d u lle r in c o lo u r, and h a s some d is tin c t bla ck ish s trip e s on th e he ad ; th e s e a re seen, liowever,
oc c a sio n a lly in m a le s. T h e fo llowing a re some m e a su rem en ts o f birds in th e H um e C ollection,
from B h u r tp u r a n d Ajme re :—
Total length. Wing. Tail. Tarsus,
in. in. in. in.
a. S ad. B h u r tp u r , J a n . 1868 .................................................. -i O 3 '5 5 1-55 O -t
? ad. „ „ .i-3 3-5 1-6 0 4
c- ? ad. „ „ 4-2 3-6 DO 0 '3 5
rf. ad. A ju ie rc , N o v . 1869 ..................................................... 4-2 3-55 1-65 0-4
e. ? ju v . „ D e c . 1869 .................................................... 4-4 3 '6 5 1-6 0 35
/ • ? ad. „ „ 4-3 3 o 1 6 0 4
9- ? ju v . „ „ 4-2 3-53 l uo 0 4
/<• ? ad. „ „ 4-3 3 6 1 6 0 4
Th e o ld b ird s have w hitish ed g in g s to th e ends o f th e in n e r webs o f tb e o u te r ta il-fe a th e rs ,
which a re w a n tin g iu th e y o u n g birds. Some s tre s s ha s be cu la id o n th is p o in t by various
w rite rs , a n d M r. G o u ld s ep a ra ted a species as Lagenoplastes empusa, which M r. B ly th and Air.
J e rd o n were a t one tim e in c lin ed to re cognize, th e l a t t e r a u th o r m a in ly u pon th e absence o f any
m e n tio n o f th e se w hite m a rk in g s in G o u ld ’s d e s c rip tio n . J e rd o n co n sid e red th a t th e s e m a rk in g s
were a b s e n t in th e females an d y o u n g bii’ds, b u t th e a d u lt females h av e th em , a n d th e y a re only
ab s e n t in th e y o u n g b ird s . T h e ty p e o f G o u ld ’s L . empusa is iu th e B r itis h Museum, a u d i t is
iio tliin g b u t th e y o u n g o f P . fluv icola, with which i t was ap p a re n tly n ev e r compared.
Young b ird s a re d is tin g u ish ed b y b e in g d u sk y b row n w ith sc a rc e ly any b lu e , th e wing-cove rts and
in n e r se co n d a rie s b e in g edged a t th o c u d w ith pale rufous o r is abe lline b u f f ; th e fe a th e rs o f th e
rum p a n d u p p e r ta il-co v e rts a lso have ru fe s c en t ed g e s ; th e h e ad is brow n e r, w ith d is tin c t stre ak s
o f b la c k is h ; tb e th ro a t a u d che st a re d u sk y b row n , w ith bla ck ish s tre a k s ; th e u n d e rp a r ts a re
washed w ith ru fo u s , a n d th e u n d e r wing-cove rts a u d axilla rie s a rc d u sk y b rown, w ith a rufous
tin g e .
Tlie labels o f Air. H um e ’s A jm e re specimens give tb e so ft p a r ts as fo llow s :— “ Bill h o rn y b la c k ;
fe e t p u rp lish b rown, th e soles a n d edge s o f scales g r e y ish white .” A male h a d th e “ iris reddish
brown, th e bill d u sk y , th e fe e t b row n , w ith th e soles g rey .” A n im m a tu re b ird , colle c ted by
Colonel B u tle r a t B c lg aum , h a d “ th e irid c s d a rk brown, th e fe e t and bill b la ck ish .”
Im m a tu re b ird s , a lth o u g h b lu e above, m ay be d is tin g u ish e d from th e a d u lts b y tlie ir red d ish -
b row n crowns, a n d th e wliitish frin g e s to th e fe a th e rs o f th e ba ck an d secondaries.
Hah. T h e p e n in su la o f In d ia , r a n g in g from C a shm e re to F e ro zo p u r, th e S am b h u r L ak e , K a th iaw a r,
a n d K u tc h , its e a s te rn b o u n d a ry b e in g Be lia r a n d th e neig h b o u rh o o d o f Alirz ap u r, whence it
ex ten d s th ro u g h th e C e n tr a l P ro v in c e s a n d th e De c c an as fa r so u th as C o im ba tore .
T h e present species and P. ariel of Australia constitute a section of tlie genus Petro-
chelidon •\vherein tlie head is rufous. The Indian bird differs frutu its Australian ally
in having the rump smoky hrown, and the throat and fore neck broadly and distinctly
streaked with black.
The Indian CliiF-Swallow is everywhere a more or less local bird. Its northward
range appears to be bounded hy the Gauges, and its western one hy the Indus, as there
is at present no evidence of its crossing tbe limits of these rivers. It is not known in
Sind, and cannot be plentiful in the Northern Punjab. The late Professor Leith Adams
procured a specimen of a Swallow which he described in the ‘ Proceedings’ of tin*
Zoological Society for 1859 (p. 176), and which has always been identified as the present
species. He says it was “ common on the lakes and streams in the Vale of Cashmere
during the summer months, and likewise in the Punjab at certain seasons.” Dr. Jerdon
comments on this passage, and states that he never saw the species at all in Cashmere.
It certainly does occur there; for a specimen obtained by Mr. AV. E. Brooks at Chungus,
in June 1871, is in the Hume Collection. A skin collected by Captain Stackhouse
Pinwill at Kangra, in the Punjab, is also in the British Museum.
Mr. Hume gives the following summary of its range in the north :—
“ The Indian Cliff-Swallow is one of the commonest of our Swallows in Upper
India, at any rate. Prom the Tonsc River, near Mirzapiir to tbe Sutledge, near Eero-
zopiir, it abounds wherever there is water and cliffs or ruined buildings, against which
it can plaster its huge mud honeycomb-like congeries of nests. In the Dhoon, under
the Solanee Aqueduct, in Ajmere, at Ahmedabhd in Guzerat, iu Saugor, in the Central
Provinces, and in twenty other places, I have noticed numerous colonies in aud ou
buildings; and as for breeding in cliffs, to give one single instance (and I could give
fifty), visiting the river Chambal where the Etawah and Gwalior Road crosses it,
and following its course downwards to its junction at Bhurrey with the Jumna, one Avill
meet with at least one hundred colonies of this species, all with their clustered nests
plastered against the faces of the high clay cliffs which overhang the river.”
AAffien in Kathiawar, Colonel Hayes Lloyd states :—
“ I shot two out of a small party of these Swallows flying about the rocky bed of a
river near the town of Dhrole ; and ou another occasion, when lying out on the shores
of the Gulf of Kuchh waiting for AA^’aders, a single bird of this speeies flow rouud close
to me. I have not noticed it ou any other occasion.”
Colonel E. A. Butler records the species from Kuteb, Kathiawar, and Gujarat.
He says it is rare in the former districts, and only locally distributed in the other. He
met with it about ten miles north of Ahmedabad, on the Deesa Road. Air. Hume also
writes :—
“ I shot several Indian Cliff-Swallows a few miles from Mount Aboo. It does not,
I fancy, ascend the hills, and must even in the plains be there a rare straggler, as neither
Dr. King nor Capt. Butler appear to have observed it. I have seen a single specimen
from Cutch. Prom Sindh it has not yet been sent. Eastward from Alt. Aboo it
becomes more common, and at Ajmere there are large colonics, and again southward
in the environs of Ahmedabad.”
Air. R. AI. Adam found this Swallow very common to the west of Sambhur, aud a
numher of specimens from Ajmere are in the llume Collection. Air. ilume also fouud
it plentiful on the lakes in Oodeypore. There are also specimens in the Hume Collectiou
from Bhurtpur, Euttchpur Sikri, and Etawah. Air. AA/att has the following note made