GREEN-BLUE SWALLOW. 



107 



inch longer than the middle ones, and all of an 

 uniform brown black : lores black : all the under 

 parts of the body pure white : wings, when closed, 

 extend about one quarter of an inch beyond the 

 tail: legs naked, short, and strong, and, as well 

 as the feet, of a dark purplish flesh-colour : claws 

 stout : female with less of the greenish gloss than 

 the male, and all the colours less brilliant j in 

 other respects the same. 



The White-bellied or Green-blue Swallow has 

 generally been confounded by European writers 

 with the common Martin, but separated by Wilson 

 in his American Ornithology with great propriety 

 from that species, from which it differs in not 

 being of a dark caerulean black above, and white 

 on the rump : it arrives in Pensylvania a few days 

 later than the Barn Swallow, and often takes pos- 

 session of the boxes that are put up for the Purple 

 Swallow : its nest consists of fine loose dry grass, 

 lined with large downy feathers, rising above its 

 surface, and so placed as to curl inwards, and 

 completely conceal the eggs, which are four or 

 five in number, and pure white in colour: the 

 bird has generally two broods in the season, and 

 will sometimes build in a hollow tree : it is a very 

 quarrelsome species, and is continually fighting : 

 they are extremely numerous in some parts of 

 North America: Wilson mentions one hundred 

 and two being brought down by one discharge 

 from a gun, in the low lands of Long Island ! 



