BIRDS OF KOETH AND MIDDLE AMEEICA. 77 



nut or rufous, whitish streaked with darker, or white with a black 

 band across chest. 



Bill small (exposed culmea shorter than distance from nostril to 

 eye), depressed, the culmen nearly straight to near tip where more or 

 less strongly decurved; gonys nearly straight or slightly convex, the 

 base not forming an angle; commissure nearlj^ straight, the subter- 

 minal notch distinct but sometimes minute. Nostril opening laterally, 

 narrow," longitudinal, overhung by a rather broad membraneous oper- 

 culum. Rictal bristles rather few and weak, but the larger ones pro- 

 jecting a considerable distance beyond the tomial edge of the maxilla. 

 Tail two-thirds as long as the wing, or longer,* forked for more than 

 one-third its length, sometimes for more than half its length, the lateral 

 rectrices becoming gradually narrower and more attenuated to the 

 outermost, which are sometimes almost filiform for the terminal por- 

 tion, but always with obtuse tips. Tarsus equal to or slightly longer 

 than middle toe (without claw), only the extreme upper portion, 

 if any, feathered; middle toe united to outer by greater part of its 

 basal phalanx, to the inner by about half the basal phalanx; lat- 

 eral claws reaching about to base of middle claw or falling slightly 

 short. 



Coloration. — Upper parts mainly glossy blue-black or dark steel 

 blue, but always with chestnut or rufous on forehead or rump, some- 

 times both, the entire pileum sometimes rufous; under parts colored as 

 follows: (ffl) Throat chestnut, bordered behind, at least laterally, by 

 glossy black, the remaining under parts, including under tail-coverts, 

 uniform white, buff, cinnamon or rufous. (5) Throat and rest of under 

 parts pure white, the chest crossed by a band of glossy black, (o) 

 Throat cinnamon-rufous, the remaining under parts pale brownish 

 gray, with black centers to longer under tail-coverts, {d) Under parts 

 rufous becoming paler (sometimes white) on throat, (e) Under parts 

 bright rufous or buffy, including throat, sometimes narrowly streaked 

 with blackish, the under tail-coverts black. (/") Under parts white or 

 buffy, streaked with black, including under tail-coverts. 



In addition to these color characters are others in the following com- 

 binations:" 



« Broader and more rounded, and with narrower operculum in some Old World 

 species, for example H. montieri Hartlaub. 



6 As stated before, H. javanica forms an exception to this character, though other- 

 wise apparently a typical Hirundo. 



"Perhaps other combinations occur in species which I have not seen, those 

 examined being the following: H. rustica Linnaeus; 11. gutturalis Scopoli; H. tytleri 

 Jerdon; H. erythrogaster Boddaert; H. neoxena Gould; H. javanica Sparrman; //. 

 albigula Bonaparte; H. montieri Hartlaub; 11. gordoni Jardine; H. badia Oassin; H. 

 hyperythra Blyth; H. emini Eeichenow; H. rufula Temminck; H. japonica Tem- 

 minck and Schlegel; JS. cucullata Boddaert, and H. puella Temminck. 



