mmmmm 



( 60 ) 



ORD. III. GEN. XIII. SWALLOW. 



Bill, fhorr, broad at the bafe, fmall at the point, and a little bending. 



Nostrils, open. 



Tongue, fhort, broad, and cloven. 



Legs, fhort. 



Tail, forked. 



Wings, long. 



SPECIES I. CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 



PI. 124. 



Hirundo ruftica. Lin. Syji. I. p. 343. 

 L'Hirondelle de cheminee. Brif. Orn. II. p. 486. 



The chimney fwallow is rather more than fix inches in length. The bill is 

 black : the eyes hazel : the forehead and chin of a reddiih chefnut : the gene- 

 ral colour of the body black, gloried with a rich purplifh blue : the breaft and 

 belly white : that of the male has a reddiih tinge : the tail very forked, and every 

 feather, except the two middle ones, marked with an oval fpot of white on the 

 inner web near the end : the legs blackifh. 



The female differs chiefly in having the exteriour feathers of the tail much 

 fhorter than the male. 



This bird comes to us about the firft or fecond week in April, and builds its 

 neft in chimnies, within five or fix feet of the top. The neft is compofed of 

 mud, mixed with ftraw and hair, and lined with feathers. The eggs are four 

 or five in number, marked with fmall dufky and reddifh fpecks ; though thofe 

 of the reft of the genus which frequent England are white. See the egg s 

 PI. XXVIII. Fig. 1. 



