reía mg his experiences of this Swallow, says: ‘You remark tbat tho Indian Cliff-
Swallow bmlds Its nests m clusters of from 30 to 200. It may therefore interest you to
know that the only group of their nests I have observed consisted of about ooo' nests
It was on the river at Akola, Berar, below the bund. There was a pool at tho place, so
hat unless heavy rain had flooded the river the water was, in wet and dry season alike,
breast-high. Tho nests were therefore much more difficult ot access than one would
have supposed, looking at the almost dry condition ot the channel below the bund. The
lowest rows of nests wero only a foot or so above the surface of the water, but on wading
up I could not sec into a single nest, and could not roach more than a few with my
hand. The nests were placed under the wreck of an old bridge, and were quite inaooessible
from above. The hirds were occupied about their breeding tw ice a year, hut either they
bad two broods each time or some of tbem delayed much longer tbau others to lay their
eggs. At any rate, tho period between tho time the flock returned to their broodm«-
place and the time when the old and young hirds were scattered over the country wL
about two months. I regret that I was veiy negligent in making exact notes of their
nidification; the following are all I have:
“ ‘ 7th Jan., 1S70. Young birds just fledged.
17th Jan., 1870. Scores more have left the nest.
32nd June, 1870. Sw'allows have come back to their nests in great numbers.
5th Jan., 1871. Swallows breeding.
9th Feb., 1871. This morning I waded into the water and examined a numher of
the nests. I first put my fingers into those with short necks, and fouud them all empty
I then broke open five nests that had necks 0 inches long. Of these two were empty
hut hncd with straw, feathers, and rags; two more contained young birds ; tbe fifth had
tliree w'hite eggs. It is worth recording tliat for some weeks past young birds have been
leaving tbe nest, tbe old ones feeding tbem on tbo wing. The nests are made entirely
of pellets of clay, all exactly alike and as large as dry peas. I lately watched about
twenty of these Swallows building; they took tho mud from the edge ot tbo water ahout
ten yards from the nests, and were in a tremendous bustle. They took several pecks at
the mud to make each pellet, and stayed five seconds on the ground each time.’
“ Colonel Butler says I have eggs of the Cliff-Swallow taken at Sattara in 1875.
Some are pure white, tho others aro marked all oyer with pale yellowish hrown.’
“ Capt. E. E. Shopland, I.M., found this Swallow breeding at Akyab. He says:__
■I found about ton nests in April under a bridge ; some contained young birds, others
fresh oggs.^ Tbo nests were composed of mud and lined with grass, casuarina-lcaves, and
feathers. Tbe greatest number of eggs in any ono nest was four, and they wore white
speckled with two shades of brown, chiefly round tho larger end.’ ”
For the geographical distribution of this species, vide suprd. Flato 85 [Hap].
P E T R O C H E L I D O N A R I E L [anted, p. 683].
Add ;—
Petrochelidon ariel, Sharpo & AVyatt, Monogr. Hirund. pt. iv. (1886).
Lagenoplastes ariel. North, Cat. Nests & Eggs Austr. B. p. 32 (1889).
Mr. Noran gives the following n o t e : - “ On September 29to, 1886, in company with
Mr Geo. Masters, wo took a numher of nests of this species at Chatsworth, on tho
Eastern Creek; the eggs varied both in size, shape, and colour, some being white without
markings of any kind, others being elongated and heavily marked with yellowish-
brown spots; they measure as follows:—(.i) 0'67x0'17 inch; (u) 0'69x0-48 inch;
(c) 0'73x0-49 inch; (d) 0'73x0-48 inch; (e ) 0'08x0-47 inch.
“ During a visit to Dubbo, in August 1887, these birds an-ived in great numbers,
commenoing°to build on tho 17th, and covering the eaves of the schools, churches, and
public buildings with their curiously retort-shaped nests.”
For the geographical distribution of this species, vide supra, Plate 83 [Map].