194 ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. 



to their winter quarters. How it happened I cannot now recollect, but I 

 thought of shooting some of them, perhaps to see how expert I might prove 

 on other occasions. Off went a shot, and down came one of the birds, which 

 my dog brought to me between his lips. Another, a third, a fourth, and at 

 last a fifth were procured. The ever-continuing desire of comparing one 

 bird with another led me to take them up. I thought them rather large, 

 and therefore placed them in my bag, and proceeded slowly towards the 

 plantation of William Perry, Esq., with whom I had for a time taken up 

 my residence. 



The bill and feet of the Swallows were pure black, and both, I thought, 

 were larger than in the Sand Martin; but differences like these I seldom 

 hold in much estimation, well knowing from long experience, that individuals 

 of any species may vary in these respects. I was more startled when I 

 saw not a vestige of the short feathers usually found near the junction of 

 the hind toe with the tarsus in the common species, and equally so when I 

 observed that the bird in my hand had a nearly even tail, with broad rounded 

 feathers, the outer destitute of the narrow margin of white. At this time 

 my observations went no farther. 



I perhaps should never have discovered the differences existing between 

 these species had I not been spurred by the remarks of Vieillot, who, in 

 expressing his doubts as to their identity, and perhaps holding in his hand 

 the bird here described, says that the tarsus is much larger than in the 

 European Sand Martin. I have been surprised that these doubts did not 

 awaken in others a desire to inquire into the subject. Had this been done, 

 however, I should probably have lost an opportunity of adding another new 

 species to those to whose nomination I can lay claim, not to speak of such 

 as, although well known to me previous to their having been published by 

 others, I have lost the right of naming because I had imparted my knowledge 

 of them to those who were more anxious of obtaining this sort of celebrity. 

 I have now in my possession one pair of these Swallows procured by myself 

 in South Carolina during my last visit to that State. Of their peculiar habits 

 I can say nothing; but, owing to their being less frequent than the Sand 

 Martin, I am inclined to believe that their most habitual residence may 

 prove to be far to the westward, perhaps in the valleys of the Columbia 

 river. 



Rough-winged Swallow, Hirundo serripennis, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. iv. p. 593. 



Tail slightly emarginate, margin of the first quill rough with the strong 

 decurved tips of the filaments, tarsus bare; upper parts greyish-brown, lower 

 pale greyish-brown, white behind. Very nearly allied to the last in form 



