PROGNE. 



283 



Ph^oprogne, Baird. 



Similar to Progne ; the bill and legs weaker. Tail sliglitly forked, the 

 lateral feathers not attenuated, and the wing not reaching beyond its tip. 

 Plumage without the metallic lustre of true Proyne. A narrow line of feathers 

 attached along basal half or two-thirds of the inner side of tarsus. 



The species of this group have been assigned by authors both to 

 Progne and Gotijle, but differ in some respects from both. To 



scattered blue-tipped feathers. A third, perhaps female, has no blue feathers 

 beneath. 



It is difficult to say what maybe the color of the under parts in the adult male 

 bird. It seems as if a jugular or pectoral collar and the sides of body might 

 be steel blue, the chin and throat smoky brown, and the belly and crissum 

 white, with more or less concealed dusky shafts to the feathers. Nothing like 

 this, in adult plumage, however, is described or known. 



Closely allied to the P. leucogaster. this species differs in considerably larger 

 size ; paler, almost whitish chin and throat, tendency to steel blue on the 

 sides of breast and sides of body, etc. 



(No. 16,834.) Total length, 7.70 : wing, 5.40 ; tail, 3.20 ; depth of fork, .70; 

 difference between 1st and 9th primary, 2.50; length of bill from forehead, 

 .49, from nostril, .34; along gape, .90; width, .60; tarsus, .58; middle toe 

 and claw, .84; claw alone, .26 ; hind toe and claw, .50; claw alone, .25. 



This is probably the same species as that referred to by Gray as P. domestica ; 

 but without specimens from Paraguay, for comparison, I am unable to say 

 ■whether it is the trvLQ " domestica," a,s based upon a description by Azara. 

 Burmeister (Reise La Plata, II, 477), in saying that the adult of domestica, 

 from Paraguay, is entirely steel blue, has possibly confounded with it the P. 

 elegans, described on a previous page. I see no reason to believe that the 

 white belly and crissum are ever wanting. 



