4);.I
u n d e r wing-cove rts pa le smoky b row n , tb e e x te rn a l cove rts s lig h tly m o ttle d w ith blackish bases ;
q uills d u sk y below : “ bill, legs, a n d iris black ” {A. Peel) . T o ta l leu g th 5-5 inche s, cu lm en 0-35,
w in g 4-45, ta il T 9 , tai-sus 0-5.
T h e specimen d e sc ribed is in tb e B ritish M useum . I t was ob ta in ed b y M r . Alan P e e l in
U ru g u a y in A u g u s t 1877, a n d appe a rs to be a to le rab ly ad u lt bird , th o u g h th e rem a in s o f smoky
b rown tip s to th e w h ite fe a th e rs of th e rum p m ay be a sign o f im m a tu rity , as specimens colle c ted
by M r. H u d so n a t Conchita s, in Septembe r, have th e rum p p u re white.
T h e re appe a rs to be n o difference iu th e colo u riu g o f th e sexes, a u d th e m e a su rem en ts a re as
follows :—
(J imm. R io G rande do Sul {Joyner) . . . . 5 '0 0-35
? im m . „ „ „ . . . . 5 '5 0 ‘4
S imm. U ru g u a y {A. P e e l ) .................................5-5 0-35
ad. Bra z il {Mus. P . L . S . ) ....................................... 5 '0 0 '4
ad. „ {A lb u q u e r q u e ) ........................................5 '2 0 ‘35
S ad. Conchita s, Buenos Aires {IF. H. Hudson) 5-3 0-35
$ ad. „ „ „ 5-4 0 '3 5
$ ad. Cosu ip a ta , P e ru {//. W h ite ly ) . . . . 3-0 0-35
Tarsus.
0°45
0-45
0-5
0-5
0-5
0-5
0-45
0-5
Young birds a p p a ren tly have sm o k y b rown tip s to th e fe a th e rs o f th e rump, and also d is tin c t w h ite
m a rg in s to th e secondaries a n d u p p e r ta il-co v e rts.
Hab. S o u th e rn Bra z il, U ru g u a y , P a ta g o n ia , a n d P e ru .
T u b celebrated Po rtu g u ese n a tu ra lis t Azara seems to have been th e first to describe th e
p resen t species, in his work on th e n a tu ra l h istory o f P a rag u ay , and on his description
Vieiliot founded his Iliru n d o leucorrhoa. The n e x t m en tio n of th e species appears to
have been by Air. Gould, who redescribed it from specimens obtained by Air. Darwin a t
Alonte Video d u rin g th e voyage of th e ‘ Beagle.’ H e called it Iliru n d o fro n ta lis , and
gave a somewhat careless description, om ittin g a ll men tio n o f th e characteristic white
rump . As th e name of fro n ta lis had already been bestowed on an A u s tra lia n species of
Swaliow by Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard, th e late Air. Cassin proposed in 1850 to call th e
Brazilian species U . g o u ld i; b u t iu 1853 ho recognized th a t i t was th e same as Iliru n d o
leucorrhoa of Vieiliot, an d suppressed his n ame of J I. gouldi.
Azara describes th e p resen t species as common in Pa raguay, n estin g in the
holes of trees, b u t on tb e La P la ta river, where th ere are no trees, in holes in the
ground.
Alost of th e specimens examined by u s have been from th e n eighbourhood of Buenos
Aires, an d some ex cellent accounts of th e habits of tb e species a re given below.
Air. Da rwin ’s specimen which he obtained a t Alonte Video is n o t in th e B ritish
Aluseum. In th e collection of Alessrs. Salvin and Godman a re a p a ir of birds from
Pclotas, in Bio Grande do Sul, collected by Mr. Jo y n e r, and N a tte re r obtained examples
a t Taubató and T p a n cm a in th e provmce o i San Paulo, in th e month oi November. The
samo distinguished traveller m et with th e species a t lla to g ro sso in Juno, and no one
appears to have found i t to tho n o rthw ard o i these localities, though Mr. Ilem-y M'hitely
obtained it a t Cosnipata in P eru , iu October, a t a b o u t a shuilar latitude.
The late Mr. B. W. W h ite fo u n d th e species a t Santo Tomó, in th e province ot
Corrientes, Arg en tin e Eepuhlie. I t was v e ry a b u n d an t in May a t th e above locality,
an d he obtained a specimen o u t o f a n um b er flying over a small lagoon close to the river
Itao u a. Proiessor Burmeister, iu his jo u rn ey th ro u g h th e La P la ta States, m et with the
species a t P a ran a , b u t i t was n o t common.
Mr. Du rnford also found i t p len tifu l d u rin g his vi.sit to tho C h u p u t valley in P a ta gonia,
and on th e evening of November 25fh h e observed m any congregating as if for a
m ig rato ry movement. H e notes i t (as m ig h t have been expected) as a spring and summer
visitor, and says th a t it was observed commonly th ro u g h o u t th e jo u rn ey wherever th ere
were steep cliffs o r rocks. H e took some eggs u e a r Tombo P o in t on th e 30th o f D ecember.
All h ad left C h u p u t by th e 1st of March.
Mr. W a lte r Barrows, in his account of th e birds of lo w e r Uruguay, writes “ By
fa r th e most a b u n d an t Swallow a t a ll points visited. Arriv in g from th e n o rth early in
Ju ly , i t rem ains th ro u g h th e summer and does n o t leave u n til th e following April.
A b u n d an t alike in th e crowded stre e ts o f Buenos Aires and on the monotonous pampas,
it is known everywhere h y th e name ‘ Golondrina,’ and its appearance a fte r tlio cold
weather is hailed as ono of th o earliest signs of r e tu rn in g summer. T h ro u -h October
and November i t breeds a t Concepcion wherever it can find a suitable spot, placing its
n e s t o f grass, wool, and feathers in any safe cavity ab o u t a dwelling-house or slied, or
n o t u n freq u cn tly in th e deserted n est o f a F u n ia rm s or Am uiibim. P rom .a n est of the
la tte r h ird I took a set of th is Sw.allow’s eggs—five iu n um b er—on October 30, the
pa ren t birds hovering close ab o u t my head as I examined tbo ucst. The eggs a re p u re
white. D u rin g th e mating-season th o male has a very pretty song, n o t u nlike th a t
o t th e E a ste rn Bluebird, th o u g h u o t as long, and seldom delivered with o u t inter-
ru p tio n .”
Dr. D u rn fo rd has w ritte n the following account of th e species iu th e neighbourhood
of Buenos Aires :—
“ O n April 3 rd I saw a specimen of Iliru n d o leucorrhoa flying over th e island of
Flores, to th e e a st o f Buenos A ir e s ; and ou Au g u st 1 0th I observed others a t B e lg ra n o ;
from th e la tte r date to th e 1 8 th th ey appeared sparingly, the weather being cloudy and
u n s e ttle d ; hy October 9 th they were busily engaged in building tlie ir nests, and were
very abundant. I often observe birds o f th is speeies clinging to th e tru n k s o f larg e
willow tre es which are fu ll of lio les; th ey also perch on twigs ju s t outside th e h o le s ;
an d once I saw one s ittin g on tb e edge of a large opening in a branch.”
Ag ain h e w r ite s :—“ Arrives early n e a r Buenos Aires (I saw some on the 10th of
A u g u s t last y ear), an d does n o t leave u s till th e middle of April. 1 speak o f th e main
b o d y ; for m any birds rem ain with us all th e winter. On th e 30th o f J u ly I saw two or