IIIIMXDIMD.K — THE S\VAM,()\VS. 



320 



Sidts of tlio jujrulmn without a l>lii»'-l)la(k patch in th«' ^. Winjr, o.*20 ; 

 fork of tail. .00 dtM-p. Huh. Middle Aiiu-rif-a, fiom Soiiihcrii Mi-xico ti> 

 New Uraiiada ........ \ar. I e n roi/ast e r .* 



Progne subis, r.Ainn. 



FX7RFLE MAEHN. 



Ilirxnido svhis, Linn. S. N. 10th e«l. 17')S, ll*i> (llinintin amdea cnvnden'n's^ Ki>\vart>s, 

 Av. tul). 1"J0, Hudson's IJiiy). PnxjiK .stilu.s, \',\ivA\ Vav. Am. Birds, liS()4, 274. J/. 

 purpinyt, Linn. S. X. I'Jtli ed. 17»>«>, ;j44 (//. jnajiure't, I'atksfjy, Cur. tab. .")!). — 

 Ari>. Oni. IJioj^. I, pi. xxiii. lu. liirds .\in. I, pi. xlv. — Yakkili., I>r. I»ii(ls, IL 

 232, 274 (Kii;,dand and Ireland, S.pt. 1S42). - Jonks, Nat. IVnnuda, :i4 ^Si-pt. 22, 

 184l». Prnijih- inirpuiai, Hon;, Im.s. 1n2<;, <»71. — l>i:i;\vi:i:, N. Ani. (Jul. I, 18.'i7, lo;i, 

 pi. iv, fig. 47 l«'ggs). — Haiki», IJiids N. Am. 18.'»8, 314. — CoopKiii Sitkley, P. \\. li. 

 Kfp. Xn, 2, 18«5 (Fort Stiilacoom). -Bl.\kiston, Ibis, 1803, ♦>.'> (Saskatthowan) — 

 Cooi'KU, Orn. Cal. I, lS7o, 113. — Sa.mikls, 2t!o. IIiruiHloviolna<t,i\y\. Il.acriden^ 

 ViElLl,. //. vtrskolor, ViElLL. //. hiifnciciuua, Civ. 



Sp. Char. fXo. 1,')()1 ^.) Entindy lustrous steel-hluc, with a purplish -^loss; the tail- 

 feathers and the wiiijrs, «'x<«'pt the lesser and middle coverts, and edge inside, dull l)lack, 



scarcely glossed. Tiltiie dark brownish. A conrt'alcd ])af('h of white on the sides under 

 the wings. Concealed central portion ot" anal feathers light whitish-gray. 



(Xo. 1,1-^ 9-) Above somewhat similar, but much duller. Beneath smoky brown- 

 ish-gray, without lustre, paler behind, and becoming sometimes cpiite whitish on belly and 



^ Proffio; {siihis var t) Icucoifusfrr. Prmjni fiiirnifiisffr, IJaiko, Rov. Am. 1>. IS*;,'), 280, 

 (Soutlicrn Mexico to ("arthagena.) Proijio (ioitn'nnr.nsis and /'. rfitili/heti, Arrn. (nee CJmel.). 



From a careful examinution of speiimens of the !il)ove forms, the opinion that they are all local 

 differentiations of one primitive type at onee presents itself. The diJferences from the typical 

 suhi'< are not givat, except in the white-bfllicil grouj) {(fmniiiiceusis and its allies), while an 

 approach to the white Indly of these is plainly to !>«• .seen in P. crifpfolencn ; again, some siwci- 

 mens of ihwtuikrusis have the crissum ndxed with blackish, while others have it wholly .snowy- 

 white. Wliile the male of crii/tfok'nof is .scarcely distinguishable, at first sight, from that of 

 stfhis, the female is entindy ditfeient, but, on the other hand, scarcely to he distinguished from 

 that of (loininkrnsis and Ia(ciif/:isfcr. Atlult males of thi' latter species are much like adult 

 females of (hiniw'ixnsi.'i, while Floridan (resident) specimens of subis approach very decidedly to 

 the rather unique charai'ters of elojutis. It is therefore extremely probable that all are merely 

 local modifications of one species. 



