BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 79 



HIRUNDO CYANEOVIRIDIS. {Bryant.) 

 Bahama Swallow. 



Adult Male. — Above, velvet green, shading into steel-blue, with 

 purple reflections upon the rump and wings ; a black stripe from the 

 nostrils to the eye ; under parts, pure white ; tail forked, the inner 

 webs of the outer feathers edged with dull white. 



Adult Female. — Resembles the male, but the plumage much 

 duller, and showing traces of dusky; bill and feet black. 



Length 6.40, wing 4.40, tail 3.10, tarsus .42, bill .15. 



The beautiful little Bahama Swallow seems to be restricted to the 

 Bahama Islands. A few were seen on Andros Island in January, 

 but they were flying high, and we were unable to shoot them. 

 During the montli of June they became very abundant in the neigh- 

 borhood of Nassau, and I was enabled to procure a fine series of speci- 

 mens. In their habits they do not seem to differ from our common 

 species {T. bicolor), except perhaps that they are not as quick in their 

 movements. Their food seems to be entirely insectivorous. 



Dr. Bryant says, regarding this species, " In the style of its color- 

 ing, it resembles more nearly H. thalassina than any other species. 

 I have no doubt that it has been confounded by European natural- 

 ists with //. bicolor, though its resemblance to this species is very 

 slight. I saw them during the whole of my stay at Nassau, but only 



