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HIRUNDO FULVA— VIEILL. 



CLIFF SWALLOW. 



Fulvus or Cliff Swallow, Hirundo fil va, Ilonap. Syn. 

 Fulviis or Cliff Swallow, Hirundo fulva, Niiit. Man. 

 Rej)ublicaii or Cliff Swallow, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Character. — Forehead white ; crown and a patch on the 

 fore neck black ; sides of the head, beneath the eye and sides of the 

 neck deep brown-red. Adult with the forehead white, the lower 

 part margined with a black band, which passes back to the eyes, 

 meeting the black patch that occupies the whole upper part of the 

 head; throat, sides of the neck, and a narrow band on the occiput, 

 deep brownish-red ; a broad band on the hind neck grayish-brown, 

 of which color are the fore part of the breast and sides of the body — 

 those parts being tinged with brownish-red, which color appears 

 about the vent and on the lower tail coverts ; on the fore neck a 

 patch of black ; abdomen grayish-wnite ; back black, glossed with 

 bluish ; rump light reddish-brown ; wings and tail feathers dusky 

 brown. Length five inches and a half, wing four and seven, 

 eighths. 



The appearance of this Swallow in the lower parts of the State 

 of New York is quite recent. The first that I have known to have 

 been observed in this vicinity, was shot at Manhattanville, in 1842, 

 by Mr. Lawrence, In the month of June of the present year, a few 

 specimens were seen in the suburbs of Brooklyn by Mr. Brasher, and 

 in the latter part of August I met it at Gravesend. Previous to this 

 year, 1 have no knowledge of its occurring on Long Island ; but I 

 should not be surprised if even in a few years it were found quite 

 common. On Long Island I am not aware that the Cliff Swallow 

 has been known to breed ; but Mr. Bell has informed me that he 

 found its nest near his residence in Rockland County, in the month 

 of May last — and according to his observations, it had not visited 

 his section previous to the present year. 



