THE BARN SWALLOW. 185 



the crustaceous parts of which are disgorged in roundish pellets scarcely the 

 size of a small pea. 



I have represented a pair of our Barn Swallows in the most perfect spring 

 plumage, together with a nest taken from one of the rafters of a barn in the 

 State of New Jersey, in which there was at least a score of them. 



An individual of this species preserved in spirits measured to end of tail 

 6 T 8 2 inches, to end of wings 6^; wing from flexure 4j§; tail 3i; extent of 

 wings 12 y 9 j. The roof of the mouth is flat and somewhat transparent; the 

 posterior aperture of the nares oblongo-linear, margined with strong papillae; 

 the tongue 3j twelfths long, triangular, emarginate and papillate at the base, 

 thin, the tip slit and lacerate. The mouth is supplied with numerous mucous 

 crypts; its width is 5| twelfths. There is a very narrow flattened salivary 

 gland, similar to that of the Purple Martin, but proportionally smaller. The 

 oesophagus is 2 inches long, l-£ twelfths in width, simple or without dilatation. 

 The stomach is elliptical, 7^ twelfths long, 6 twelfths broad, its muscles dis- 

 tinct; the epithelium, as in the other species, tough, with longitudinal rugae, 

 and of a reddish-brown colour. The intestine is short and wide, its length 

 being 6^ inches, its breadth from 2\ twelfths to 2 twelfths. The cceca are 

 2 twelfths long, \ twelfth wide, and placed at the distance of 1 1 twelfths 

 from the extremity; the rectum is dilated into an oblong cloaca; about 5 

 twelfths in width. 



The trachea is 1 inch 5, twelfths long, moderately flattened, from 1 twelfth 

 to f twelfth in breadth; its rings pretty firm, 50 in number, with two 

 dimidiate rings. The muscles are as in the other species; the bronchi are 

 moderate, of about 15 half rings. 



Barn Swallow, Hirundo Americana, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. v. p. 34. 



Hirundo Americana, American Barn Swallow, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. vol. ii. 



p. 329. 

 Hirundo rufa, Bonap. Syn., p. 64. 



Barn Swallow, Hirundo rufa, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 601. 

 Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 413; vol.. v. p. 411. 



Tail very deeply forked, the lateral feathers much exceeding the wings. 

 Forehead and throat bright chestnut; upper parts and a band on the fore- 

 neck glossy deep steel-blue; quills and tail brownish-black, glossed with 

 green; the latter with a white spot on the inner web of each of the feathers, 

 except the two middle. Female similar to the male. Young less deeply 

 coloured, the forehead and throat pale red, the band on the fore-neck dusky, 

 tinged with red; lateral tail-feathers not exceeding the wings. 



Male, 7, 13. Female, 6 T 3 2, 12 T V 



Vol. I. 28 



