SWALLOWS 383 



GENUS PROGNE. 



General Characters. — Bill long, stout, and convex ; feet larg-e, with 

 strong, curved claws ; tai-sus shorter than middle toe and claw ; tail forked 

 for less than half its length. 



KEY TO SPKCIES. 



1. Females with under tail coverts streaked subis, p. 383. 



1'. Females with under tail coverts not streaked . . . hesperia, p. 383. 



611. Progne subis {Linn.). Purple Maktix. 



Adult nude. — Whole body glossy blue black ; wings and tail black ; 

 feathers of ventral region entirely sooty grayish beneatli the surface. 

 Adult female and immature males with forehead grayish and upper parts 

 sooty glossed with blue black, interrupted by grayish collar ; lower parts 

 grayish in front, whole under parts streaked, the feathers, especially on 

 chest, with distinctlv sootv gravish centers. Length : 7.25-8.50, wing 5.65- 

 G.20, tail 3.()0-;].4() (forked for '.7(i-.l)(>). 



Distribution. — Temperate North America from Ontario and Hudson 

 Bay south to the southern end of Mexican tableland ; wintering in South 

 America. 



Nest. — In holes of trees or about buildings and in bird boxes. Eygs : 

 3 to 5, plain white. 



Food. — Insects. 



The peculiar vibrant and at the same time mouthed quality of the 

 martin's song tells of his presence, even when his big steel blue body 

 is not seen floating around overhead. His song, though unpreten- 

 tious, is a talkative twitter very pleasant and companionable. 



But, although we usually associate liim with l)ird boxes and towns, 

 large numbers, especially of the western subspecies, still nest in 

 hollow trees in the mountain forests. 



611a. P. S. hesperia Breu-st. Western Martin. 



Adult male. — Indistinguishable from male of subis. Adult female : 

 similar to fcmalt^ subis. but light gray of forehead extending back into 

 crown ; feathers of liack and rump conspicuously edged with grayish or 

 pale brown ; l)end of wing and under coverts nu)ttled profusely with 

 whitish ; anterior under parts and nuclial collar grayisli white ; and whole 

 tract from abdomen to under tail coverts ahnost immaculate white. 



Distribution. — llreeds in Pacific coa.st region from Oregon south through 

 California and Arizona to southern Lower California ; migrates to Nica- 

 ragua. 



The examination of birds from British Coliuubia may show that 

 they should be referred to tiiis form. 



GENUS PETEOCHELIDON. 



(iefifral (Jharacttrs. — Tail sliort. nearly even : nostrils without nasal 

 scale, opening direitly upwai-d ; tarsus witli tuft of fi-athers above liinil 

 toe. 



KHV to SI' EC IKS. 



1. Forehead white oi' Jiale isabell.l lunifrons. p. ;1S4. 



r. Forehead rich cliest nut ; r.irely fawn coh»r nielailOgastra. p. ;'.S4. 



