HIUr\DlNII)/E — THE SWALLOW^;. ^tj- 



of the broasjt, and a few l>lafk Irathcis in the oxtn-nn' diin, il" lattor soniotiinc"! scan-fly 

 ai)i>r('cial>k'. liidtT jtaits dull wliitr. tiiiLTcd with rfd<lish-trray on tiu' sidt's ;iiiil inside ot" 

 the willies. Kt-athrrs otCrissinu i>ii»\viii>h-irray. cdp-d with whitish, wit'.i a tinirt' <>t rulous 

 anteriorly (sonit'tiiiifs almost iiiai»]»r('cialilfi. \fst ot' niii<i, lincil ; Imilt au;»inst rocks or 

 hcains: opi'iiinLT soint'tini<>s circular, on tlic side; soineiinics open aliovc; i"^<fs spotted. 



Total loniTtii, .").10; winu'. 4..")() ; rail, *J.4t>, neaily even: dilVercme of primary quills, 

 2.10: Icnirth ofliill from forehead. ..IS. from nosti-il. .'J"), alon^r i.''ai)e. .«iO, width. oO; tarsus. 

 .48; middle toe ae.d daw. .7'-': cl.iw alone. .'J'i ; hind toe ;in<l claw. .44; daw alone. .20. 



Il.vn. Entire I nited States from Atlantic to Pacific, and aloULT ci-ntial ri'^doii to Arctic 

 Ocean and Fort Vukon ; Panama in winter. Not note(l at Cape St. Lucas, in Mexico, or 

 in West Indies, 



There is r u.l't .v o between tlie sexes, l»ut Uw yotmix ''Ji'*l i'^ very dif- 

 t'eient i'roiii t. rcii i». llie tnUnwiiio jiaiticiihirs : tlie steel-Mue alxive 

 is replaced l>y a iv. in'' s dusky-brown, the reulhers (^except «ui lieatl) 

 beinif inarijined wiiii ": .. ..iiv tint ; the ne(k niendv tinned with rid'niis ; 

 tlie throat has only a dusky sulVusion, and the chin is niiu li mixed w'tii 

 white ; the frontal ])at(di is obsolete. 



A closely allied species from Mexico, P. sirtn'iisoni (see r»aird, la'V. Am. 

 Birds, l.StiT), lilMi), possibly yet to be i'ouud near our southern border, dilfers 

 as follows : — 



Frontlet i-eddish-white. with narrow hand of hlack alonnf upper niandihle . hmiffou-f. 

 Frontlet chestnut-brown, without I'lack at lla^e of ujtper mandible. Size smaller. 



swaiusoni, 



Sonietixies (as in ll,0i'7 9 and I1,()L^"► cT . I'^oi't Brid^er) the black patch 

 extends upward, somewhat brok(Ui, however. t(» the bill. 



ILvblTs. The early history of the ("litf Swallow nuist always remain in- 

 volved in some obscurity, sit far as concerns its nund)ers and distribution 

 before the tirst settlement of the <'ountrv, and even down to the early portion 

 of the jnesent century. Its existence was unknown to Mr. Wilson, and it 

 was unknown to other naturalists until <d»tained by Say, in Lome's expedi- 

 tion to the liocky Mour*'ins in 1820. It is n(»w known to occur nearly 

 thr«)U<djout >' ..lb Ameiica, and to breed from Pennsvlvaiiia to the Arctic 

 rej^ions, and from the Atlantic to tlu' Pacitic. Vet in many jiarts of the 

 country it is a new-conuM', wiu're, a lew years since, it was ciilindy un- 

 known. It .seems to \)v probable that at Hist this species was to lie found 

 (uiiy in certain localities that (dl'ered favorable ]daces whereon to construct 

 their nests. Where hiLih limestone (dilfs abound, these birds may have 

 always occnirred. altliouoh esca])inij; ol»scrvation. 



In the same vear that Lou... discovered this species amoiiLj the IJocd-cv 

 Mountains (IS^n), Sir .T(din l-^anklin's jiarty also met with it between the 

 Cumber.' vUd House and Fort Filter r- -e, and on the banks of Point bake, in 

 latitude (\y. In June, 18i'r», a number of these birds made tlieir tirst aj*- 

 pearance at Fort Chippewyan, and built their liests under the eaves of thi^ 

 house. This fort had then existed many y •• s atid tradin!L,'-])osts had been 

 in existence a centur md a half, and vet u.s was the tir$t instance of its 



