A.
1. Genus Hirundo. Linn., Syst. Nat. I. p. 343. (1766.)
Bill depressed, wide at base, compressed to the end, nostrils basal; wing long, pointed, first primary usually longest, secondaries short; legs and feet short and weak; tail moderate, forked or emarginate. General form rather broad, robust; flight protracted, rapid.
1. Sub-genus Hirundo.
Tail with the two external feathers disproportionately long; others graduated.
1. Hirundo rufa. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I. p. 1018. (1788.) The Barn Swallow. Hirundo horreorum. Barton, Frag. Nat. Hist. of Penna. p. 17. (1799.) Hirundo americana. Wilson, Am. Orn. V. p. 34. (1812.) Hirundo erythrogaster. Boddaert, Tab. Pl. Enl. p. 45. (1783.)? Hirundo cyanopyrrha. Vieill., Nouv. Dict. XIV. p. 510. (1817.) “Hirundo rustica. Linn.” Aud. Orn. Biog. II. p. 413.
Wilson, Am. Orn. V. pl. 38, fig. 1, 2; Aud., B. of Am. pl. 173, Oct. ed. I. pl. 48; Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 29, fig. 64; Buff., Pl. Enl. 724, fig. 1?
Wings long; tail deeply forked with the two outer feathers much the longest; forehead, throat, and neck in front, chestnut, which color is separated from the paler color of the breast by a partial or rarely perfect collar of dark steel blue; entire upper parts steel blue, with a purple lustre, inclining to green on the wings and tail; breast, abdomen, and under tail coverts, chestnut, very pale in some specimens, but generally darker on the tail coverts; tail with a large spot of white on the inner web of every feather, except the middle two; bill and feet black; sexes very nearly alike.
Dimensions. Total length, 7 inches; wing, 4½; tail, 3½. Female smaller.
Hab. Throughout North America. Canada (Dr. Hall); Oregon (Dr. Townsend); Texas (Dr. Woodhouse); Santa Fé (Col. McCall); Indiana (Dr. Haymond); Long Island (Mr. Giraud); Cuba (Mr. Lembeye).
This is one of the most abundant of the birds of the United States, and known to all classes and ages of the population. It is nearly related to the European House Swallow (Hirundo rustica), but can readily be distinguished on comparison. The European is rather the larger, the under-parts are darker, and the collar on the neck in front complete. In the present bird this collar is imperfect, with very rare exceptions.
2. Sub-genus Petrochelidon.
Tail moderate or short, emarginate, but slightly forked.
2. Hirundo lunifrons. Say., Long’s Exp. to the Rocky Mts. II. p. 47. (1823.) The Cliff Swallow. Hirundo opifex. Clinton, Ann. N. Y. Lyceum I. p. 161. (1824.) Hirundo respublicana. Aud., Ann. N. Y. Lyc., I. p. 164. (1824.) “Hirundo fulva. Vieill.” Aud., Orn. Biog. V. p. 415, and Clinton, as above.
Bonap., Am. Orn., 1. pl. 7, fig. 1; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 68, Oct. ed. I. pl. 47; Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 30, fig. 64.
Bill very wide at base, short; wings long; tail rather short, emarginate; forehead white, nearly pure in some specimens, but generally tinged with reddish chestnut; head above and back bluish-black, with a purple lustre; plumage of the back usually edged and streaked with grayish white; rump pale chestnut; throat dark brownish chestnut, which color extends upwards and forms a complete collar around the neck behind; lores and large spot on the neck in front black; entire other under-parts ashy-white, tinged with pale chestnut, especially on the breast; under tail coverts with a green lustre, and tipped with pure white; wings and tail brownish-black; bill and feet dark; sexes very nearly alike.
Dimensions. Total length, 5½ inches; wing, 4⅜; tail, 2 inches. Female rather smaller.
Hab. Throughout North America. Oregon (Dr. Townsend); California (Dr. Heermann); New Mexico (Col. McCall); Texas (Dr. Woodhouse); Indiana (Rufus Haymond, M. D.); Canada (Dr. Hall).
This handsome species is now well known throughout almost the whole of the United States, but is said to have appeared for the first time in the States on the Atlantic seaboard within the memory of persons now living. It builds a curiously-formed nest of the shape of a gourd, faithfully represented in Mr. Audubon’s plates, cited above.
Hirundo fulva, Vieill., is an allied species, but much smaller, and not ascertained to inhabit any part of North America. It is best known as a bird of the Island of Jamaica.
The paper referred to above, in which this bird is named Hirundo opifex, possesses additional interest, from the fact that it was written by the late De Witt Clinton, formerly Governor of the State of New York, who had given particular attention to American Natural History.
3. Hirundo bicolor. Vieill., Ois. d’Am., Sept. 1, p. 61. (1807.) The White-bellied Swallow. Hirundo viridis. Wilson, Am. Orn. V. p. 44. (1812.) Hirundo leucogaster. Stephens, Gen. Zool. X. p. 106. (1817.)
Vieill., Ois. d’Am., Sept. 1, pl. 31; Wilson, Am. Orn. V. pl. 38, fig. 3; Aud., Birds of Am., pl. 98, Oct. ed. I. pl. 46; Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 29, fig. 1.
Wings long, exceeding the tail, pointed; tail deeply emarginate; entire upper parts uniform dark green, changing to blue in some lights, very glossy; wings and tail brownish-black, slightly tinged with green; entire under-parts silky-white, generally with a tinge of cinereous; bill black; feet yellow; sexes alike, but the female with the colors duller.
Dimensions. Total length, male, 5½ inches; wing, 4¾; tail, 2¼ inches.
Hab. Throughout North America. Canada (Dr. Hall); Oregon (Dr. Townsend); California, Texas (Dr. Woodhouse); Cuba (Mr. Lembeye); Wisconsin (Dr. Hoy); Northern Ohio (Prof. Kirtland); Long Island (Mr. Giraud).
When in full plumage, this is one of the handsomest of the Swallows of the United States. It is quite abundant everywhere in the States on the Atlantic during the summer.
Specimens from California present some points of difference from the bird of Pennsylvania, being apparently more tinged with blue, and having the bill perhaps slightly large. We regard the two, however, as specifically the same.
4. Hirundo thalassina. Swains., Philos. Mag., 1827, p. 366.
Aud., B. of Am., pl. 385, fig. 4, 5, Oct. ed. I. pl. 49.
Wings long, exceeding the tail, which is rather short and emarginate; entire upper-parts rich grass-green, very glossy, and shaded with purple, especially on the head, and in some specimens approaching to carmine on the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts; entire under-parts silky-white, generally with a tinge of cinereous; bill and feet dark. Female, less glossy, and with the purple generally tinged with brown.
Dimensions. Total length, male, 5 inches; wing, 4½; tail, 2 inches. Female, smaller.
Hab. Western North America. Oregon (Townsend); California (Gambel); Mexico (Swainson); New Mexico (Woodhouse).
This is the most beautiful of the North American birds of this family. It is exclusively an inhabitant of the countries west of the Rocky Mountains and of Mexico.
II. GENUS PROGNE. Boie, Isis, 1826, p. 971.
Form robust and compact; bill wide at base, compressed suddenly to the tip, rather strong; upper mandible overlapping the under; wings long, pointed; first and second primaries longest; tail moderate, rather wide, usually deeply emarginate; tarsi and feet larger and stronger than usual in this family.
Size, largest of American birds of this family. This genus contains about five or six American species, several of which are nearly related to each other, and not well understood, and probably one other (Hirundo borbonica, Gm.), which is a native of Madagascar, and of the Island of Bourbon. All the species, except the last, considerably resemble each other, and are difficult to distinguish in some stages of plumage.
1. Progne purpurea. (Linn.) The Purple-Martin. The House Martin. Hirundo purpurea et subis. Linn., Syst. Nat. I. p. 344. (1766.) Hirundo violacea. Gm., Syst. Nat. I. p. 1026. (1788.) Hirundo cœrulea. Vieill., Ois. d’Am., Sept. 1, pl. 57. (1807.) Hirundo versicolor. Vieill., Nouv. Dict. XIV. p. 509. (1817.) Hirundo ludoviciana. Cuv., Reg. An. I. p. 374. (1817.)
Catesby, Carolina I. pl. 51; Vieill., Ois. d’Am., Sept. 1, pl. 26, 27; Buff, Pl. Enl. 722; Wilson, Am. Orn. V. pl. 30, fig. 2, 3; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 22, Oct. ed. I. pl. 45; Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 28, fig. 61.
Bill moderately wide at base, rather strong, curved; wings reaching about to the end of the tail, which is deeply emarginate; legs short; toes rather long. Male.—Entire plumage above and below deep black, with a purple and blue silky lustre; quills and tail less lustrous, and in many specimens plain brownish-black; bill and feet black. Female. Upper-parts same as in the male, but paler; under-parts ashy-brown, dark on the throat and breast; paler and sometimes nearly white on the abdomen; under tail coverts dark brown, every feather edged with ashy-white.
Dimensions. Total length, male, 7½ inches; wing, 5¾; tail, 3 inches. Female slightly smaller.
Hab. Eastern North America. Canada (Dr. Hall); Oregon (Dr. Townsend); Texas (Dr. Woodhouse); Cuba (Mr. Lembeye); Florida (Mr. John Lee Williams).
In mature plumage, a beautiful species. This bird is common throughout the eastern United States, and comes with much punctuality in the spring to take possession of the boxes prepared for its accommodation in the rural districts, and occasionally in the cities. Our esteemed friend, Mr. Thomas Fisher, an eminent mathematician of this city, has been annually visited by a colony of this species for several years, though his residence is in one of the most dense parts of Philadelphia.
This bird is nearly allied to several species of South America and the West Indies. In fact, the genus Progne is one of the most difficult of the family of Swallows.
2. Progne chalybea. (Gmelin.) The Western Martin. Hirundo chalybea. Gm., Syst. Nat. I. p. 1026. (1788.)
Buff, Pl. Enl. 545, fig. 2.
Size smaller than that of the preceding; bill very wide at base, much longer than in the preceding, gradually compressed to the tip, curved; wings reaching about to the end of the tail, which is deeply emarginate; under tail coverts long; legs short. Male, adult? Plumage of the upper parts dusky black, with a dark green lustre; throat and breast ashy white, running into light smoky brown on the sides of the neck, breast, and flanks; abdomen and under tail-coverts pure white, many feathers having dark lines on their shafts; under wing-coverts and axillaries fuliginous brown. Female? Similar to the male, but less lustrous on the upper parts, and with the entire plumage more tinged with fuliginous; under tail-coverts pure white, many feathers with dark shafts; bill and feet dark.
Dimensions. Total length, about 6¾ inches; wing, 5¼; tail, 3 inches. Female slightly smaller.
Hab. Western North America. South America, California, Panama (Mr. Bell).
This species, long known as a bird of South America, was first ascertained to be entitled to a place in the ornithological fauna of the United States by Mr. John G. Bell, of New York, who noticed it in California, and previously at Panama. We have since seen specimens from various parts of California, and suspect that it is abundant in that and probably in other countries of Western America.
Though closely related to other South American species, the present bird may be distinguished very easily from the Purple Martin of the United States (P. purpurea), by the greater width and much greater length of the bill, and it is smaller in size. We are not confident that we have ever seen the perfectly plumaged adults of this bird, though the specimens above described were obtained by Mr. Bell in the spring, and have the general appearance of maturity, except that the lustre of the plumage is but faint. Little or nothing is known of its habits or history.
III. GENUS COTYLE. Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 350.
Bill small, weak, wide at base, compressed to the tip; wing long, pointed, first and second quills longest; secondaries short, truncate, and emarginate; tail moderate, wide, even or slightly emarginate; legs short, slender; toes rather long, slender; colors dull, usually fuliginous brown of various shades; size of American species smaller than those of either of the preceding genera.
This genus contains about twelve species, inhabiting various regions of both continents, and all, so far as known, more or less terrestrial in their habits. In addition to those about to be described, there are three other American species restricted to the southern division of this continent.
1. Cotyle riparia. (Linn.) The Bank Swallow. The Sand Martin. Hirundo riparia. Linn., Syst. Nat. I. p. 344. (1766.) Hirundo cinerea. Vieill., Nouv. Dict. XIV. p. 526.
Wilson, Am. Orn. V. pl. 38, fig. 4; Aud., B. of Am., pl. 385, Oct. ed. I. pl. 50; Nat. Hist. N. Y. Birds, pl. 28, fig. 62.
Bill weak; wing long; first primary longest; tail emarginate; legs short; tarsus with a tuft of short downy feathers near the insertion of the hind toe; entire upper parts and wide band across the breast light fuliginous or grayish brown; quills and tail brownish black; throat, abdomen and under tail coverts white; under wing coverts light fuliginous; bill and feet dark.
Dimensions. Total length, 5 inches; wing, 4; tail, 2 inches. Female slightly smaller.
Hab. The whole of North America. Oregon (Dr. Townsend); California (Mr. Bell); Indiana (Dr. Haymond); Cuba (Mr. Lembeye); Indian Territory, New Mexico (Dr. Woodhouse); Florida (Mr. William Bartram).
Frequently met with, and remarkable for constructing its nest in a hole in the ground, usually by the side of a quarry or stream of water. This is one of the few American birds that appear to be absolutely identical with European species. On close comparison, we can discover no characters in the present sufficient to raise a probability of specific distinction.
Specimens from California, that we have examined, present slight variations from those of the Eastern States. The bill appears to be smaller, and the tail not so deeply emarginated.
2. Cotyle serripennis. (Audubon.) The Rough-winged Swallow. Hirundo serripennis. Aud., Orn. IV. p. 593. (1838.)
Aud., B. of Am., Oct. ed. I. pl. 51.
Larger than the preceding; wing long; first primary longest; tail emarginate; legs short; outer edge of the first primary furnished throughout its length with a row of reversed hooked bristles, easily apparent to the touch; entire upper parts light ashy white, darker on the breast and flanks, lighter on the throat and middle of the abdomen; under-coverts of the tail white; under-coverts of the wing ashy brown; bill and feet dark. Female lighter in all the colors.
Dimensions. Total length, male, 5½ inches; wing, 4½; tail, 2¼ inches. Female slightly smaller.
Hab. Louisiana, South Carolina (Mr. Audubon); Pennsylvania (Prof. Baird); California (Dr. Heermann).
This remarkable species is easily distinguished from any other North American Swallow by the recurved and stiff bristles of the outer edges of the first primary quills. There is a South American species which has, however, the same character (Cotyle flavigastra).
The present bird considerably resembles that immediately preceding, but is larger, and is quite distinct. It was regarded as a rare southern species, until demonstrated by Professor Spencer F. Baird, then of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to be of frequent occurrence in the interior of that State. Dr. Heermann states that it is not uncommon in California. Ornithologists generally, however, have not noticed it, and in the vicinity of Philadelphia, it has been entirely overlooked, or does not inhabit this district.