BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 73 



Tarsus slightly longer than middle toe (without claw), the extreme 

 upper portion feathered in front, the posterior face with a tuft of 

 small feathers on lower portion, immediately above base of hallux; 

 claws long, slender, acute, and strongly curved, that of the hallux 

 longer than its digit, those of lateral toes reaching beyond base of 

 middle claw; mjddle toe united to outer toe by nearly the whole of its 

 basal phalanx, to the inner by about half the basal phalanx. 



Ooloration.^' — Plain grayish brown above, white beneath, with a 

 grayish brown band across chest. 



Nidification. — Nest in holes in banks of rivers, ravines, etc., com- 

 posed of fine grasses, feathers, etc. ; eggs immaculate white. 



Range. — Entire Northern Hemisphere. (Monotypic?*). 



RIPARIA RIPARIA (Linnaeus). 

 BANK SWALLOW. 



Adults (sexes alihi). — Above plain grayish brown (rather grayer than 

 hair brown), darker on the pileum, paler posteriorh", the scapulars, 

 interscapulai's, tertials, upper tail-coverts, and feathers of rump with 

 more or less distinct (usually obsolete) paler margins, except in mid- 

 summer; remiges, primary coverts, and alula much darker than rest 

 jf upper parts; anterior and lateral portions of forehead paler than 

 crown, sometimes forming a distinct hoary streak laterally along upper 

 edge of lores, and in abrupt contrast with the dusky color of the poste- 

 rior portion of the latter; chin, throat, malar region, and under parts 

 of body, with under tail-coverts, white, interrupted by a broad band 

 of grayish brown across chest, continued along sides (where fading out 

 on flanks), the median portion of breast usually with more or less con- 

 cealed spots of grayish brown; axillars and under wing-coverts grayish 

 brown, the marginal coverts margined with white; bill brownish 

 black; iris brown; legs and feet dusky horn color (in dried skins). 



Young. — Similar to adults, but feathers of rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 and tertials broadly naargined terminally with pale cinnamon-buff, pale 

 wood brown, or whitish, the wing-coverts more narrowly margined 

 with the same; feathers of grayish brown chest-band usualh' tipped or 

 margined terminally with paler; chin and upper throat often speckled 



"Of the type species; I have seen no other that I consider congeneric with it. 



6The above diagnosis is drawn up from the type-species, R. riparia, alone. Of the 

 remaining species commonly referred to this genus I have been able to examine only 

 one, Colile cowani Sharpe, of Madagascar. This lacks the tarsal tuft, and differs in 

 other particulars, and, according to my views, is not congeneric with R. riparia. 

 According to Sharpe and Wyatt (Monograph of the Hirundinidse, p. 41) the only 

 species recognized by them which possess the tarsal tuft or the jugular band are Cul.ile 

 diluta Sharpe, of central Asia, and C. shelleyi Sharpe, of northeastern Africa, both of 

 which seem, judging from the descriptions in the work cited, to be desert forms or 

 subspecies of R. riparia. 



