an d axilla rie s b rown, glossed w ith b lu e ; quills d u sk y b row u be low, p a le r a lo n g th e edge o f th e
in n e r web. T o ta l le n g th 6 in ch e s , c u lm cn 0-35, win g -i'15, t a il 3-1, tai-sus 0--15.
A d u lt fem a le . S im ila r to th e ma le in colour. T o ta l len g th 5 ‘5 in ch e s , cu lm en 0 '3 5 , win g - I 'l, ta il 2 ‘8,
ta r su s 0-4.
T h e following no te s re f e r to th e se rie s o f spe c imens in th e B r itis h M useum :—
Cayenne. P lum ag e d u ll a n d worn, a lm o st b ro n zy , w ith th e wings a n d t a i l in f u ll m o u lt [Sclater
Coll.). A n o th e r [Tweeddale Coll.) is in b r ig h te r p lum ag e , ap p a re n tly ju s t em e rg in g from th e
m o u lt, th e lo u g firs t p rim a rie s n o t y e t repla c ed. A thii-d ma le [Salv in-Godman Coll.) is also in
com p le te p lum age , e x c ep tin g as re g a rd s th e lo n g p rim a rie s and secondaries, which a re n o t y e t
m o u lted .
B r itis h Guiana. T h re e males (w iu g 4 -0-4*l) an d a fem a le (w in g 4 ‘1) from th e A ta p u r a u lliv e r
[H. W h ite ly ) , p ro cu red tow a rd s th e end o f J a n u a ry , a re a ll in s lig h tly woru plum ag e ; b u t in a p a ir
o b ta in ed b y W h ite ly on th e M e rum e M o u n ta in s , th e ma le (wing 4-15) is in fu ll b rig h t plumage ,
h av in g ap p a re n tly ju s t com p le ted its m o u lt, while th e fem a le is s till m o u ltin g th e long prima rie s.
Tlie c o n tra s t be tw e en th e b r ig h t p lum ag e o f th e M e rum e spe c imens a n d th e r a th e r bronzed
ap p e a ran c e o f th o s e from th e A ta p u r a u lliv e r is very m a rk e d , and shows th a t tlie new fe a th e rin g
is a cq u ired by th e b e g in n in g o f J u ly , and b ecomes m u c h w o rn b y th e e n d o f th e following
J a n u a ry .
Am a zo n ia . A n ad u lt b ird from th e R io N eg ro [A . R . Wallace) is in s lig h tly worn p lum age
(wing 4 '0 5 ) . A n a d u lt b ird from P cb a s [J. H a uxwe ll) is m o u ltin g th e wings and ta il. A you n g
b ird f rom th e U p p e r U c ay a li (E . B a r tle tt) ha s a n e a r ly sq u a re t a i l ; a n d an a d u lt from Y u rim a -
gua s, M a r c h [E . B a r tle tt) , is also m o u ltin g th e lo u g p rim a rie s .
E cuador. A n ad u lt [Sc late r Coll.) h a s th e win g 3 ’9 inches, and a p a ir from th e Copataza Rive r
{C. Buckley) also b o th me a sure 3-9 inche s in th e win g , wh ich is slig h tly less th a u in G uiana
examples. A t S a ray a cu B u ck ley a lso p ro c u re d a n e s tlin g .
P e ru . A fem a le f rom Ch an ch am ay o [H. W h ite ly ) is in d e c idedly worn p lum ag e , and ha s th e
win g 4 in ch e s . I t lias a n a rrow w h ite b re a s t-b a n d .
B o liv ia . O f th re e ad u lt spe c imens p ro cu red b y B uckley a t Y uyo, tw o a rc m o u ltin g th e ir
q u ills a n d ta il-fe a tlie rs . T h e th ird is in w o rn p lum ag e , a n d h a s th e wing 4 iuche s in le u g th . A
ve ry y o u n g b ird was o b ta in ed byB u ck ley a t Canga lli.
W e have go n e som ew h a t in to de ta il over th e M u s eum se rie s, in o rd e r to t r y a n d find o u t w h e th e r th e re
is a n y cou firm a iio n of th e difie renc e in th e wid th o f th e w h ite b re a s t-b a n d , which is undo u b ted ly
we ll-m a rk ed in th e series in q u e s tio n . T h e b ro a d e r b re a s t-b an d , which we fancied (C a t. B. I. c.) to
b e a sign o f im m a tu rity , seems r a th e r to be ch a ra c te ris tic o f m o re s o u th e rn b ird s ; and we sh o u ld be
able to d iflc re n tia te two ra c e s w ith well-defined ran g e s , w e re i t n o t fo r th e Ch an ch am ay o specim
en iu th e S c la te r C o lle c tion, w h ich h a s as na rrow a b re a s t-b a n d as th e G u ia n a skins. The
n a rrow b re a s t-b a n d , howeve r, with th is exception, is c h a r a c te r is tic of th e b ird s from G u ia n a and
th e R io N e g r o ; while th o se f rom U p p e r Ama zonia , E c u a d o r, a n d B olivia have a ll o f th em very
bro ad wliite bands.
Hah. G u ian a , R io N e g ro d is tr ic t o f B ra z il, U p p e r Ama zonia , E c u a d o r, Bolivia.
T h e blue-black plumage with the white thighs and the white band across the breast
render this species easy to recognize. It was first described from Cayenne, and is
apparently not rare in British Guiana. Sir R. Schomburgk fouud it to he the commonest
species on the Barima and Barama rivers, hut he did not notice it breeding. Mr. Ileury
Whitely procured adult individuals at the end of January on the Atapurau River, and
in July in the Merume Mountains, but no young birds were in his collections. We
should suppose, however, that the species is a resident in Guiana and breeds there.
ilr . A. R. W'allace found it common on the banks of the lower and middlellio Negro;
and the late Johann Natterer procured it on the Rio Guaporc in July, and on the Rio
Negro in December. On the right bank of the latter river he found it common along
with Progne tapera.
The late Mr. C. Buckley obtained specimens on the Copataza River, and a nestling
at Sarayacu, showing that the species breeds in Ecuador; aud that it does so on the
Upper Ucayali is related by Mr. E. Bartlett, who also procured specimens at Yurima-
guas aud on the lakes of Santa Cruz. Ue writes “ Breeds in banks along with
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis, and lays four or five white eggs. The nest is rather more complete
in structure than that of the latter, the grass-fibres and bents being finer. Nest
taken in July.” Mr. Stolzmann also procured this Swallow at Yurimaguas in February.
A specimen obtained by Mr. J. Hauxwell at Febas on the Upper Amazons is in the British
Museum; and in August Mr. Henry WTiitely shot a specimen at Chanchamayo in Peru-
This record does not appear to have been published by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin, and
is omitted in Dr. Taczanowski’s work on the birds of that country. Specimens were
obtained by Buckley at Yuyo in Bolivia, and a young bird from Cangalli, also procured
by Buckley, is in the Salvin-Godman collection.
The above notes prove the species to be in British. Guiana in January and July, and
on the Rio Negro in July and December, nesting on the Upper Amazons in July, and
occurring at Yurimaguas in February, and at Chanchamayo in August. The moulting of
the Guiana specimens in July, as noticed above, proves that they could not be nesting
at that time, as they were found to be doing on the Ucayali hy Mr. Bartlett during
that mouth, and therefore the habits of the species in different districts of Soutli
Amei-ica appear to vary. It is much to be regretted that so little information is really
available for the study of this aud other species of South-American Swallows.
The Plate is drawn from a specimen in the Tweeddale collection, now in the British
Museum.