Swallow of Australia; but on comparing tlie latter species with the Cliff-Swallow of
America, which belongs to the genus Petrochelidon, we were unable to perceive any
generic difference, and we have therefore united them. The Australian species has
but one near ally, the P . fiuvicola of India, and these two species form a section of tho
genus Petrochelidon, distinguished by their red heads.
Air. E. P. llamsay gives the range of the species as follows—from South Australia
and Victoria to New South Vales, and thence northwards aloug the east coast to the
neighbourhood of Port Denison. As will he seen below, Air. Gould records it from
AVostern Australia, and the late Air. G. R. Gray, in the ‘ Hand-list of Birds,’ has given
the Aru Islands as a habitat of the species. This latter record is justly discredited by
Count Salvador! in his work on the avifauna of New Guinea.
Air. Gould gives the following account of the species in his ‘ Handbook ’ :—“ The
Pairy Alartin is dispersed over all the southern portions of Australia, and, like every
other member of the genus, it is strictly migratory. It usually arrives in tlie month of
August, and departs again in February or Alarch; during this interval it rears two or
three broods. The Fairy Alartin, unlike the favourite Swallow of the Australians,
although enjoying a most extensive range, appears to have an antipathy to the country
near tbe sea, for neither in New South AA'alcs nor at Swan River have I ever heard of its
approaching the coast-line nearer than twenty miles ; hence, wliile I never observed it at
Sydney, the town of Alaitland on the Hunter is annually visited by it in great numbers.
In AA'estern Australia it is common between Northam aud York, while the towns of
Perth and Fremantle on the coast are, like Sydney, unfavoured by its presence. I
observed it throughout the district of tbe Upper Hunter, us well as in every part of the
interior, breeding in various localities, wherever suitable situations presented themselves.
Sometimes their nests are constructed in the cavities of decayed trees; wliile not unfre-
quently clusters of them are attached to the perpendicular banks of rivers, the sides of
rocks, &c., generally in the vicinity of water. The long bottle-shaped nest is composed of
mud or clay, and, like that of our Common Alartin, is only worked at in the morning
and evening, unless the day be wet or lowery. In tbe construction of the nest these birds
appear to work in small companies, six or seven assisting iu the formation of each nest,
one remaining within and receiving the mud brought by the others in their mouths. In
shape these nests are nearly round, but vary in size from four to six or seven inches in
diameter, the spouts of some being eight or nine inches in length. AATicn built on tbe
sides of rocks or in tbe hollow's of trees, they are placed without any regular order, in
clusters of thirty or forty together, some with tlicir spouts inclining downwards, others
at right angles, &c.; they ave lined witli feathers and tine grasses. The eggs, which are
four or live in numher, are sometimes white, at others spotted aud blotched with red ;
j-J- in. long by ^ in. broad.”
Air. E. P. Ramsay, in his “ Notes on Birds Breeding in tbe Neighbourhood of
Sydney,” alludes to tliis species under the heading of Chelidon arhorea (Ibis, 1865,
p. 200). This slip of the pen he corrects in the next volume of the ‘ Ibis ’ (1866, p. 127).
/ A “
He says :—“ About the end of November iu the year 1860, I discovered a large batch of
nests of this species fastened under an overhanging rock upon the banks of the Bell
River. I counted upwards of one hundred nests, all built up together so closelv that
of many the entrances wero alone visible, the nest itself being built round by others.
“ No Pardalotes were here to disturb them, aud the Alartins were flying to and from
the nests in great numbers, some carrying in grass for the linings, others busily employed
in repairing the old and building new nests with the mud from the rivers bank. Many
also I found were brooding their eggs, aud tliis gave me a good opportunity of procuring
some specimens, which I did not fail to seize. There were usually from three to five
eggs, but some nests contained seven. Many of the eggs were altogether white, others
were spotted with light brownish yellow, occasionally all over, in other instances onlv
at the larger end. Tliey vary iu leugth from 7 to 8 | lines, and from 6 to Qh lines in
breadth.”
It is evident from the above note that Air. Gould was mistaken in supposing that
the present bird did not breed near Sydney, unless its emigration to tbe neighbourhood
of the town has taken place since Air. Gould visited Australia. Air. Ramsay states that
he has known the Fairy Cliif-Sw'allow to take possession of the upper story of some
deserted house, along wdth Ilirundo frontalis, the Petrochelidon building its long
flask-shaped nests in clusters under the eaves, wdiile the Swallow enters at the windows
and takes possession of the cross-beams and rafters. He has seen both species breeding
under the same roof at the Glebe, Sydney.
\A’e are indebted to Air. E. F. Ramsay for photographs of a nesting colony of the
present bird, from whieh Air. AVyatt has drawn the accompanymg Plate. The cluster of
nests was fixed under a ledge of a bank on the Bell River, AVcllington valley, and tlu*
photographs were taken at the end of September 1884. The bird figured is iu the
British Aluseum, and is the one described in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds.’