WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW. 423 



situations in quest of similar food. They inhabit the northern 

 Atlantic states as far as the District of Maine, where I have my- 

 self seen them; and my friend Mr. Gardiner informs me, that 

 they are found on the coast of Long Island and its neighbourhood. 

 About the middle of July I observed many hundreds of these 

 birds sitting on the flat sandy beach near the entrance of Great 

 Egg Harbour. They were also very numerous among the myr- 

 tles of these low islands, completely covering some of the bushes. 

 One man told me, that he saw one hundred and two shot at a 

 single discharge. For some time before their departure they 

 subsist principally on the myrtle berries (myrica cerifera) and 

 become extremely fat. They leave us early in September. 



This species appears to have remained hitherto undescribed, 

 owing to the misapprehension before mentioned. It is not per- 

 haps quite so numerous as the preceding, and rarely associates 

 with it to breed, never using mud of any kind in the construc- 

 tion of its nest. 



The White-bellied Swallow is five inches and three quarters 

 long, and twelve inches in extent; bill and eye black; upper 

 parts a light glossy greenish blue; wings brown black, with 

 slight reflexions of green; tail forked, the two exterior feathers 

 being about a quarter of an inch longer than the middle ones, 

 and all of a uniform brown black; lores black; whole lower 

 parts pure white; wings when shut extend about a quarter of an 

 inch beyond the tail ; legs naked, short and strong, and, as well 

 as the feet, of a dark purplish flesh colour; claws stout. 



The female has much less of the greenish gloss than the male, 

 the colours being less brilliant; otherwise alike. 



