130 HIRUNDIKID^. 



under tail-coverfcs, the longest of the latter with a terminal spot 

 of black, represented on some of the others by a blackish shaft-line ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts like the breast, the former a little 

 deeper in colour ; quills blackish below ; bill black ; feet black ; iris 

 dark brown. Total length 7"3 inches, culmen 0*35, wing 5*05, 

 tail 4, tarsus 0'5. 



Adult female. Very similar to the male in colour, and having, 

 when old, the same rufescent tint on the breast, but generally rather 

 paler below and having a somewhat shorter tail. Total length 

 6-6 inches, culmen 0'35, wing 4-65, tail 3-3, tarsus 0-5. 



The black spot on the under tail-coverts is often shot away ; it 

 seems to narrow with age so as to become only a broad centre streak. 

 It is only a spot in the younger birds. 



Old birds are apparently much more rarely shot than young ones 

 in their winter home, and are seldom seen in collections. Canon 

 Tristram has a female from JS^atal, shot before the moult, with the 

 long outer feathers of the adult bird ; the upper plumage has worn 

 to a bronzy shade, in the midst of which the new blue plumage is 

 appearing. The forehead and throat do not bleach so perceptibly as 

 in young birds. 



Obs. Everything seems to prove that only the very old birds 

 have the rufescent breast in spring, for I have before me several 

 males killed in spring-time, which are very pale underneath and 

 have perfectly defined black collars on their throats, whereas in the 

 rufous-breasted specimens the centre of the black collar has rufous 

 bars which break the continuity of the black collar, which is always 

 more perfect in the birds with a white breast. 



It is somewhat curious that the nestling birds approach the very 

 old birds in their coloration, being not only of a pronounced ru- 

 fescent colour underneath, but having also the black collar edged 

 with rufous on some of its feathers. 



On leaving the nest the young Swallows, especially the birds of 

 the first brood, lose this rufescent tint rather quickly and become 

 bleached, the forehead turning to white with exposure, and the 

 throat fading to a pale tawny buff or white. The upper surface of 

 the body becomes gradually browner and loses the blue altogether. 



The change of plumage generally takes place after the birds have 

 left England ; but I have seen one specimen, killed at the end of 

 August, which had begun to assume its new plumage on the throat, 

 putting on the bright rufous throat of the second season. The fore- 

 head is bleached to white. These changes generally take place 

 during the Swallow's sojourn in its winter home, in the months of 

 January and February, and it is very rare to see a commencement 

 of the change in England. 



Nestling. More dusky than the adults, and not so glossy or so 

 purple ; rufous frontal mark very small ; cheeks and throat dark 

 rufoiis ; remainder of i;nder surface clear rufescent, separated from 

 the throat by a broad black band washed with rufous. 



In the full-grown young bird the outer tail-feathers have greyish- 

 white edges to the outer webs, and there are light rufescent margins 

 to the feathers of the lower rump and upper tail-coverts. 



