DENDROCHELIDON KLECHO.

Klecho Tree Swift.

Firundo Klecho, Horsf. in Trans. Linn. Soc., vol. xiii. p. 143.—Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. vii. p. 293.

Dendrochelidon Klecho, Boie, Isis, 1844, p. 106.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p- 66, Dendrochelidon, sp. 2.—Ib.
Rivista Contemporanea, Feb. 1857, p. -—Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind.
Comp., vol. i. p. 110.

Macropteryx Klecho, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 54.—List of Birds in Brit. Mus., part 11. sect. 1. Fissi-
rostres, p. 17.—Blyth, Journ. of Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xiv. p. 212, vol, xv. p. 22, and vol. xxiv.
p. 479.—Ib. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 87,

Cypselus longipennis, Temm. Pl. Col. 83.

Macropteryx longipennis, Swains. Zool. Il., 2nd ser., pl. 74.

Hirundo urbica, Raffles in Trans. Linn. Soc., vol. xiii. p. 315.

Apus (Pallestre) Klecho, Less. Compl. Buff., tom. viii. p- 490.

Cypselus Klecho, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 81.

Samber-galeng of the Javanese, Horsfield.

 

Tur Dendrochelidon Klecho of Java is distinguished from the D. coronatus of India and the D. Wallacei of
Macassar by the deep green colourmg of its head, back, and shoulders ; it is also somewhat smaller in size
than either of those birds. Its true habitat is Java and Sumatra; but it is also said to inhabit the Indian
Archipelago and Malacca. I have now before me several specimens lent to me from the East India House
Museum, all of which present the same difference in colour that I have mentioned above, namely, the deep
green tint pervading the upper surface, which in D. coronatus is grey or greenish grey.

Dr. Horsfield, who observed this bird during his residence in Java, mentions that the male has a spot
of chestnut below the ears, which mark is wanting in the female, confirming the accuracy of Mr. Wallace’s
labels as to the sexes of the specimens of another species dissected by him.

The following is the description of an example of this bird which I consider to be fully adult :—

The male has the crown of the head, back of the neck, and back deep green, slightly tinged with umber-
brown; lower part of the back and rump greenish grey; throat and under surface deep greenish grey,
becoming much lighter on the centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; shoulders green; primaries
bluish green; a patch of greyish white on the tertiaries ; tail green; a spot of dark chestnut on the ear-
coverts ; bill and feet black ; irides brown.

Total length, 8 inches; bill, 2; wing, 62; tail, 435 tarsi, +.

The female is similarly coloured, but has the ear-coverts green instead of chestnut.

A young male which had nearly completed his moulting has the white feathers of the centre of the
abdomen and under tail-coverts strongly barred with brown, and the shining green of the head, back, and
wings very clear and well-defined. I observe, too, that although the wings are as fully developed and
quite as long as in the adults, the tail is comparatively short, particularly the outer feathers, suggesting the
idea that, like those of our own Common Swallow, these feathers do not attain their greatest length until
the bird is two or three years old.

The figures are of the natural size.