lIIKUNDlxXID.E — THE SWALLOWS. 



327 



Bill rntlier weaker; cominissuro and culiin'ii nearly straifrlit to near tip. 

 Frontal t'eatlii'1-.s bristly. Tail nearly even. Tinoal, rump, and crissuni, 

 and usinilly IbrelR'ad, rufous ; belly wliiti' .... Ptlrovhrliilitii. 



h. Edge of win^' smooth. Tai-sus loiifjer than in last ; equal to niiddh; toe 

 and lialf tlie elaw. Nostrils boidered alon;,' posterior half by membrane, 

 but not overhuni,' internally. J!ill very small. Tail Ibrked. Crissum dusky 

 except in NcvcMidon fuc(tt<i. Various i,'eneru and subgenera, none Xorth 

 AmiM'ican, as Attlmra, Xdiiwhelidoii, \enr!ie!i<lon, and Pi/yochflidnn. 

 r. Edge of wing armed with still" i-ecurvcd hooks. Tarsus h'^ in preceding 

 (tarsus and toes nuuOi as in Pi/ijochelidun). Jiill larger and more depressed. 



T;iil eiuarginate only. Crissum white Slctyido/)len/.i: 



B. Nostrils lateral; bordered behind and inside, or overhung by membrane, the 

 outer edge of whieh i.s straight, and directed either parallel with axis of bill or 

 diverging from it. 



a. Tarsus short; about equal to middle toe without claw. Tibial joint feath- 

 ered ; feathers extending along inside of upper end of tarsus. 



Tarsus bare at lower end. Lateral claws reaching only to base of 

 middle. 



Tail very deeply forked, much longer than closed wings ; lateral 

 feathers linear and very narrow at end, twice the length of central. 

 ITpper i)arts and pectoral cou.n- steel-blue ; front and throat, some- 

 times under parts, rufous. Tail-li'athers with large spots . Hinindo. 



Tail with .shallow fork, not exceeding half an inch, shorter than 

 clo.sed wings. Fiiathers bro.id. Color blue or green above, with 

 or without white rump; white bem ii. Tail-feathers without 



spots Tnclu/ciiielu. 



Tarsus with a tuft of feathers at lower end. Lateral claws lengthened, 

 reaching beyond ba.so of middle claw. 



Tail slightly forked. Color dull-brown above; beneath white. 



with brown pectoral collar Coli/le. 



h. Tarsus long; equal to middle toe and half claw : entirely bare. Tail con- 

 siderably forked, about equal to closed wing. Color green above ; white 

 Iji-'ueath Callifhelidon} 



Gexuh FROGNE, 1?oie. 



Fmriiie, BoiK, Isia, 1826, 971. (Type, Iliruiuh purpurea vel suhui, L.) — B.uiM), Birds 

 N. Am. 1858, 311. 



Gen. Cu.Mi. Hody stout. Hill robust, lengthened ; lower or commissural edge of max- 

 illa sinualed, decidedly convex for basal half, then as concave to the tip, the lower man- 

 dible falling within its chord. Xoslrils supei'ior, broadly oiieii. and nearly circular, wilhont 

 any adjacent membrane, the edges romnlcd. Legs stout. Tarsus equal to middle toe 

 without claw; the joint feathered ; lateral toes about equal ; the liasal joint of the mid- 

 dle toe half free internally, rather less so externally. Claws strong, uuich curved. Nest 

 in hollow trees. Eggs white. 



The s\H ies of this fjcim.s are tlio most powerful and robust of tlie Swal- 

 lows. Some are entirely glossy-lilack, others whitish helow. The following 



1 Ilirwidv (CnlNc/irlidon) ci/niicoviridis {\UiYA\r), Baiim), Ucv. Am. Birds, IStiS, 303. Buha- 

 iinis. This spt'cies may yet be detected on the Florida coast. 



