' ! I
H IR U N D O N EOX EN A
H I R U N D O N E O X E N A , Gould,
A U S T R A L IA N SWALLOAV.
R iru n d o Javanica {nec S p a rrm .) , A'ig. & H o rs f. T ra n s . L in n . Soc. x v . p . 1 9 1 (1 8 2 7 ) ;
J . E . G r a y in G r iiiiih ’s A n . K in g d . ii. p . 95 (1 8 2 9 ).
R iru n d o pacifica (n e c L a th .) , J . E . G r a y in G r if fith ’s A n . K in g d . ii. p l. to p. 9 6
(1829).
R iru n d o neoxena, G o u ld , P . Z. S. 1 8 1 2 , p . 1 3 1 ; id . B . A u s t r . fol. ii. p l. 1 3 (1 8 4 8 ) ;
B ly th , C a t. B . A lu s. A s . Soc. p. 1 9 8 ( 1 8 4 9 ) ; B p . C o n sp . i. p . 3 3 8 ( 1 8 5 0 ) ; Cab.
Alus. H e in . T h . i. p . 4 6 (1 8 5 0 ) ; H ig g le s , O rn . A u s tr. p l. 22. fig. 1 ( 1 8 7 0 ) ; S h a rp e ,
C a t. B ird s in B r i t . Alus. x . p . 1 4 4 (18 8 3 ).
R iru n d o fro n ta lis (n e c Q. & G .), G r a y , C a t. F is s ir . B r i t . A lu s . p . 22 ( 1 8 4 8 ) ; Cass.
C a t. H iru n d . P h ila d . A lu s. p . 2 (1 8 5 3 ) ; G o u ld , H a n d b . B . A u s t r . i. p . 1 07 (1 8 6 5 ) ;
R am s a y , I b i s , 1 8 6 8 , p . 27 5 ; G ra y , I l a n d - l . B . i. p . 7 0 , n o . 8 1 2 (1 8 6 9 , p t . ) ;
R am s a v , P ro c . L in n . Soc. N . S. AA. ii. p . 1 7 9 (1 8 7 8 ).
R iru n d o rustica, \a x. fro n ta lis , S e e b o hm , H i s t . B r i t . B . iii. p. 1 7 2 (1 8 8 3 ).
H . m in o r : u ro pygio c t pileo dorso c o n c o lo rib u s : f ro a te r u f a : g u ttu r e q u o q u e r u f o : r e c tric ib u s in tu s
albo n o ta tis : subc au d a lib u s p a llid e fumosis, s u b te rm in a lite r n ig ro c o rd a tim fa sc ia tis.
Hab. iu A ustra lia .
A d u lt male. Gen e ra l c o lo u r above glossy blu e , th e m a n tle slig h tly va ried w ith g rey ish -w h ite bases to
th e f e a th e r s ; le sse r and median w ing-covc rts lik e th e back ; g r e a te r cove rts, ba sta rd -w in g ,
prim a ry -co v e rts, and q u ills bla ck ish hrown, e x te rn a lly washed w ith s tc e l-b lu c , more d is tin c t ou
th e in n e r secondaries ; ta il-fc a th c rs b la ck ish , slig h tly glossed with g re e n , th e two c en tre fe a the rs
a nd th e o u te rm o s t on e a ch s ide w ith o u t an y spots, th e o th e rs w ith a sm a ll ro u n d ed sp o t o f white
ou th e in n e r w e b ; fro u ta l b a n d de ep b ric k -rc d , ex ten d in g f rom above e a ch eye ; lores d usky
b la ckish ; c a r-co v c rts glossy b lu e lik e th e b a c k ; cliccks a n d tbi-oat b rick -rcd , rem a in d e r of u n d e r
surfa c e o f bod y smoky brown from th e fo re n e ck dow nw a rd s; th e lower abdom en in c lin in g
s lig h tly to a shy w h itis li; u n d e r ta il-co v e rts pale smoky b rown with d u ll w hitish edgings an d tips,
w ith a h e a rt-sh ap ed su b tc rm in a l spot o f b l a c k ; u u d e r wing-cove rts an d axillaries pa le smoky
brown, a ll edged with pale r u fo u s ; q uills d u sk y b rown b e low ; “ b ill aud legs b la c k ; iris dark
b row n ” (Gould). To ta l len g th 5-8 in ch e s, cu lm en O'S, wing 4 '2 5 , ta il 2 7 5 , ta r s u s 0*35.
A d u lt fem a le . Does n o t differ f rom th e male.
Young. Sim ila r to th e ad u lt, b u t d u lle r in colour, tb e rufous o f th e foreh e ad a n d tliro a t paler, and th e
w h ite spots oil th e ta il-fe a th e rs m uch m o re rotiu d cd and n o t so oblique . T h e ta il likewise is u ot
n e a rly so forked.
Hah. N e a rly th e whole o f A u s tra lia and T a smania .