7. PROONE. 179 



Cat. Amer. B. p. 38 (1862) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1866, p. 203 ; Von Franfz. 



J. f. O. 1869, p. 294 ; Suinichr. Mem. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. i. 



p. 587 (1869) ; J^clater, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 6U1;, uote, 1876, p. 14. 

 Progne purpurea (non L.), Cab. in Schonib. Jieis. Guian. iii. p. 671 



(1848). 

 Progne leucogastra, Baird, Rerneto Amer. B, p. 280 (1864) ; Scl. ^ 



tSah. P. Z. S. 1867, pp. 569, 749, 754 ; Laivr. Ann. L%jc. N. Y. ix. 



p. 96 (1868) ; Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 75, no. 892 (1669) ; Scl. 8^ 



Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 836; Wijatt, Ibis, 1871, p. 323 ; Lawr. Bull. 



U.S. Nat. Mus. no. iv. p. 17 (1876); Bidc/tv. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. 



iii. p. 175 (1880) ; Nutting, op. cit. v. p. 391 (1882). 



Adult male. General colour above glossy dark purple, with a con- 

 cealed spot of white on the sides of the lower back, the feathers 

 composing this spot being white with more or less purple towards 

 the tip of the iuuer web ; lesser and median wing-coverts like the 

 back; greater coverts, bastard-wing, primar3'-coverts, and quills 

 black, externally dull blue ; upper tail-coverts like the back ; tail- 

 feathers blackish glossed vAih. blue ; lores velvety black ; cheeks and 

 ear-coverts black washed with purplish blue ; throat and chest dark 

 smoky browu, the fore neck and chest with hoary grey margins to 

 the feathers, the throat rather darker and having dusky blackish 

 shaft-stripes ; sides of the upper breast more or less purplish blue, 

 the feathers tipped with the latter colour, which extends some way 

 down the sides of the bodj' ; entire abdomen, flanks, and under 

 tail-coverts white ; the white feathers of the lower breast where 

 they adjoin the brown throat washed with smoky brown and having 

 blackish shaft-streaks ; axillaries dark purplish blue with brown 

 bases ; under wing-coverts dark sooty brown washed with blue ; 

 quills dusky below, lighter brown along their inner face : " bill 

 brownish horn-black ; legs dark fleshy brown ; iris dark grevish 

 brown "' (^Neuwied). Total length 6*6 inches, culmen Q-oo, wing 5, 

 tail 2-7o, tarsus 0"5. 



The fchude diflers from the male in being duUer blue and not 

 so purple, but is otherwise similarly coloured. On the sides of the 

 upper breast the blue ends to the feathers are less conspicuous and 

 duller blue. 



YouiKj. Much more dingily coloured than the adults. Above 

 sooty-brown slightly glossed with blue, the feathers having more 

 or less obsolete pale maiffins ; wing-coverts also dull blue with pale 

 brown edges ; quills and tail-feathers blackish glossed with steel- 

 blue or greenish ; lores dusky ; cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of 

 neck brown, as well as the sides of the breast and flanks ; throat 

 and chest pale browu, the feathers of the latter edged with white ; 

 breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts pure white ; axillaries 

 smoky brown ; under wing-coverts brown edged with white. Tail 

 less forked than in the adult. 



Sometimes the under tail-coverts exhibit a brown shaft-streak, 

 and still more rarely a pale shade of brown in the centre, but never 

 to the extent of P. purpurea or P. furcata. The white belly and 

 under tail-coverts in both tlie old and young birds are good cha- 

 racters for distinguishing the present species. 



x2 



