HIRUNDIXID.i; — THE SWALLOWS. 



329 



Sides of the jiigulum without a bhio-hlack patch in the ^. Wing, 5.20 ; 

 fork of tail, .55 deep. Hab. Middle America, from Southern Mexico to 

 Nevv Granada var. 1 e>icui/aste >■ .' 



Progne subis, ]'..uKn. 



PURPLE MARTIN. 



Hirvndo subis, LiXN. S. N. 10th ed. 1758, 192 (Uirundo ccernlea canadensis, Edwards, 

 Av. tub. 120, Hudson's Bay). Progne subis, Baiiid, Rev. Am. Birds, 1864, 274. H. 

 purpurea, Linn. S. N. 12tli ed. 1766, 344 (H. purpurea, Catesby, Car. tab. 51). — 

 AuD. Orn. Biog. I, pi. xxiii. — Ib. Birds Am. \, pi. xlv. — Yaruell, Br. Birds, II, 

 232, 274 (England and Ireland, Sept. 1842). —Jones, Nat. Bermuda, 34 (Sept. 22, 

 1849). Profjne jmrjmrea, BoiE, Isis, 1826, 971. — Brewer, N. Am. Ool. I, 1857, 103, 

 pL iv, fig. 47 (eggs). — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 314. — Cooper & Suckley, P. R. R. 

 Rep. XII, 2, 186 (Fort Steilacoom). — Blakiston, Ibis, 1863, 65 (Saskatchewan) — 

 Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 1S70, 113. — Sa.muels, 260. Uirundo violacca, Gju. H. ecerulea, 

 ViEiLi.. H. versieolor, ViEiLL. H. ludoviciuHU, Cirv. 



Sp. Char. (No. 1,561 ^.) Entirely lustrous steel-blue, with a purplish gloss; the tail- 

 feathers and the wings, except the le?ser and middle coverts, and edge inside, dull black, 



y 



/ c^ 



Proi^nr^ subis. 



scarcely glossed. Tibire dark brownish. A concealed patch of white on the sides under 

 the wings. Concealed central portion of anal feathers light whitish-gray. 



(No. 1,129 9 .) Above somewhat similar, but much duller. Beneath smoky brown- 

 ish-gray, without lustre, paler behind, and becoming sometimes quite whiti-sh on belly and 



^ Proline, (subis var .') Icucixjaster. Protjni; Icucotjastcr, Baird, Rev. Am. B. 1865, 280. 

 (Southern Mexico to Carthagena.) Proync dominicensis and P. chulybea, Auch. (neo Gmel.). 



From a careful examination of specimens of the above forms, the opinion that they are all local 

 difTerentiations of one primitive type at once jiresents itself. The differences from the typical 

 subis are not gi'eat, except in the white-bellied group (dominicensis and its allies), while an 

 approach to the white belly of these is plainly to be seen in P. cryptoleuca ; again, some speci- 

 mens of dominieensis have the crissum mixed with blackish, w'hile others have it wdiolly snowy- 

 white. While the male of rryplohuca is scarcely distinguishable, at first sight, from that of 

 suhis, the female is entirely different, but, on the other hand, scarcely to be distinguished from 

 that of doininicciuis and leueoiiastcr. Adult males of the latter species are much like adult 

 females of dominicensis, while Floridan (resident) specimens of sidiis approach very decidedly to 

 the rather unique cliaracters of dei/ans. It is therefore extremely probable that all are merely 

 local modifications of one species. 

 42 



