ban d o f chocoIatc-brow n ; r e s t o f tiie bod y white, th e flanks slig h tly sliadcd with smoky brown ;
in tb e c e n tre o f tb e b r e a s t a s tre a k o f d a rk brown iu c o n tin u a tio n o f th e b rowu p e c tora l bund,
seve ra l o f tb e fe a th e rs b e in g d a rk b row u on th e ir in n e r webs ; th ig h s a n d adja c en t fe a th e rs on
th e sides o f th e rum p b row n ; axilla rie s aud u n d e r wing-covcrts white , s lig h tly shaded with smoky
b row u ; q u ills dusky b rown b e low : “ bill und legs b la c k ; iris da rk iia z e l” [T . E . B uc k le y ).
T o ta l len g th (M iuche s, cu lm cu 0-15, wing 5, ta il 2 'I, ta rsu s 0-5.
to th e m ale. To ta l le u g th (>-2 inche s, cu lm cn A d u lt female. S im ila r iu plumag« 0--1, wing 5, ta il 2 ' Í,
ta r s u s 0'-l-5.
Young. Difters from th e ad u lt iu b e in g soniewliat d a rk e r, and in liav in g ru s ty edges to th e fe a th e rs o f
th e u p p e r p a rts as well as o f th e p e c to ra l collar. T o ta l len g th 6 in ch e s, w ing 4 '7 , ta il 2.
T h e an io u u t o f b rown in th e c en tre o f th e b re a st varies with individua ls, b e in g sometimes sc arcely p e rceptib
le , wh ereas in o th e r e.xamp!es it ex tends in a broad s tre a k n e a rly to th e abdomen. I t
seems to be most stro n g ly developed in th e birds o f N o rtli-e a s te rn Afric a , which a re also slig h tly
d a rk e r, b u t it is inipos.sible to sep a ra te specimens from tlie v a rious p a rts o f th e co iitiiicut.
'I'lie w hite spot on th e ta il-fe a tlie r, wliieh induced J)r. H a rtla u b to sep a ra te C. eques from
V,. c in r la , appe a rs to be merely an a c c identa l c lia ra c tc r, for th e AVest-African specimens iu th e
B r itis h M u seum do n o t possess i t ; th o u g h , o u th e o th e r hand, M r. Secbolim ha s o ne from
th e T ran sv a a l whicli shows it , b u t several specimens from th e l a tte r loc a lity which we have
examined do n o t ex h ib it a tra c e o f sucli a spot. As C o u n t Salvadori lias a lre ad y poin ted o u t, th e
m a le s ap p e a r to exceed th e females slig h tly in leu g th o f wing, th e la tte r m e a su rin g from f-9 to
5-15 inche s, whereas th e males have th e wing 5 ‘3 to 5- !• inches.
Hab. N e a r ly th e whole o f th e E th io p ia n Region.
Tin-; p r e s e n t sp e c ie s is e a s ily r e c o g n iz e d b y tb e b ro a d b a n d o f b ro tv n a c ro s s th e c b c s t. I t s
r a n g e is s e t f o r th iu d e ta il boloAV, a n d i t Avould a p |)o a r t l ia t i t is fo u n d n e a r ly e v e ryw h e re
in tro ])ic a l A f r ic a , b u t is m o re p l c n t i r u l in th e s o n tiie rn p a r t o f th e E th io p ia n lle g io n .
T h e fo llow in g is Air. E . L . L a y a r d 's a c c o u n t o f th e sp e c ie s in S o u th A f r i c a :—
“ T h e f ir s t sp e c im e n s o f th is B a n k -Sw a llow r e a c h e d ino fr om C a p t. B u lg e r , o f II.A I.
lO ili R e g im e n t (2 n d B a t t .) , w h o p ro c u re d i t a t M’in d v o g o lljc rg , o n th e f r o n tie r . I
s u b s e q u e n tly , in O c to b e r 18(i5, d isco v e red it a b o u t 11 m ile s fr om Cap o T ow n , baAvking
a b o u t a sm a ll s t r e a m ; i t Avas th e r e in som e ab u n c iaiiee. 1 a g a in re c o g n iz e d a p a ir s i tt in g
o n th e t e l e g r a p h w ire s n e a r S om e rs e t JV c s t ; a n d o n a r r iv in g a t Air. V ig n e ’s f a rm fo u n d
a ]>air b re e d in g in th e b a n k o f tlie riv e r Z o n d e r E n d . T h e n e s t w a s a b o u t tliro e yard.s
d e e p , in a Io a v b a n k . 'We d id n o t o b ta in th e e g g s . T h e p a r e n t b ird s n e v e r se em e d t o
Hv f a r from th e sp o t, b u t sk im m e d u p a n d doAvn tb o riv e r . O n o u r p o in t in g th em o u t,
t h e Alessrs. Arigne, Avho h a v e p a id som e a t t e n t io n to th o b ird s fo u n d in t l ic i r n e ig h b o u r h
o o d , p ro n o u n c e d th em s t r a n g e r s to th em ; a n d we do n o t th in k th e y h a v e b e e n in tb e
A'icinitv o f C ap o T ow n t i ll th e y e a r 1 8 6 5 . D u r in g th e w lu d c oi 1 8 6 6 , Air. L . C. L a y a rd
fo u n d th em a b u n d a n t n e a r C a p e ToAvn, a n d a f te r t h a t d a te u n t i l a v c l e f t th e C ap e tliis
SwalloAv co u ld a lw a y s b e m e t w ith in t h a t v ic in ity d u r in g tlic s um m e r m o n th s . AVe
fa n c y t h a t p r e v io u s ly to th i s th e sp e e ie s c o u ld n o t h a v e b e e n v e r y p le n tifu l a t th e w e s te rn
e n d o f th e C o lo n y , a l th o u g h Air. F . R . S u rte e s , wh o h a s m ad e a sp e c ia l s tu d y o f th e s e
b ird s , te lls u s t l ia t h e p ro c u re d i t in 1 8 6 2 . A b o u t tb e B e rg R iv e r Ave fo u n d i t n o t u n c
om m o n in S e p tem b e r 1 8 6 9 , b re e d in g in th e r iv e r -h a n k s a n d th e sid es o f th e d ite b e s
a lo n g th e ro a d to A la lin e sb u ry . I t tu n n e ls a h o le a b o u t th r e e fe e t lo n g , o f th e size o f a
m a n ’s a rm , in c lin in g upAA-ards, a n d tb e e g g s (fo u r o r five) a r e p u r e Avhitc a n d r a th e r
s h a r p a t th e t liiu en d . A x is , 1 0 " '; d iam . 6 "'.”
Air. A y re s giA'cs t h e fo llow in g n o te r e s p e c tin g t h e b ird in N a t a l :— ‘ T h e s e b ird s
I o n ly fo u n d in la n d . T lie ir f lig h t m u c h re s em b le s t h a t o f th o R o lle rs , a u d th e y u t t e r
a lo u d c h a t te r in g n o te Avhilst fly in g . T lie sp e c im e n s e n t I s lio t in F e b ru a ry n e a r
F ie tc rm a r itz b u rg ; i t is a h e a v y , la rg e -s iz e d SwalloAV, so lita ry a n d sca rce . T h e s tom a c h
c o n ta in e d good-sized b e e tle s , som ew lu it In-oken u p .’ A ir. T. E . B u c k le y o b ta in e d a m a le
b ird in th e D r a k e n s b e rg A lo u n ta in s d u r in g b is jo u r n e y to th e A la ta b ili c o u n try . He
ob se rv e s ‘ .V s um m e r m ig r a n t a p p a r e n tly , a s I o n ly saAv th em on o u r r e tu r n jo u rn e y ;
th e y AA'cro n o t p a r tic u la r ly a b u iid a u t, a few p a irs o n ly b e in g s e e n to g e th e r in th is one
sp o t.’ ” I t is to b e n o te d , liowev e r, t h a t Air. S e e b o hm c o n s id e rs t h a t th e p r e s e n t species
is a i-esident in N a ta l , a n d rem a in s th e r e d u r in g th e Aviiiter m o n th s .
C o lo n e ls B u tle r a n d F c ild e n a u d C a p ta in S av ile R e id , in t h e i r jo in t p a p e r on th e
o rn ith o lo g y o f N a ta l, o lise rv c :—
“ F i r s t n o tic e d iu th e N ew c a s tle ilis tr ic t e a rly in O c to b e r, a f te r Avhieli i t Avas fa irly
a b u n d a n t, fr e q u e n tin g riv e r -b a n k s a n d ‘ v le y s .’ I t h a s a v e r y n o tic e a b le flig h t, loss
j e r k y a n d m o re v ig o ro u s th a n t l ia t o f its co n g e n e rs . R e id sh o t a tin e fem a le sp e e in n 'u
Avhen dAick-shooting a t ‘ S p o o n b ill ’ AHey, n e a r th e B u ffa lo . T h e y a p p e a re d to b e g o in g to
b re e d in NoA'ember, in h o le s in th e r iv e r -b a n k s , b u t we d id n o t m e e t w ith a n y o c e u jiie d
n e s ts .”
I n tb e T ra n sv a a l, Air. A y r e s h a s re c o rd e d tb e sp e c ie s a s a s um m e r v is ita n t to llie
n e ig h b o u rh o o d o f F o tc h e fs tro om , a n d h e a lso fo u n d i t to le ra b ly c om m o n d u r in g I lie
s um m e r m o n th s a b o u t L y d e n b u rg , Avhere i t Avas e v id e n tly b re e d in g a lo n g th e b a n k s of
th e riv e r . H e also o b s e rv ed i t in th e im m e d ia te g old-fie lds, b u t n o t so p le n tifu lly .
D u r in g tb o la te Air. J . S. J am e s o n ’s e x p e d itio n to A la sb o n a L a n d , th e sp ee ie s was a lso
m e t Avith, b u t Ave a r e n o t aAvarc t h a t i ts o c c u rre n c e h a s b e e n n o tic e d in a n y p o rtio n o f
E a s t e rn A f ric a to th e n o r th o f th e Zambe si.
I n Soutli-Avestern A f ric a i t h a s b e e n procm*ed b y S eñ o r A u c liie la a t C a c o n d a iu
B c u g u e la , a n d th e B ritis li A lu se um h a s a sp e c im e n p ro c u re d b y Air. A lfr e d H e a th a t
K in s e n ib o in A n g o la . Alessrs. L u c a n a n d P e t i t m e t w ith th e sp e c ie s a t C liiiie h o u x o on
th e L ow e r Congo in A p r il, a n d in th e B r itis h A lu s c um is a s p e c im e n from Ga lioou,
o b ta in e d b y o n e o f th e c o lle c to rs o f tlie Alaison A 'c rroaux.
I t Avas m e t w ith o n o n e o cc asio n b y Air. K e u lem a n s w h e n o n P r in c e ’s Is la n d Avith
D r . D o h r n . l i i s n o te is a s foUoAA's:—
“ 1 o b se rv ed th i s species fo r s e v e ra l d a y s in F rin c e ’s Is la n d . T lic firs t tim e Avas iu
J u n o , Avhen I fo u n d a p a ir fly in g a lo n g th e sh o re s o f th e b a y Avhich is n e a r th e tOAvn o f
t h e is la n d . T liey AA'ere v e ry tam o , a n d Averc c o n tin u a lly re s tin g o n th e tw ig s o f a sm a ll