(1 8 8 3 ); Salvin & Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, i. p. 235 (1883); Sharpe,
Cat. Birds in B rit. Mus. x. pp. 117, G31 (1885) ; Ilen sli. Rep. Zool. E xpl. lOOtli
H e r . p. 217 (1875); Drew, Auk, ii. p. 15 (1885); Turuor, Proc. U.S. Nat. Alus.
viii. p. 239 (1 8 8 5 ); Agersb. t. c. p. 278; Turner, Contr. N. U. Alaska, no. ii.
p. 177 (1 8 8 6 ); A n th o n y , A u k , iii. p. 170 (188G); Everm. t. c. p. 1 8 3 ; Eox,
t . c. p. 3 1 7 ; Thompson (Seton), t. c. p. 3 2 5 ; Dwight, Auk, iv. p. 10 (1887) ;
Beckham, t. c. p. 30-4 ; Ridgw. Alan. N. Amer. B. p. -401 (1887) ; Nelson &
n e n s h . Rep. N. I I. Coll. Alaska, no. iii. p. 198 (1887) ; AVarren, B. Pennsylvania,
p. 20G, pl. 38 (1888) ; Scott, Auk, v. p. 31 (1888) ; Eaxon & Allen, t. c- pp. 150,
152 ; Chapm. t. c. v. p . 275 ; Alerrill, t. c. p . 300 ; Brewster, t . e. p. 389 ; Everm.
Auk, vi. p. 2G (1889) ; Eaxon, t . c. p. 102 ; B ritta in & Cox, t. e. p . 118 ; Dutchcr,
t . c. p. 1 3 0 ; Cory, B. AV. In d . p . 71 (1 8 8 9 ); Cooke, Rep. ATigr. Aliss. Valley,
p . 229 (1888).
Petro ch e lid o n hicolor, Cass. Cat. Iliru n d . Alus. PhiJad. Acad. p. 4 (1853) ; Scl.
P. Z. S. 1857, p. 201, 1859, p. 3 0 4 ; id. & Salv. Ib is , 1859, p. 1 3 ; Brewer, Proc.
Bost. Soc. vii. p. 300 (18G0); Scl. Cat. Amer. B. p. -40 (1SG2).
Iridoprocne hicolor, Qq\xg%,V>. Color. A'all. p. 412 (187G); Drew, Bull. N u tt. Orn.
Club, vi. pp. 88, 115 (1881); Coues, ed. S te arn s’s N. E n g l. Bird-life, i. p. 183
(1 8 8 1 ); Alerriam, Bull. N u tt. Oru. Club, vii. p. 235 (1 8 8 2 ); Coues, Check-list,
p. 42 (1882) ; id. Key N. Amor. B p. 322 (1884).
Iliru n d o bicolor, var. vespertina. Cooper, Amer. Na t. x. p. 91 (187G) ; id. Proc. U. S.
Na t. Alus. ii. p. 246 (1880); Ridgw. Proc. U. S. N a t. Alus. iii. p. 23 4 (1880).
T. u ro pygio dorso concolore : su p rà n ite n ti-v iiid is , sup ra c au d a lib u s dorso co ncoloribus : su b tù s a lb u s .
Hab. in reg io n e N e a rc tic à fe re to tà , e t in su b -reg io n e C eu tra li-A iu c ric an ù liietnante.
A d u lt male. Gene ra l c o lo u r above g lossy ste e l-b lu e , g re en e r on th e he ad, th e sc apula rs like tb e back ;
le sse r and m ed ian Aving-coverts s te e l-b lu e ; g re a te r coverts, b a s ta rd -w in g , p rin ia ry -co v c rts, and
q u ills bla ck ish , th e form e r edged aud th e Latter glossed e x te rn a lly with s tc e l-h lu e , d u lle r o n th e
p rim a ry -co v e rts a n d q u ills j ta il-fe a th e rs bla ck ish w ith a s te e l-blue g lo s s ; lo re s a n d fe a th e rs
beloAV th e eye velvety black ; u p p e r edge o f th e e a r-co v c rts a n d sides o f th e ne ck stcel-gvccn like
th e h e ad ; cheeks, rem a in d e r o f e a r-co v e rts, a n d en tire u n d e r surfa c e o f body wliite, witli a p a tch
o f browu glossed with s te e l-g re en ou th e sides o f tlie u p p e r b re a st ; axilla rie s a n d un d e r wing-
cove rts smoky b rown, th o se n e a r th e edge o f th e wing d u ll w h itish ; quills below d u sk y browu ;
“ b ill b la c k ; in te r io r o f m o u th pa le y e llow ; feet d a rk p u rp lish b row n ” [li. R id gw a y ). T o ta l
le n g th 5-3 inche s, eulmen 0-35, wing -i-55, ta i l 2-25, ta rsu s 0--45.
A d u lt female. Sim ila r to th e male : “ bill b la c k ; in te r io r o f m o u th fleshy w h ite ; ta r s i aud to e s dark
sepia , th e la tte r p in k ish b en e a th ” {R. R id gw a y ). To ta l len g th 5 inches, cu lm cu 0 '3 , wiug 4-(j,
ta il 2 '1 , ta rsu s 0'-15.
Ill tlie B ritish Aluscum ‘ Ca ta lo g u e o f B ird s ’ we su g g e sted th a t th e w in te r p lum age was g re en e r th a n
th e brc ed in g -p lum ag c , a n d liaving now examined th e fine se rie s iu th e H en sh aw colle c tion, we
believe th a t th is is ab so lu te ly co rre c t. T h u s when th e bre eding-se a son approaches th e re is
n o sp rin g m o u lt, b u t th e g re en c o lo u r gives way to a b e au tifu l s te e l- o r violet-bluc. T b is is tru e
o f th e males and o f th e old fem a le s ; h u t we fancy th a t th e la tte r ta k e much lo n g e r in a rriv in g
a t th e fu ll m e ta llic p lum ag e th a n do th e m ales, which pro b ab ly a rriv e a t p e rfe c tio n in th e ir first
sp rin g . M r. BrcAvstcr ha s drawn a tte n tio n to th e w h ite fringes o f th e secondaries, Avhich he
believes to be a u a c companiment o f tb e w in te r plumage o f th e old bird s as well as o f th e you n g ,
a n d th is seems to be confirmed by tb e e x am in a tio n o f th e specimens in th e Salvin-Godmau
co lle c tio n ; b u t th e s e w hite tips a re speedily c a s t when th e sp rin g p lum ag e is complete and th e
b ird s a re iu tlie ir sum m e r h au n ts . A f te r th e a u tum n m o u lt tb e u p p e r ta il-eo v e rts a re tipped
Avitli asliy o r whitish ma rgins, an d , c u rio u s ly en o u g h , th e s e w h ite edges sometimes accompany
th e bird on its r e tu rn jo u rn e y in sum m e r, a u d a re even occasionally developed in a high
degree.
Young. A'cry diffe rent from th e a d u lts an d w ith o u t m e ta llic gloss. G e n e ra l c o lo u r above sooty o r
m o u se -b row n ; th e Aving-coverts and q u ills lik e th e b a e k ; lores b la c k is h ; car-coA'crts lik e th e
h e a d ; cheeks, th ro a t, aud u n d e r surface o f body Avhite; fore n e e k a n d c h e s t pale mouse-broAvn,
da rk e r on th e sides o f th e che st a n d f la u k s : “ b ill b la c k ; r ic tu s au d in te r io r o f m o u th yellow ;
fe e t d a rk livid sepia o r lig h t p in k ; iris b row n ” [R. Ridgway ).
A good se rie s o f you n g bird s is c o n ta in ed in tb e IleushaAV colle c tion, th e e a rlie s t b e a rin g th e d a te of
J u ly 1th. M r. BrcAvstcr o b s e rv e s :—“ T h e firs t p lum ag e is worn m u ch lo n g e r th a n in most
b ird s , au d th e au tum n a l dress very sloAvly a cquired, th e m e ta llic tin te d fe a th e rs ap p e a rin g o ue or
two a t a tim e . T h e remige s a rc also m o u lted h y th e y o u n g as aa-cU as by th e a d u lt, and b o th in
tb e a u tum n a l plumage have th e la s t p a ir o f secondaries b ro ad ly tip p ed with p u re w h ite . This
rem a rk ab le fe a tu re , so fa r as th e specimens a t han d go to shoAv, is e n tire ly c lia ra c tc ris tic o f th is
plumage.” Ag a in , in th e a u tum u o f ISTO, h e c o n tin u e s :—“ P rom in v e stig a tio n o f m a te ria l
collected d u rin g th e p a s t season I find th a t th e chan g e ta k e s place from a b o u t th e m iddle to th e
la s t o f S ep tem b e r. Six specimens sh o t a t Concord, Alass., O c to b e r IGtb, 1 8 /8 , have a ll acquired
th e fu ll a u tum n a l d re s s .”
In th e IleushaAV collectiou, hoAvcA'er, a re specimens Avhich are commenc ing to m o u lt on th e
1-lth an d th e 2 rth o f A u g u s t, and a n old female killed in th e same m o n th a n d a t th e same place
(Siiig-Siiig, N.A'.) ha s idmost completely d o n n ed its Avinter p lum age , in c lu d in g th e Avlnte-tipped
se co n d a rie s; th e lo n g e s t prima rie s have n o t y e t b e en slicd. O ne ma le , killed a t Cambridge,
Ma ss., ou th e 3 0 th o f S ep tem b e r, a n d ma rk ed b y M r. Henshaw as a m a le in its first Avinter
p lum age , is e n tire ly g re e n above, Avith Avcll-niarkcd Avliite m a rg in s to th e in n e r secondaries and
u p p e r ta il-co v c rts, aud ha s a shade o f hroAvii over th e fore ne ck a n d cbcst. T h is is also seen iu
yo u n g b ird s in tb e first p lum age , b u t every sig n o f it disappe a rs in th e sp rin g dress. I t is p ro bable
th a t th e e a rlie r m o u ltin g bird s .are th o se of tb e e a rlie r h a tc h e d broods.
A fem a le killed b y Air. N e lso n a t S t. AlichaePs, A la sk a , on th e 2 l t h of Alay is hroAvn above, w itli very
little gloss l e f t ; an d th is may prove th a t, as wc have above su g g e sted , th e fem a le s do n o t a cquire
th e ir fu ll b rilliancy o f p lum age in th e first sp rin g . Ce rta in it is th a t some females a re fully as
b r illia n t as any males, b u t th e y may ta k e re a lly two o r tlire e ye a rs to a cquire tb is p e rfe c t dre ss.
O r i t may be th a t th e Avcar and te a r o f th e jo u rn e y to tlie fa r n o r th and th e m ore rigorous
c lim a te m ay cause an e a rly abra sion o f th e m e ta llic plumage.
Hab. N e a rly th e Avhole o f N o r th Ame ric a , h u t its exa c t u o rtlic ru ran g e is n o t y e t d c tc rn iin cd . W in te rin g
ill th e G u lf S ta te s aud in Cen tra l Am e ric a , as f a r as G u a tem a la , iu B e rm u d a , th e Baham a s, and
Cuba.