20 HIRUNDINID^E. 



white ; bill and feet black : total length 8 inches, wing 57, tail 3-2. Female 

 similar. 



Hob. Central and South America. 



This species, distinguished from the Purple Martin by its white 

 underparts, ranges from Mexico to Buenos Ayres, the extreme limit of 

 its range being about 250 miles south of that city. It was well called 

 Golondrina domestica by Azara, being preeminently domestic in its 

 habits. It never breeds in banks as the Purple Martin often does, or 

 in the domed nests of other birds in trees, a situation always resorted 

 to by the Tree-Martin, and occasionally by the Common Swallow ; but 

 is so accustomed to the companionship of man as to make its home 

 in populous towns as well as in country-houses. It arrives in Buenos 

 Ayres about the middle of September, and apparently resorts to the 

 same breeding-place every year. A hole under the eaves is usually 

 selected, and the nest is roughly built of dry grass, hair, feathers, and 

 other materials. When the entrance to its breeding-hole is too large, 

 it partially closes it up with, mud mixed with straw ; if there be two 

 entrances it stops up one altogether. The bird does not often require to 

 use mud in building ; it is the only one of our Swallows that uses such 

 a material at all. The eggs are white, long, pointed, and five in number. 



In the season of courtship this Martin is a noisy pugnacious bird, and 

 always, when quitting its nest, utters an exceedingly loud startling cry 

 several times repeated. It also has a song, uttered both when resting 

 and on the wing, composed of several agreeably modulated notes, and in 

 that thick rolling intonation peculiar to our Swallows. This song does 

 not sound loud when near, yet it can be distinctly heard when the bird 

 appears but a speck in the distance. I may here remark that, with 

 the exception of the Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, which possesses a sharp 

 squeaky voice, like the Swallows of Europe, all our Hirundines have 

 soft voices : their usual twittering when they are circling about resembles 

 somewhat the chirping of the English House-Sparrow in tone, but 

 besides these notes they possess a song more pleasing to the ear. 



Before leaving in February these birds congregate in parties of from 

 twenty to four or five hundred, usually on the broad leafy top of an old 

 ombu tree. 



27. PROGNE TAPERA (Linn.). 

 (TREE-MARTIN.) 



Progne tapera, Scl. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 606 (Buenos Ayres) ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. 

 p. 14; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 168 (Buenos Ayres); White, P. Z. S. 1882, 

 p. 595 (Catamarca) ; Harrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. viii. p. 89 (Concepcion) ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. x. p. 180. Cotyle tapera, Bunn. La-Plata Eeise, ii. p. 477. 



