Genus I. CIIELIDON *. 



Type. 

 Hirnndo, pt., Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 343 (1766). 



Hirundo, Forster, Syn. Cat. Brit. B. p. 55 (1817) C. 2irhica. 



Chelidon, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 550 C. urhica. 



Delichon, Moore, P. Z. S. 1854, p. 104 C. nipalensh'. 



Chelidonaria, Eeichenow, J. f. O. 1889, p. 187 C. urhica. 



Distinguished from all the other Hinindinida by the feathered toes. 



Range. Over the greater part of the northern Old World. Throughout the Palfcarctic Region, wintering 

 in the Indian and Ethiopian Regions. 



Clavis specierum. 

 a. Subcaudales albfe. 



«'. Rectris extima minime albo notata. 



a". Supracaudales longiorcs nigne, reliqute allxc, uropygio con- 

 colores. 

 a!". Mentum album, gastrseo rcliquo concolor. 



«'. Major: ala 4"25-4"3 poll.: subti;is pure allxi (ad.), 

 gutture fumoso vel isabelliuo (juv.) ; cauda valde 

 furcata 1. urb'ica, p. 5. 



* Dr. Leonard Stejneger, in the ' Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum ' (vol. v. p. 31), has drawn attention 

 to the fact that previously to Boie having selected the Hirundo urhica of Linnaeus as the type of his genus ChcJidoii. 

 Thomas Forster had already restricted the same species to Hirundo, and had proposed the name Chelidon for the 

 Common Swallow and its alUes. Thus Hirundo ought to bo kept for the Martins, and Chelidon used for the S■\v,^llow^. 

 reversing the established custom of ornithologists for three (quarters of a century. This conclusion of Dr. Stejneger 

 has been adopted by the Committee of the American Ornithologists' Union, and Chelidon is now in general use for 

 the Barn-Swallows of the New "World. In the ' Catalogue of Birds ' (vol. x. p. S5) wo did not follow Dr. Stcjncger's 

 conclusions, as we did not agree that Eorstcr's nominal list of British birds, which gave not a single character or 

 description, ought to supersede the more useful and intclhgible work of Boie. A still more ]iotent reason for not 

 adopting such a wholesale change in nomenclature seemed to be that ornithologists in every country had liecoiuo 

 accustomed to the names of Hirundo for the Swallows, and Chelidon for tlic Slartins, and it was a jiity to reverse 

 them. The same reasoning has induced us to observe the old-fashioned nomenclature in the present • Monograpli.' 

 Moreover in 1889 Dr. lleichcnow pointed out that Hirundo ru.itira had already been fixed as tlu' type of Hirundo 

 by Schaeffer in his ' Elcmenta Ornithologica, Genus lOil," and Ihal, in any case, Forsler's genus Ch.liiifin must lie a 

 synonym o( Hirundo, Schaefter. Dr. lleichcnow therefore pro])(ised the name Cheiidonarin for the House-Martins. 

 and by those who make up their mind to depart from the old-fasliioned nomenclature the name Clididonurin maybe 

 employed for the following species: — 1. ChJidonaria urhica : 2. C. cai>hiniri<nsis ; 3. C. dusii/nis : 4. C. hi;iii/iux : 

 •3. C. alhi(jcna ; G. C. ni[icdcn>sis. 



