as also th e fe a th e rs ro u n d th e eye ; car-cove rts brick -red lik e th e sides
o f th e face, b u t blu e a long th e ir up p e r m a rg in ; checks, tliro a t, and fo re ne ck b ric k -re d ; sides o f
th o n e ck d u ll ste c l-b lu c ; b re a s t d u ll asby brown, tlie sides o f th e uppe r b re a s t with a du ll blue
patch lik e th e sides o f th e n e c k ; abdom en ashy w h itish ; sides o f th e body a u d flanks dull
mnoky b rowu ; th ig h s smoky b iw v n , tipped with ashy ; u n d e r ta il-co v e rts smoky b rowu, ma rgiued
eonspicuously with asliy white , before which is a b lu isli-b la ck shade, bro ad e r o n th e lo n g e r eovcrts
an d pro d u c in g th e re a s tro n g ly m a rk ed a p p e a ran c e ; th e lo nge st ones en tire ly blaelcish with ashy
white t ip s ; u n d e r wing-coverts and axilla rie s sm o k y brown, with a s lig h t sh ad e o f ru fo u s ;
q u ills below d u sk y brown, in n e r edges ra tlie r more smoky brown : “ b ill bla ckish, th e base of
th e lowe r m an d ib le re d d ish ; fe e t brown, th e edges o f th e ta rs a l scales Avhitish; claws b la c k ”
{ÌV. V. L egge ). T o ta l len g th i ‘5 inclies, culmen 0 '3 5 , wing 4 T 5 , ta il I 8, ta rsu s 0 '3 5 .
AduH fem a le . Sim ila r to th e male in colour. T o ta l len g th -l-S inches, culmeu 0-3, w ing -t’I , ta i l 1 7 5 ,
ta rsu s 0'35.
Wc have described a p a ir of b ird s from th e N ilg h iris , th o u g h from th is p a r t o f In d ia th e specimens
arc decidedly d a rk e r iu colour th a n m an y birds from o th e r localities.
This Swallow varies considerably in th e colour o f th e u n d e r s u rfa c e ; b u t we have n o t be en able to tra c e
a definite c h a ra c te r by which a c tu a l ra c e s o r subspecific forms c an be recognized. T h e coiiuectioii
be twe en H . ja va n ica a n d H . ta h itica is m u ch closer th a n ha s be en g en e ra lly supposed. I f a
sjieeimen of ty pic a l I I . javanica from J a v a be comjiarcd Avith o ne o f H . ta h itic a from T onga , th e
two species seem to all ajipearances to be q u ite d is tin c t. I n H . ta h itica th e rufous foreh e ad anil
t liro a t ap p e a r much d a rk e r, a u d th e u u d e r su rfa c e o f th e body is also d a rk e r a n d a lm o st en tire ly
u n ifo rm , with th e exception o f some b lu c -tipped fe a tlie rs in th e c en tre o f th e ch e st, Avhich form a
s tre ak . T h e ta il also is en tire ly unifo rm , Avithout a n y white spots on th e in n e r Aveb. Thu.s, Avere
th e se c lia ra c te rs c o n s ta n t, th e re would be no difficulty in d istin g u ish in g th e two species ; b u t, as a
m a tte r of fa c t, th e Avhitc spots o n th e ta il va ry to such a n ex ten t, th a t i t is even d o u b tfu l Avlicthcr
absolute specific cha ra c te rs c an be draAvn be twe en th e s e two supposed species. U n d e r th e he ading
o f Zi. ta h itica Ave have a llu d ed to th e v a ria tio n in th e sp o ttin g o f th e ta il-fe a th e rs , an d we need
n o t fu r th e r a llude to th e su b je c t h e r e ; b u t in II. ja va n ic a th e shade o f a shy b rown on th e u n d e rp
a rts is also a va riable cha ra c te r. Specimens from th e M a lay an P en in su la , Jav a , S um a tra , and
Lombock a rc very s imila r to one a n o th e r, a n d a rc n e a rly as u n ifo rm beloAv as I I . ta h itica , this
b e in g especially th e case w'ith th e Lombock birds ; b u t in no n e o f th em is th e re a n y tra c e o f th e
mesial b la ck plume s on th e c en tre o f th e che st. T h e u n d e r ta il-co v e rts a re somewliat rufe sc en t
on th e ma rg in s. In specimens from S o u th e rn In d ia th e u n d e r su rfa c e is d a rk , and th e un d e r
ta il-co v e rts a re ma rg in ed Avith Avliitisli, as a ru le . T h e b ird s from th e P h ilip p in e s au d PalaAvau
a rc m u ch Avhiter on th e abdomen, a n d specimens from N o rth -e a s te rn B orneo aud L a b u a n
re semble th em in tb e white abdomen an d Avhite-edged u n d e r tail-coA'crts ; b u t o th e r examples from
SaruAvak and Bau ja rm a ssin g a rc o f th e same d a rk -b re a s te d fo rm as tb a t which in h a b its J a v a and
th e S u n d a Is lan d s gene ra lly. T h e on ly specimens from S o u th -e a s te rn Ncav G u in e a in th e British
M u s eum a rc ex c ep tio n a lly pa le iu colour and have th e abdom en conspicuously Avhite, wliile the
u n d e r ta il-co v c rts also ap p e a r to be p a le r a n d to have o n ly su b te rm iiia l b la ck ma rk in g s, Avithont
a ny lo n g black c e n tra l eovc rts, as is o ften tb e ease w ith spe c imens from o th e r loc a litie s. They
approa ch, iu fa c t, H. neoxena, b u t o f c ourse have n o t th e e lon g a ted ta il-fc a th c rs o f t h a t species.
T h e p r e s e n t spec ie s b e lo n g s to th e s e c tio n o f t h e g e n n s JU r u n d o w h ic h c o n ta in s o u r
C om m o n SAvallow a n d i t s a llie s ; h u t i t is o n e o f th e s h o r t- ta ile d s e c tio n o f th e g e n u s ,
Avhich, th o u g h s tro n g ly r e p re s e n te d in t h e I n d i a n l l e g io n , h a s s e v e ra l n e a r a llie s iu
A f ric a . T h e r a n g e o f I I . ja v a n i c a is in te r e s tin g , a s i t is o n e o f th o s e sp e c ie s o f h ird s
Avhich o c c u r in S o u th e rn I n d i a a n d C ey lo n , b u t a v o id th e I n d i a n P e n in s u la iu g e n e ra l,
a n d th e n r e a p p e a r in th e is la n d s o f th e B a y o f B e n g a l a u d e x te n d th r o u g h o u t th e
A la la y a n lle g io n . I n t h e c a se o f th e p r e s e n t sp e c ie s tlie r a n g e is c o n tin u e d th r o u g h o u t
th e A lo lu cc as a u d P a p u a n I s la n d s a s Avell.
“ T h e p r e s e n t sp e c ie s ,” w r ite s C o lo n e l L e g g e , “ is a r e s id e n t i n h a b i t a n t o f th e
m o u n ta in s o f C ey lo n , a n d is, a s in t h e s o u th o f In d i a , r e s tr ic te d to h ig h e le v a tio n s .
T h o u g h com m o n a s I o a v doAvn a s th e v a lle y o f D u n ib a r a , i t a p p e a rs r e s o lu te ly to d e c lin e
3 G