winter than in the summer lUiimage, there being mncli less of the ashy-brown shade on tlic breast
and sides, while the dusky shaft-lines arc almost entirely obscnrcd.
The winter plumage is also more stccl-grccn than the summer dress, the wearing of the feathers
being accompanied by a steel-blue lustre iu the place of the green.
This IS a smaller speeies than 71 leucorrhous, of whieli it is the northern representative. The
white band across the rump is much narrower ami has the dusky shaft-lines, the feathers adjoining
the upper tail-coverts having a green or a dusky spot a t their ends. There is none of the brown
mottling wliich appears on tho imniatnrc bird ot T. Imcorrhous. The chest has also some dusky
shaft-liiies, which aro, however, often scarcely traceable, and are never so distinct as on the
rump.
Iu the Selater collection, now ui the British Museum, is a specimen of Hirundo leucopygia of
Taczauowski, received in exchange from the Warsaw Museum. The specimen iu question seems
to us to he iiudouhtedly a young hird. Tiie under surface is washed with smoky browu, the
green colour of the upper surface is duller, and the quills and tail are sooty brown, witli very
broad wliite margins to the inner secondaries. The upper tail-covcrts are smoky browu, witli
distinct dusky blackish sliaft-liucs. The white miup-band is very narrow, hut plainly marked with
blackish shaft-lines.
I f we are correct iu believing this to be the immature plumage, it seems to prove that the wliite
margins on the iuuer secondaries are a sigu of immaturity, aud it is certain that they become
aljsolutcly abraded iu breeding birds.
The following are the measurements of the series iu the British Museum, for comparison witli
the specimens of T. leucorrhous :—
Total ICDgth. Culmen. Wing;, TaU. Tarsus.
s ad. A'era Cruz, Mexico {A. Boucard) . . . 4-3 0-35 3-7 l'G5 0-35
Ad. Proj^reso, Yucatau {E. Devia) . . . . . 4-5 0-35 3-85 105 0-4
^ ad. Belize, Honduras (0 . S a lvin ). . . . . 4-5 0-4 3-75 1G5 0-4
¿ ad. Ifonta Arenas, Costa Ilica (0. S .) . . . 4-8 0-4 3 9 1-9 0-4
0-35 3-8 1 7 0-4
? ad. Cliiapam, Guatcinala (0. S.) . . . . . 4-5 0-4 3’7 1'5 0-4
Ad. Panama [M‘L e a n n a n )....................... 0-35 3G5 1-55 0-4
c? ad. „ „ ............................ 0-4 3-9 1-G 0-35
Ad. „ „ ............................ 0-3u 3-7 1-G 0-4
s juv. Clicpcn, Peru {J. Slohmann) . . . . 4-0 0-3 3-G 1-75 0-35
Allowing for age and condition of specimens, it will be sccu that T. albilinea is a much smaller
bird thau T. leucorrhous, the wing never exceeding ‘I inches iu leugth.
Hab. Central America, from Mexico to Panama, reoccurriug in Peru.
T u b first notice of th is bird appears to have been th e record by Mr. G. N. Lawrence of
its occurrence in ra n am a , wliere it was procured by Air. ALLcannan. Air. Lawrence
first determined tlie species as IIirundo leucoptera, which is a synonym of Tachijcineta
a lh a e n l r iS y a s trictly Soutli-Americau species. I n 18G3 Air. Lawrence, dete ctin g the
error in bis previous identification o f th e P an ama bird, described it as a new speeies
u nder th e name of Petrochelidon albilinea, and about the same time M r. Salvin discovered
th o species in various p a rts of Central America and named i t P. littorea-, b u t he
aoknowlodges th a t Mr. Lawrence’s description was published before his own, and lie
adopted the name given by the last-named author.
The range of th is Swallow th ro u g h o u t Central America is almost continuous. Tlie
late Colonel Grayson found i t in Mexico, a t Mazatlan, and specimens from the State of
Vera Cruz, collected by Mr. Boiioard, a re in tb e British Museum. I n B ritish Honduras
i t was procured hy Messrs. Salvin an d Godman ou tlie Belize lliv e r an d the Cays of the
coast. Although not yet recorded from Yucatan, Mr. G. F. Gaumer has recen tly sent a
specimen from Jo lbox Islan d , off th o coast o f t h a t province.
I n Guatemala th e species was m et with hy Messrs. Salvin and Godman a t several
places. P e ten , Yaxba, Ilio Dulce, Hiiamuchal, Chiapam, and San Josd de Guatemala.
A t San Salvador in L a Union, and ag ain a t Ainapala iu Honduras, it has been noticed
liy Mr. Salvin, while i t is also recorded from Nicaragua. Mr. Zeledon includes th e
species in his lis t o f Costa-Eiea birds, and Jlossrs. Salvin and Godman procured a
specimen at P u n ta Arenas, wliich is now in th e British Museum. Mr. M'L cau n an sent
th o original specimens from Panama, and Mr. Salvin found i t breeding on tho Chagres
R iv e r ill th a t State.
As before mentioned, we cannot separate th e Peru v ian bird specifically from
T. albilinea, and it probably occurs in Ecuador also.
Alessrs. Salvin au d Godman believe th e species to be resident in every co untry
th ro u g h o u t Central A m e ric a ; an d it appears to frequent inland waters as well as tlio
sea-coast, breeding in old AVoodpeckers’ holes in th e siiags of rivers in British Honduras.
A t Alatachio, on th e Chagres River, a nest with young birds was found b y Air. Salvin in
Alay 1873, in a n old post, a hollow palm which had once served to support the roof of
a hut.
The late Colonel Grayson has given the following account of th e species in AVestern
Alexico:—
“ This handsome little Swallow is common a t Alazatlan, where i t is a constant
resident, one among th e few Swallows th a t is n o t migratory. A t all seasons of th e year
its tw itte r may be heard aliout th e caves of the houses, or th e spacious corridors of tlic
peculiarly constructed Aloorish Alexicau haciendas. AA'e often see it skimming alon«'
th e streets, a t times almost touching th e pavement iu its p u rsu it of flics. I ts customarv
liaimts a re u e a r o r about larg e towns or haciendas, and rarely have 1 seen it far froiu
some hum an Imhitatiou. I n Ap ril it commences to form th e nest, usually le n e a tli the
caves of houses or iu holes in the wall, often in tlio hollow tubes for coiivcyiu» tlie water
from th e flat roofs of tho buildings. They are very sociable in th e ir habits, and mav
often ho seen in considerable numbers perched upou tho roofs of the houses.”
To th is note Messrs. Salvin and Godman append th e following remarks :__
“ T his account of th e habits of T. albilinea hard ly agrees with o ur experience. Wc
only fouud th em aloug river-courses or freq u cu tiu g lagoous or lakes, a iiwourito pcreli
p: V i
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