. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . Fig. 221,—The White Collared Swift. 221), a South American species, scarcely follows this description,it having two white line marks diverging from the bill. There areabout sixty species spread over the globe, of which six only are nativesof Europe. This family are familiarly known as Swifts, Swallows, HouseMartins, and Sand Martins. Of these the Swift (Cypsehis apus^ Fig. 2 2 2), THE ESCULENT SWALLOW. 509 the Alpine Swik {Cypselus mciba, Fig. 223), the Swaho
. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . Fig. 221,—The White Collared Swift. 221), a South American species, scarcely follows this description,it having two white line marks diverging from the bill. There areabout sixty species spread over the globe, of which six only are nativesof Europe. This family are familiarly known as Swifts, Swallows, HouseMartins, and Sand Martins. Of these the Swift (Cypsehis apus^ Fig. 2 2 2), THE ESCULENT SWALLOW. 509 the Alpine Swik {Cypselus mciba, Fig. 223), the Swahow {Hirundoriisttca), Sand Martin {Cotila reparia), and the House Martin \Chclidonurbica, Fig. 220) are best known to residents of Europe. Among the foreign species the Esculent Swallow (Collocalia nidifica^Fig. 224) may be mentioned, so famous over the world for its edible. Fig. The Swift. nest. This bird inhabits the rocks and caverns of the sea-shorein Sumatra and Java. The plant called fitciis^ which abounds inthese regions, is metamorphosed in the birds stomach, and is after-wards disgorged and made use of to fabricate the walls of its fucus thus devoured forms the nutritive substance so eagerlysought after by the Eastern gourmet. The consumption of the nest 510 RRPTILRS AND BtkbS, of the Esculent or Salagane in China, in spite of its high price, isvery considerable. From the days of Buffon there have been exportedfrom the coast of Cochin China 4,000,000 of them annually ; andthe proprietors of one cavern in the island of Java receive annually50,000 florins for rent alone. The distinctive features of the Goatsuckers {Caprimulgus) are a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectreptiles, bookyear1
