The eggs are generally four in number; they differ much in the disposition of their markings; their ground-colour is dull white, spotted and dashed with dark umber-brown; in some a second series of greyish spots appear as if beneath the surface of the shell; their medium length is eleven lines, and breadth eight lines.
Head, neck, and the whole of the body fuliginous grey; wings dark bluish black, the external edges of the second, third and fourth primaries white; tail bluish black, all the feathers except the two middle ones largely tipped with white; irides dark brown; bill blue with a black tip; feet mealy lead-colour.
The sexes are alike in the colouring of their plumage, and are only to be distinguished by the female being somewhat smaller in size.
The young have an irregular stripe of dirty white down the centre of each feather of the upper surface, and are mottled with the same on the under surface.
The Plate represents a male and female of the natural size.
ARTAMUS MINOR: Vieill.
J. Gould and H. C. Richter, delt C. Hullmandel Imp.
ARTAMUS MINOR, Vieill.
Little Wood Swallow.
Artamus minor, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xvii. p. 298.—Ib. Ency. Méth., Part II. p. 759.
Ocypterus fuscatus, Valenc. Mém. du Mus. d’Hist. Nat., tom. vi. p. 24. t. 9. fig. 1.