u n d e r su rfa c e pa le ru fo u s , ev e ryw h e re s tre a k e d w ith d u sk y b la ck ish sh a ft-lin e s, less m a rk ed on
th e v e n t a n d u n d e r ta il-co v e rts , th e lo n g o ne s o f which end in d a rk b lu e o r b lu e -b la c k lik e th e
u p p e r ta il-c o v c r ts ; sides o f body a n d Hanks washed w ith a l ittle d e ep e r ru fo u s ; a x illa rie s aud
u n d e r w iug-covc rts c le a r ru fo u s , w ith sc arcely a n y sh a ft-liu c s , th e ed g e o f th e w in g more d is tin
c tly s tre a k e d w ith th e l a t t e r ; q u ills d u sk y below. T o ta l le n g th 8 '4 inche s, c u lm en 0 ’4 ,
w in g 5-15, ta il 4 7 , ta r s u s O'fio.
A d u lt fem a le . S im ila r to th e ma le in plumage . T o ta l le n g th T it inche s, c u lm cn 0 ‘3 5 , wing 4 7 5 , ta il 4-5,
ta r su s 0 ’55.
Young. D u lle r in colour th a u th e ad u lt, a n d easily d is tin g u ish e d b y th e ru fe s c en t m a rg in s to th e tip s
o f th e win g -eo v e rts an d s e co n d a ry q uills ; rum p m o re coa rse ly s trip e d th a n in th e old b ird s ; e ar-
cove rts n e a rly u n ifo rm so o ty b row n ; rufous c o lo u r on sides o f h in d e r crow n very d u ll a n d less
developed th a n in th e a d u lts . W in g 4-35 inches.
Hah. E a s te rn S ib e ria , w in te rin g in T ib e t a n d Mon g o lia , a u d also in Assam.
T h e number of species of Asiatic Mosque-Swallows has been a subject of discussion for
many years, and even now we cannot regard the present state of our knowledge with
any great satisfaction. After several attempts on Mr. Swinlioe’s part to define the
Chinese species, Mr. Allan Ilumc wrote a capital article on the Indian species of the
group, and Mr. Ileury Seebohm, in 1883, made a further contribution to our knowledge
of the subject. In 1885 we had to describe tlio species of the H. daurica section of
Swallows in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds,’ and our conclusions principally agreed with those
of Mr. Seebohm. The year 1890 has been remarkable for a further exposition of the
Indian species, and this took place in the Natural llisto iy Museum, when Mr. E. W.
Oates was able to lay out on the table a goodly series of specimens from the llume
collection, such as had never before been available for any European naturalist to work
with. To this series of skins Mr. Seebohm brought his Japanese and Chinese examples,
and found that Mr. Oates’s conclusions were correct, and they are in the main adopted
by Mr. Sccbolim in his ‘ Birds of the Japanese Empire.’ We have also had the
advantage of the loan of Mr. Soebolim’s specimens, aud, with some slight modifications,
we have adopted the opinion of the two naturalists above mentioned, though we still
maintain our conviction that to draw a hard-and-fast line between the four races of
Oriental Mosque-Swallows is nearly impossible, so much do they grade towards each
other both in size and colour.
Four races may, however, be recognized, of which two are large and two small, two
rufesccut underneath and two whitish. Mr. Oates fixes the length of wing in the two
largo forms, Jl. striolata and II. daurica, as from d- 9 to 5'3 inches, and in II. nipaleusis
and II. enjthropygia as from 4< o to 4 ’7 inches.
ill*. Seebohm divides the four races into two sections, relying on the coarseness
or fineness of the streaks on the under surface, aud the presence or absence of shaft-
streaks to the rump-foathers. Thus in the first section of finely streaked birds he puts
H. daurica (which, as will be noticed, he calls H. alpestris), with a wing measuring 4-9
to 5'2 inches, and R. erythropygia, with a wing of from 4‘2 to 4'5 inches. Tlicii in his
second section of coarsely streaked species he puts II. striolata, with a wing of from 4 9
to 5’4 inches, and R . nipaleusis, with a wing of 4‘4 to 4‘8 inches. We find that in the
British Museum series the wing varies between 4 75 and 5T5 inches.
The oldest known species of the group is undoubtedly R . daurica, which was
described by Linnmus In the Appendix to his ‘Mantissa,’ from a specimen brought from
Siberia by Laxman. There can be no doubt as to the bird intended, and Linnteus’s name
must be retained in preference to that of alpestris of Pallas, which has probably been
resuscitated by Mr. Seebohm for the species as being better known, aud therefore
auctorum plurimorum.
Pallas described his Hirundo alpestris as nesting in rocks and in caves on the Altai
Mountains and in the other Siberian Alps, being fouud but rai'cly building in deserted
dwellings. In his ‘ Zoograpliia,’ he again gives the habitat as the Altai Mountains and
Dauria, aud he states liis belief that it occurs throughout the whole inountain-region to
Tibet and China. Tie describes and figures the nest, which is depicted as fixed to a
rock; but it was probably drawn from memory, as it does not coincide with the form of
the nest as described by other authors.
Messrs. Homeyer and Tancré have recorded the species from the Altai Mountains,
and, according to Dr. Otto Finsch, it was breeding in a large colony between Urdschar
and Bakti on the 20th of May; he again met with the species on the Irtiscli River, above
Buchtarmiusk, on the IGtli of June.
Dr. Dybowski records it as common throughout the whole of Dauria, and found it
on the Amoor and in the Ussuri country, but it was not met with near Lake Baikal.
I t breeds in Dauria, and it was also found nesting in the Ussuri delta by Dr. Grabowski.
Radde’s localities for the species were the Krimski Post, the eastern slope of the southern
part of the Apple Mountains, and again at Argun and Blagowcstchcnsk.
In the British Museum are two specimens of Dr. Scvertzoif’s, procured by him in
N.W. Mongolia, one being marked as from the River Etyr. The following account is
given by General Prjcvalski:—
“ The specimens obtained by us in S.E. Mongolia and Kan-su have hardly any black
streaks on the rust-coloured rump, aud these are scarcely perceivable. At the same
time, the black streaks arc much narrower on the underparts than is shown in Gould’s
plate, although they are somewhat wider than in C. erythropygia, Sykes, which also
dillcrs from the present species by the absence of all streaks on the rump and the
wider rust-colourcd patch on the nape.
“ The Daui'ian Swallow is extremely common in S.E. Mongolia, Ordos, and Ala-
shan. In Kan-su it inhabits the median and low mountain-circles, and hardly ever
visits the Alpine zone. It breeds on rocks, as well as in summer-houses, and even in
tents.
“ The shape of the nest is elongatod-oval, about 8 or 10 inches long; the front