OOl 



NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



crissum, but all the feathers always with dusky shafts, and more or less clouded with gra}' 

 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 appeai-ance, their centi-es 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) from California, being hoary gray, the forehead similar. 



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

 ing in patches. 



Total length (of 1,561), 7.50; wing, 6.00; tail, 3.40; difference between inner and outer 

 feather, .75 ; difference between first and ninth quills, 2.88 ; length 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 s^^ecimens from 

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

 portance. 



An aditlt female (Xo. 61,361, G. A. Boardman) from Lake Harney, Florida, 

 is so unlike all other s})ecimens in the collection as to almost warrant our 

 considering it as representing a distinct local race. It differs from fenrales 

 and yoimg males of all the other races (except elcgans, 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 ; beneath, 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 

 wutli grayish-white. The chief differ- 

 ence from elegans is in lacking the 

 conspicuous grayish-white border to 

 the feathers of the whole lower part, 

 the surface being uniform instead of 

 conspicuou.sly squamated. Wing, 5.60 ; 

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



Habits. The Purple Martin is em- 

 phatically a bird common to the whole 

 of Xortli America. It breeds from 

 Florida to high northern latitudes, 

 and from tlie Atlantic to the Pacific. 

 - -^ It is very abundant in Florida, as it 



Progne snbis. |g ■ ^^ various other parts of the country 



fartlier north, and the large flocks of migrating birds 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 



