SWALLOWS 
383 
GENUS PEOGNE. 
General Characters. — Bill long, stout, and convex; feet large, with 
strong, curved claws; tarsus shorter than middle toe and claw; tail forked 
for less than half its length. 
KEY TO SPECIES. 
1. Females with under tail coverts streaked. sub is, p. 383. 
1'. Females with under tail coverts not streaked . . . hesperia, p. 383. 
611. Progne subis (Linn.). Purple Martin. 
Adult male. — Whole body glossy blue black; wings and tail black; 
feathers of ventral region entirely sooty grayish beneath the surface. 
Adult female and immature males with forehead grayish and upper parts 
sooty glossed with blue black, interrupted by grayish collar ; lower parts 
grayish in front, whole under parts streaked, the feathers, especially on 
chest, with distinctly sooty grayish centers. Length : 7.25-8.50, wing 5.65- 
6.20, tail 3.00-3.40 (forked for .70-.90). 
Distribution. — Temperate North America from Ontario and Hudson 
Bay south to the southern end of Mexican tableland; wintering in South 
America. 
Nest. — In holes of trees or about buildings and in bird boxes. Eggs : 
3 to 5, plain white. 
Food. — Insects. 
The peculiar vibrant and at the same time mouthed quality of the 
martin’s song tells of his presence, even when his big steel blue body 
is not seen floating around overhead. His song, though unpreten¬ 
tious, is a talkative twitter very pleasant and companionable. 
But, although we usually associate him with bird boxes and towns, 
large numbers, especially of the western subspecies, still nest in 
hollow trees in the mountain forests. 
611a. P. s. hesperia Brewst. Western Martin. 
Adult male. — Indistinguishable from male of subis. Adult female: 
similar to female subis , but light gray of forehead extending back into 
crown ; feathers of back and rump conspicuously edged with grayish or 
pale brown; bend of wing and under coverts mottled profusely with 
whitish ; anterior under parts and nuchal collar grayish white ; and whole 
tract from abdomen to under tail coverts almost immaculate white. 
Distribution. — Breeds in Pacific coast region from Oregon south through 
California and Arizona to southern Lower California; migrates to Nica¬ 
ragua. 
The examination of birds from British Columbia may show that 
they should be referred to this form. 
GENUS FETROCHELIDON. 
General Characters. — Tail short, nearly even; nostrils without nasal 
scale, opening directly upward; tarsus with tuft of feathers above hind 
toe. 
KEY TO SPECIES. 
1. Forehead white or pale isabella. lunifrons, p. 384. 
1'. Forehead rich chestnut; rarely fawn color . melanogastra, p. 384. 
