322 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEBES — OSCINES. 



Fig. 181. — Generic details of Bvnmdo (H. hor- 

 reorum, nat. size). (Ad nat. del. E. C.) 



159. H. erythrogas'tra horreo'rum. (Gr. epvBpos, eruthros, ruddy, and yaa-rrjp, gaster, belly- 



Lat. horreorum, of barns, gen. pi. of horreum, a barn.) Barn Swallow. ^, adult: deep 



lustrous steel-blue; forehead and entire under 

 parts rufous, generally deepest on the forehead 

 and throat ; an imperfect steel-blue collar. 

 Wings and tail blackish, with steel-blue or 

 somewhat greenish gloss ; the lateral pair of 

 tail-feathers much lengthened and filiform at 

 the end, all but the central pair with a white 

 spot. Length 6.00-7.00, very variable, accord- 

 ing to the development of the tail ; extent 12.50- 

 13.50; wing 4.50-5.00; tail 3.00-5.00, the fork 

 2.00-3.00 deep. ?, adult: Quite like the $ ; 

 colors rather less intense and lustrous; average 

 size smaller. Young : Lacking in great measure 

 the elongation and attenuation of the lateral tail- 

 feathers, the fork being an inch or less in depth. 

 Similar to the adults, but much duller, and with 

 rather a greenish than steel-blue lustre — at an 

 early age quite brown, with scarcely any lustre, 

 and the rump and upper tail-coverts skirted with 

 rusty. Frontlet obscurely mai'ked or reduced to 

 a mere tawny line, and under parts, especially 

 behind the dark collar, very pale, even brownish- 

 white. N. Am. at large; abundant;, breeds throughout its range. 

 60. IRIDOPBOC'NE. (Gr. 'ipiy, gen. *I/3tSos, Iris, messenger of the gods ; also the rainbow ; 



npoKvtj, Procne, daughter of Pandion.) Iris Swallows. Plumage compact, lustrous, as in 



Hirtmdo ; but tail lacking the elongation of that genus, being simply emarginate. Under 



parts snowy white. Eggs colorless. Sexes similar. 

 160. I. bi'color. (Lat. bicolor, two-colored. Fig. 182.) White-bellied Swallow. ,J, adult: 



Entire upper parts glossy dark green ; vdngs and tail blackish, lustrous; lores black. Entire 



under parts pure white. BiU black ; feet dark. Length 



about 6.00; extent 13.00; wing 4.50-5.00; tail 2.50. 



9 : Similar, the colors rather less intense and lustrous. 



Young : Birds of the year slowly acquire a plumage 



differing only in the less lustre and intensity from that 



of the adults ; but, on leaving the nest, they are dark 



mouse-gray or slate-color above, including the wings 



and tail, the interscapulars and inner quUls tipped with 



rusty ; and white below, slightly shaded with ashy ; 



thus curiously similar to Cotile riparia. The feet yel- 

 low. The first plumage is worn longer than usual, the 



autumnal dress being slowly gained — one or two of 



the metallic- tinted feathers at a time. The quills of 



the wing are moulted by the young as well as by the adult, and in both, in autumn, the inner 



secondaries are white-tipped. Temperate N. Am. Breeds indifferently in all parts of its 



range, and winters abundantly on the southern border. 

 51. TACHYCINE'TA. (Gr. TaxvKivrjTos, tachukmetos, moving rapidly.) Violet-velvet 



Swallows. Similar to the last, but lacking lustre of the richly varied plumage of the 



upper parts. 



Fig. 182. — 'White-bellied Swallow, nat. 

 e. (Ad nat. del. E. 0.) 



