HIIlUNDIXin.'K — TIII'J SWALLOWS, •^}^-y 



of the breast, and n few Mack li'allu'is in tlic cxlrciiic diiii, llic latter soniPtiinc-i scarcclv 

 aiipi'cciablc. I'liilri' parls cliill wliili'. tiuLTril willi leililish-ui'av mi llic sMcs ami inside ol' 

 till' wiiij^s. Fcallicis ot'ciissuiii liiowiiish-uniy. cil^cil wilii wliitisii, with a liiiire otriilims 

 aiitcriorly (soiiicliiiics aiiiidst iiia|i|)r('i'ialiii'). Xcst ni' ii.iid, lined; luiill a^aiiisl rocks or 

 licaiiis; opening: sometimes circular, on the side ; somelimes open aliove ; e;,'L's spotted. 



Total lon.s;lli, 5.1(1; winu', 4SM; tail, "J. Id, neaily even: ililVerencc of primary ipiills, 

 2.10; lenjrlli ofliill I'rom loreliead, .:!S. I'roni nostril. ."_'."), alomr j.'ape, .(id, wiillli, ."iO ; tarsu.s, 

 .48: niidtlli' toe and claw, .7-; claw alone, .22; himl toe and claw. .11 ; claw alone, .20. 



II.vi!. i'lnlire I'niled Slates from Atlantic lo I'ai'ilic, mid aloin;- cenlral re;.noii lo Arctii; 

 Oi'caii anil Fort Yukon ; I'anaiua in winli'r. .Nol iioleil .at Cape St. Lucas, in Mexico, or 

 in West Indies. 



TIrto is no (liirfi'dice iKitwocu flic sc.xij.s, Init tlm yomic; liinl is vci'v ilif- 

 t'ciiMit i'niiu till! luliilL 111 llii! lullowiiio jKirticiilars : the, slucl-liliu' aiioM' 

 is rt'iilacod liy n lustR'ies'^ (lusky-liruwn, llic rcutliers (cxccpl uii iicad) 

 liciiig mai'.i^iiKHl witli a ci'caiiiy tint ; tiic neck merely liiiocd with iiircms ; 

 the, throat lias only a diisUy sull'iision, and the chin is nuicli iiii.xcd willi 

 white ; the tVonlal jiatcii is oli.s(dcte. 



A closely allied species tVom ATexico, /*. siniinsoiii (sixi Hainl, \U'\. Am. 

 IJii'ds, bSt;."), 211(1), po.ssibly yet to he i'ouiid near otir southern iiorder, dill'ers 

 as I'ollows : — 



Frontlf't re<lilisli-white, with narrow band of likiek aloiiir iii>pci- iiiandililc . hnv/roiiK. 

 Frontlet chestnut-brown, without black at liii>e of iip|ier niaiidible. Size .smaller. 



mriiiiisDiii. 



Sonie<inies fas in 11,(127 9 iiiid 11,02.". <^ , Fort Rridoer) tin- Idack patch 

 extends iijiward, soiiiewiiat lirokcn, liow(!vcr, lo the liill. 



Haiuts. The ciirly history ol' the (liiV Swallow must always remain in- 

 volved in sonic ohsciirity, so I'ar as concerns its nunilieis and distri'iiition 

 liet'oi'c the tirst scttlenieiit ol' the coiinlry, and c\cii down to the early }iortioii 

 of the present century. Its existciuH^ was unknown to Mr. Wilson, and it 

 was unknown to oliuu- naturalists until olitaincd iiy Say, in Lono;'s expedi- 

 tion to the liocky Mountains in 1S20. It is now known to occur nearly 

 tlirou,tj;hoiit Nortli Anieiica, and to breed IVom rennsylvania to the Arctic 

 reoions, and t'roni the .Vtlantic to the I'acilic. ^'ct to many parts ol' the 

 country it is a ""W-cc er, where, a few years since, it vas uitindy un- 

 known. It .seems to li> irohalilc thai at lirsl this specie -was to lie t'lMind 

 only in certain localities tiiai olfcrcd lavoialtlc jilaccs whcrcoii to I'oiistriict 

 tlieir nests. Where liioli linicstone cjills aiMuiml, these birds may have 

 always occurred, altlicu.uii esca]>in,o' idiscrvatioii. 



in tlu' sanio yea.' that I.ono discovered this species amoiij.; tlu^ I'ocky 

 Mountains ( iS20), Sir .iolin Franklin's ]iarty also met with it between the 

 Cunilierlaiid Mouse and ImmI Knler|irise, and on the banks of Point Fake, in 

 latitude (lo". In .luiie, ISii.'i, a niimlicr id' these birds made their tirst aji- 

 pearance at Fort ('hijipewyan, and btiilt their nests under the eaves ot the 

 liou.«a This fort had then existed many years, and tri>diiio;-])osts had been 

 in existence a century and a hall, and yet this was the lirst inslance of its 



