SWALLOWS 



(611) Progne subis subis 



(Linn.) (Gr., a mythological character). 



PURPLE MARTIN. Ad. d' — 

 Intense steely-blue as shown by the 

 upper figure; wings and tail less lus- 

 trous. Ad. 9 — Upper parts sooty 

 blackish with slight gloss on back; 

 below grayish-white, streaked espe- 

 cially on the chest with sooty. L., 

 8.00; W., 5.80; T., 3.35- B., .50, stout 

 and broad at base. 



Range — Breeds from southern 

 Canada south to the Gulf coast and 

 Me.xico. Winters in Brazil. 



(611.1) Progne cryptoleuca Baird 

 CUBAN MARTIN. Occasional in 



southern Fla. 



(611.2) Progne chaljbea (Cmd.) 

 GRAY-BREASTED MARTIN. 



From southern Tex. south to Brazil. 



" chip-churr. " The song is a very unusual one, so that, 

 having once hard it, any one can very readily go into our 

 northern woods and discover several of these birds any morn- 

 ing in spring or summer. 



If depending upon sight alone, one might hunt for years 

 without seeing a tanager. Although the plumage is so 

 brilUant of itself, it is really quite inconspicuous when seen 

 among green leaves spotted with sunlight that filters 

 through the outer branches. 



SUMMER TANAGERS, common in summer in southern 

 woodlands, are duller red and nearly uniform in coloring. 

 Their habits are the same as those of the northern bird but 

 their songs are even more Robin-like in character, — clearer 

 and rounder, with little of the grating burr of that of the 

 Scarlet Tanager. The call note is very peculiar, of three 

 notes instead of two as in that of the last species. The inter- 

 pretation given by Chapman, of " chicky-tucky-tuck, " fits it 

 quite closely. 



342 



