PETROCHELIDON SWAINSONI, Sdater 



SWAINSON'S CLIFF-SWALLOW. 



Hirundo melanogaster^ Swains. Fhilos. Mag. new series, i. p. 366 (1827) ; Gray, 



Gen. B. i. p. 58 (1845). 

 Petrochelidou melanogaster, Cab. Mus. Hem. Th. i. p. 47 (1850). 

 Petrochelidon swamsoni, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 296, 1859, p. 376 ; id. Cat. Amer. 



B. p. 40 (1862) ; Baird, Keview Amer. B. p. 290 (1865) ; Salvia, Ibis, 1866, 



p. 192 ; Sumichr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 547 (1869); Scl. & Salv. Nomenel. 



At. Neotr. p. 14 (1873) ; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 17 (1876) ; Luges, 



La Nat. i. p. 141 (1878) ; Salvia & Godman, Biol. Centr. Amer., Aves, i. p. 227 



(1883) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds in Brit, Mus. x. p. 194 (1885). 

 Hirundo coronata, Lieht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. p. 2 (1830) ; Cab. J. f. O. 1863, 



p. 58. 

 Petrochelidon lunifrons (pt.), Coues, B. Color. Vail. p. 426 (1878). 



P. fronte rufa : uropygio rufo : gutture rufo : mento basali nigro : gutture imo nigro notato : hypo- 

 chondriis cinerascenti-brunneis. 



Hab. in America centrali. 



Adult male. General colour above glossy steel-blue, varied on tbe mautle and back with ashy-whitish 

 streaks, with which the feathers are edged ; wing-coverts blackish, slightly glossed with steel- 

 blue ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills also blackish, with scarcely any gloss except on the 

 secondaries, the innermost of which have narrow ashy-whitish margins near the end of the outer 

 webs ; lower back and rump pale cinnamon-rufous ; upper tail-coverts brown, with narrow blackish 

 shaft-streaks, and edged with ashy-whitish ; crown of head glcssy steel-blue, separated from the 

 mantle by a narrow 7 collar of deep chestnut, extending from the ear-coverts and followed by a 

 less distinct collar of ashy brown like, the sides of the neck ; a broad frontal band of deep 

 chestnut; lores velvety black, with reddish-buff bases ; cheeks, sides of face, and ear-coverts deep 

 chestnut, as also the throat ; a line along the base of the chin black ; in the centre of the throat 

 a patch of blue-black feathers, not very distinct ; sides of neck, breast, and sides of body pale 

 ashy brown, with a slight rufous tinge, the flanks with indistinct dusky shaft-lines ; centre of 

 body and abdomen white; thighs ashy brown, slightly washed with rufous ; vent pale rufous; 

 under tail-coverts ashy brown tinged with rufous ; the feathers subterminally dark brown and 

 broadly edged with whitish ; under wing-coverts and axillaries ashy brown washed with rufous, 

 especially near the edge of the wing ; quills dull ashy brown below. Total length 5T inches, 

 culmen 0'3, wing 445, tail l - 75, tarsus 0' 15. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour, but a trifle smaller. Total length 4-5 inches, wing 4" 1, 

 tail 18, tarsus 45. 



