The SENEGAL SWALLOW (_Cecropis Senegalensis_) is about eight inches long
and fifteen broad; the wing measures five and a half, and the tail about
four inches. The plumage of the upper part of the body is of a glossy
blueish black, with the exception of the rump and a ring round the neck,
which are reddish brown; the under side is entirely of the latter hue,
somewhat paler upon the throat and upper part of the breast. This very
large species inhabits Central Africa in great numbers, and is met with
from the western coast to the shores of the Red Sea. In its mode of life
and habits it so closely resembles the Chimney Swallow that a description
of its habits would be mere repetition; unlike that bird, however, it
does not always dwell in the immediate vicinity of man, but frequently
wanders forth and lives upon the vast and barren steppes. Another very
similar species is found in Angola and at the Cape of Good Hope.