C e c ro p is fili c a u d a ta , E iip p . S y s t. IJ e b e rs . p . 22 ( 1 8 1 5 ) ; I l e u g i . S y s t. U e b e rs . p . 11
(1 8 5G ); A n t in . C a t. U c e . p . 2G (18 6 5 ).
I l i r u n d o f i li c a u d a , i l i l l l . J . f. O. 1 8 5 5 , p . 5.
C e c ro p is f i li c a u d a , E r e b m , -T. f. 0 . 1 8 5 5 , p . 452.
X lrom itru s f i l i f e r a , B p . l l iv i s t . C o n tem p ., T o rin o , 1 8 5 7 , p. 1 ; B rc lim , R e is . I l a b e s c h ,
p . 2 0 9 (1 8G 3 ); U um e , N e s ts a n d E g g s l u d . B . p . 75 ( 1 8 7 1 ) ; B a ll, S tr . E . 1 8 7 1 ,
p . 3 8 3 , 1 8 7 5 , p . 289.
I l i r u n d o v e lo c issin ia , E r . W u r t. M S S ., t e s t e I l e u g l in .
I l i r u n d o fu s c i c a p i l la , l l e u g l . O rn . N .O .-A fr. i. p. 1 5 1 (1SG9).
H i r u n d o ancldetce, B o c a g e , J o r n . L isb . 1SG7, p . 150.
V r o m i t r u s fi l i f e r u s , O a te s , B. B r i t . B a rm . i. p . 30 7 (18 8 3 ).
! I . dorso p o stico e t u ro pygio dorso concoloribus, c h a ly b eo -c ie ru le is ; pileo rufo.
Hub. iu reg io n e iE tliio p ic il e t in reg io n e lu d ic a .
A d u lt male. G e n e ra l c o lo u r above glossy p u rp lish blue , th e fe a th e rs of th e m an tle and h in d ne ck varied
w ith w hite bases to th e f e a th e r s ; w ing-covc rts lik e th e ba ek , witli a w hite sp o t o n th e in n e r web
o f th e in n e rm o s t g r e a te r c o v e r ts ; ba sta rd -w in g , p rim a iy -co v e rts, and q u ills black, edged with
p u rp lish b lu e ; ta il-fe a th e rs b la ck , edged witli purp lisli b lu e , a ll b u t th e two c e n tre feathci's with
a la rg e white s])ot n e a r tb e en d o f th e in n e r w e b ; crown o f he ad deep b a y ; lores a u d fe a th e rs
ro u n d th e eye b l a c k ; e a r-co v c rts p u rp lish b lu e ; cheeks a u d u n d e r surfa c e o f body wliite, with a
s lig h t fulvous tin g e o n th e c h in ; tlie sides o f th e u p p e r b re a s t purpli.sli blue , forming a la te ra l
p a tch ; u n d e r wing-cove rts an d axilla rie s like th e b r e a s t; q uills b la ck ish below : “ legs, fe e t, and
b ill black ; iris b la ck ish brown ” {E. A . B u tle r ). T o ta l leu g th G'7 iuebcs, cu lm en 0 '3 , wiug 4 - j,
ta il I ' l , o u te r ta il-fe a tb c r 3 '7 5 , tai-sus O 'l.
A d u lt fem a le . Sim ila r to tb e male in colour, b u t w ith a m u ch sh o r te r o u te r ta il-fe a th e r. To ta l len g th
5 iuche s, cu lm eu 3 '0 , w iug 4 2 , ta il 1'25, o u te r ta il-fe a th e r I'U, ta rsu s O 'l.
T h e d e s c rip tio n s a re ta k e n from a p a ir o f b ird s from th e Congo, as from th is loc a lity c ame th e o rigina l
specimen. Tndiau examples a re ra th e r la rg e r, and e.xceed th e A fric an ones in th e len g th o f th e
o u te r w ire -lik e ta il-fe a th e r. T h e m a le s from various p a rts o f In d ia , in th e I lum e collection,
have th e wing from 4 '1 to 4 '9 in ch e s iu len g th , a n d th e o u te r ta il-fe a th e r from u'O to 7 '0 inches.
O u tlie o th e r h a n d , however, th e same co lle c tio n con ta in s male examples w ith th e ta il-fe a th e r
o n ly 4 '5 in ch e s lo n g , so th a t th e difference be tw e en the se au d African examples is n o t ve ry g re a t.
S om e tim e s th e h e ad is ve ry pale taw n y , while in o th e r specimens it is deep c h e s tn u t. T h e p a le r
b ird s a rc g e n e ra lly in w orn hrc ed in g -p lu in ag e , h u t n o t always, and i t is probable th a t th e colour
o f th e crow n de epens and th e ta il len g th en s with age.
Young. M u ch more d in g y b lu e th a u in tlie a d u lts a u d n ot n e a rly so g lo s sy ; th e he ad h ro w n ; th e th ro a t
a n d fo re n e c k ru fo u s h u ff; th e ta il n e a rly sq u a re , w ith o u t any m a rk ed p ro lo n g a tio n o f tlic o u te r
fe a th e r, th e w h ite sp o t o u th e im ie r web o f th e fe a th e rs v a ry in g in size, b u t u o t so la rg e as in
th e adults.
Young birds a fte r th e ir firs t m o u lt have much sh o rte r ta ils th a n th e ad u lt, a re r a th e r g re en e r in
c o lo u r, and have th e th ro a t a n d ch e s t washed with ru fo u s . T h e he ad is d a rk c h e s tn u t, and
b ears o u t th e rem a rk s made above ou th is subje c t.
Hab. EtMopiiin Kcgion g e n e r a lly ; ami in Aria from B alu c liislan , th ro u g h o u t th e g r e a te r p a r t o t th e
In d ia n p en in su la to B u rm a h a n d Tenasserim.
T i n s v e ry e le g a n t Sw a llow is fo u n d in A f ric a a n d I n d i a , b e in g m u c h m o re p lo n f ifu l a n d
m o re w id e ly d is tr ib u te d in th e I n d i a n t h a n i t is in th e H tliio p ia n E e g io n , I t s r u f o u s
c a p , b lu e b a c k , w h i t e u n d c r p a r t s , a n d w ire -lik e ta il- f e a th e r s fo rm a c om b in a tio n o f
c h a r a c te r s w h ic h r e n d e r th e sp e c ie s e a s ily re c o g n iz a b le .
I n A f r i c a i t w'ould a p p e a r to b e d e c id e d ly lo c a l, fo r th e r e a r e v a s t t r a c t s o f th e
c o n t in e n t in w h ic h i t is a p p a r e n t ly a b s e n t. M r. G o u ld m e n tio n s h a v in g se e n a sp e c im e n
from th e l l iv c r G am b ia , a u d i t h a s b e e n re c o rd e d b y D r . I l a r t l a u b a s h a v in g b e e n
o b ta in e d b y A u b r y L e c om te o n th e E iv e r C a s am a n c e . D r , d e l lo c h e h r u n e s t a t e s t h a t it
is c om m o n e n o u g h i n S e n e g am b ia , a u d t h a t h e fo u n d i t a t A lh re d a , Z e k in k io r, S a iu te -
M a r ic , S c d h io u , a n d M c la c o ré e .
Mm h a v o n o re c o rd o f i t s f u r th e r o c c u rre n c e in YVost A f ric a t i l l w e a r r iv e a t th e
C o n g o re g io n . H e r e i t w a s o rig in a lly d is c o v e re d o n C h is a lla I s l a n d d u r in g C a p ta in
T u o k e y ’s e x p e d itio n , a n d M . L o u is I’e t i t a lso p ro c u r e d sp e c im e n s a t L a n d a n a . S e n h o r
A n c h ie ta h a s m e t w i th i t a t B e n g u e la , G am b o s , a n d C a p a n g o n lb e in th e s o u th e r n p o r tio n
o f t h e P o r tu g u e s e p ro v in c e o f A n g o la . S ir J o h n K i r k fo u n d i t a t T e to o u t h e Z am b e s i,
a n d t h e l a t e P ro f e s so r P e t e r s p ro c u r e d i t in M o z am b iq u e .
V o n I l e u g l i n g iv e s tlio fo llow in g a c c o u n t o f i t s d i s tr ib u tio n in N o r th - e a s t e r n
A f r ic a “ E e s id e n t in D o n g o la , a c c o rd in g to B re hm , a n d is re c o rd e d h y H a r tm a n n a s
th e H o u so -Sw a llow o f th o U p p e r N i l e .” I t w a s fo u n d h y V o n H e u g lin h im s e lf in
D o n g o la , n e a r B e rb e r, in K o r d o fa n , o n t h e B a h r e l A z r a q , a n d in A b y s s in ia b e tw e e n
2 5 0 0 a n d 0 0 0 0 fe e t a b o v e t h e s e a -lev e l, B r e hm m e n tio n s i t s o c c n r r c n e c o n th o A b y s s
in ia n o o a s t-la n d , a n d i t is p ro b a b ly a lso m e t w i th in A r a b ia . D u r in g tlie e x p e d itio n
to A b y s s in ia , M r . B la n fo rd o n ly s aw th i s Swallow- o n c e , w h e n h e s h o t a p a i r s i tt in g
to g e th e r o n a s p ra y o v e r h a n g in g a sm a ll s tr e am n e a r A g u la , a b o u t lialfw,ay b e tw e e n
A d ig r a t a n d A n ta lo . T h e l a t e M a r q u is A n t in o r i m e t w i th th e sp e c ie s o n th o B lu e N ile ,
a n d re c e iv e d a s p e c im e n from K h a r to um . H e lik ew is e o b ta iu e d i t a t D a iiu h i in S h o a,
iu M a r c h 1882.
X o n H e u g lin d e s c rib e d a now- Sw a llow a s J l 'm u id o fu s c ic a p illa , wliieh h e fo u n d “ in
lam-e flo ck s in C e n tr a l a n d M 'e s te rn A b y s s in ia , in th i c k fo re s t, g e n e r a lly r e s tin g o n t r e e s .”
T h is su p p o se d new- sp ec ie s is e v id e n tly t l ic y o u n g o f I I . sm ith ii, th o u g h i t is rem .a rk a b lc
t h a t th e tr a v e l le r m e t w i th n o th in g b u t h row n -h e a d c d h ird s .
I n th e I n d i a n re g io n th o YViro-tailod Sw a llow h a s a w id e ra n g e , w h ic h we w ill
en d e av om - to tr a c e , th e d is tr ib u tio n b e in g v e r y fu lly a c c o u n te d fo r by th e sp e c im e n s in
t h e H u m e c o lle c tio n . I t e x te n d s to th e w e s tw a rd in to A f g h a n is ta n , S ir O liv e r S t. J o lm
h a v in g fo rw a rd e d to M r. l l u m e a s p e c im e n from th o K a n d a h a r d i s t r i c t ; a n d C a p ta in
YVardlaw E am s a y re c o rd s i t s o c c u rre n c e in th e K u r r u m v a lle y , a n d s ta te s t h a t i t is
p ro b a b ly fo u n d in t h e l l a r i a b d is tr ic t. M r . M u r r a y n o te s i t from Q u e tt a . M r . H um e
d id n o t h im s e lf p ro c u r e th e sp e c ie s in S in d , b u t h o h a s re c e iv e d a sp e c im e n from