460 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



attached to the face of overhanging cliffs or underneath the eaves of buildings. 



Eggs 3-5, white, speckled or spotted with brown and lilac. 



a 1 . Chin, throat, and sides of head rich chestnut, the lower part of throat with a 



spot or patch of glossy blue-black. 



ft 1 . Larger, with forehead white or pale isabella-color ; rump light cinnamon, 

 or cinnamon-buff; young with chin and throat (often other parts of the 

 head) usually more or less mixed or spotted with white ; tertials and 

 tail-coverts margined with pale rusty or cinnamon ; chestnut of head 

 wanting or only faintly indicated, top of head, back, etc., dull blackish, 

 etc.; length 5.00-6.00, wing 4.05-4.55, tail 2.00-2.20. Eggs .81 X -55. 

 Hab. Whole of North America in summer; in winter, Middle America 

 (and portions of South America ?). 



612. P. lunifrons (SAY.). Cliff Swallow. 



ft*. Smaller, with forehead rich chestnut, like throat and sides of head (rarely 

 fawn-colored), and rump deeper cinnamon ; length about 4.50-5.00, wing 

 3.95^.30, tail 2.00-2.20. Hab. Mexico and Guatemala. 



P. melanogaster (SWAINS.). Mexican Cliff Swallow. 1 



a 2 . Chin, throat, and sides of head pale cinnamon, the lower part of throat without 

 black spot. 



Forehead deep chestnut, and rump deep cinnamon, as in P. melanogaster ; 

 length about 4.50-4.75, wing 4.00-4.10, tail 1.90-2.00. Hab. Hayti, 

 Cuba (and Yucatan ?). 



P. fulva (VIEILL.). Cuban Cliff Swallow." 



GENUS CHELIDON FOBSTER. (Page 458, pi. CXIY., fig. 2.) 



Species. 



COMMON CHARACTERS. Adults: Above glossy dark steel-blue, sometimes tinged 

 with violet, the forehead rusty chestnut; quills and tail-feathers blackish, with a 

 faint dull greenish lustre, the inner webs of the latter (except middle pair) marked 

 with a large spot of white, or very pale rusty ; chin, throat, and chest deep cinna- 

 mon-rusty, the sides of the chest dark steel-blue or blue-black, sometimes confluent 

 in the middle, thus forming a narrow collar ; rest of lower parts varying from rich 

 rusty cinnamon to pale cinnamon-buffy. Young : Much paler beneath and duller 

 above than adult, with chin, throat, and chest light rusty, and rusty of forehead 

 indistinct or obsolete. Nest a cup- or bowl-shaped structure, entirely open above, 

 composed of pellets of mud, mixed with straws, etc., and lined with soft feathers, 

 attached by one side to the sides or roof of a cave or to timbers within barns and 

 other outbuildings. Eggs 3-5, white, speckled with brown and lavender. 



1 Hirundo melanogaster SWAINS., Philos. Mag. n. s. i. 1827, 366. Petrochelidon melanogaster CAB., Mus. 

 Uein. i. 1850, 47. 



1 Hirundo fulva VIEILL., Ois. Am. Sept. i. 1807, 62, pi. 30. Petrochelidon fulva CAB., Mus. Hein. i. 1850, 

 47. 



With five adults of true P. fulva from Cuba, and eight of P. fulva pceciloma (QossE) from Jamaica and 

 Porto Rico, I have no difficulty in easily distinguishing the two forms by the characters pointed out by Professor 

 Baird in " Review of American Birds" (p. 292). 



