330 



N(JRTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



crissum, but all the feathers always with dusky shafts, and more or less clouded with gray 

 centrally, even though fading into whitish to the edges. This is particularly appreciable in 

 the longer crissal feathers. The edges of the dark feathers of throat and jugulum are 

 usually paler, imparting somewhat of a lunulated appearance, their centres sometimes 

 considerably darker, causing an appearance of obsolete spots. There is a tendency to a 

 grayish collar on sides of neck, and generally traceable to the nape ; this, in one specimen 

 (5,492) flora California, being hoary gray, the forehead sinnlar. 



The young male of tlie second year is similar to the female, with the steel-blue ajipear- 

 ing in patches. 



Total length (of 1,561), 7,50; wing, 6.00; tail, 3.40; difiference between inner and outer 

 feather, .75; difference between tiret and ninth quills, 2.88; lenglli of bill from forehead, 

 .55; from nostril, .34; along gape, .94; width of gape, .74; tarsus, .61: middle toe and 

 claw, .80 ; claw alone, ,25 ; hind toe and claw, .54; claw alone, .27. 



Hab. The whole of the United States and the Provinces ; Saskatchewan ; Cape St, 

 Lucas and Northern Mexico (winter); Orizaba (Sumicurast) ; Bermuda. Accidental in 

 England. South American and West Indian birds apparently belong to other races. 



Many Western adult males are considerably less violaceous than any East- 

 ern one ; but there is so much variation in this respect among specimens from 

 one locality, that this diflerence in lustre does not seem of much im- 

 portance. 



An adult female (Xo, 61,3G1, G. A, Boardmau) from Lake Harney, Florida, 

 is so mdike all other specimens in the collection as to almost warrant our 

 considering it as representing a distinct local race. It difl'ers from females 

 and young males of all the other races (except clcgans, from which it differs 

 in other striking particulars) in the following respects : Above, the lustrous 

 steel-blue is uninterrupted, the forehead and nape being uniform with the 

 other portions ; beneatli, dark smoky-gray, inclining to whitish on the middle 

 of the abdomen ; the jugulum and crissum have a faint gloss of steel-blue, 



the feathers of the latter bordered 

 with grayish-white. The chief differ- 

 ence from ck'jans is, in lacking the 

 conspicuous grayish-white border to 

 the feathers of the whole lower part, 

 the surface being uniform instead of 

 conspicuously squamated. AVing, 5.60 ; 

 tail, 3.00 ; fork of tail, ,80 deep. 



Habits. The Purple Martin is em- 

 phatically a bird common to the whole 

 of Xorth An:erica, It breeds from 

 Florida to high northern latitudes, 

 and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 

 It is very abundant in Florida, as it 

 is in various other parts of the country 



Pro^e subis. 



farther north, and the lai^e flocks of migrating l)irds of this species which 

 pass through Eastern Massachusetts the last of September attest its equal 

 abundance north of the latter State, It occurs in Bermuda, is resident in the 



