on the 3rd of September by Señor Alfaro, the Director of the Museum at that place. A
second Costa-Rican specimen is stated by Air. Ridgway to be iu the U.S. National
Aluseum.
Professor Baird has recorded the capture of a specimen hy Capt. Dow off the west
coast of Central America; and Air. G. N. Lawrence identified one of AIcLeaunan’s specimens
from Panama as belonging to the present species.
This completes the kuow'n Central-American record, and we hear nothing of
P . pyrrhonota till we get to Brazil. Here Natterer observed it between September and
March, his localities being as follows;—Ytararé, February and Alarch; Paruapitanga,
December; Irisanga, December; Fngenho do Cap. Gama, September. Its occurrence
in Paraguay is recorded by Azara; aud Air. Duruford’s notes on the species near Buenos
Ayres are as follows:—
“ The only occasion on which I have seen this bird was on the 25th of Alarch of the
present year, when I observed about half a dozen at different times during the day, all
flying steadily iu a north-easterly direction. This was about thirty miles to the west of
Buenos Ayres. From their manner of flight, always keeping in the same general course,
though occasionally turning aside to chase some insect, I have no doubt they were
migrating : they kept about ten feet from the ground. At a distance they are not easy
to distinguish from Ilirundo leucorrhoa ; but on a nearer approacli their greater size and
chocolate throgt, hut more especially their reddish-brown rumps, are clearly discernible.
The museum possesses one specimen, killed in this neighbourhood.” Writing again in
1878, he says :—“ This Swallow was observed on its migration on the 1th Alarch, 1877,
at Aioreno, and on the 15th April, 1877, at Lujan bridge. On both occasions they were
flying steadily N.N.E., and in considei*able numbers. I shot some on each occasion, to
be sure of the identification.”
Air. Gibson even says th.at the species breeds in its winter-quarters, for in his paper
on the birds of Paysandu in Uruguay he gives a note :—“ Fouud a nest in the wall of
outbuildings 18th November, containing young and an addled egg.”
This statement requires confirmation, as will be seen by Air. Hudson’s note in tbe
‘Argentine Ornithology’ written by Dr. Sclater and himself, where the habitat of the
species is given as “ South ” America, surely a misprint for “ North ” America.
Air. Hudson observe.s :—“ This species does not breed in Buenos Ayres, and is only
seen tliere in spring, flying south or south-w'est, and again in much larger numbers ou
its return journey in autumn. Ou the Rio Negro, iu Patagonia, I did not meet with it,
and suppose that its summer resort must be soutli of tliat locality; aud, judging from
the immense numbers visible in some seasons, I should think tliat they must, in th''ir
brceding-jilace in Patagonia, occupy a very extensive area. They do not seem to he as
regular in their movements as other Swallows here ; some years I have observed them
passing singly or in small parties during the entire hot season; usually they begin to
apjieai’, flying north, in February; but in some years not until after the middle of
Alarcli. They are not seen passing with a rapid flight in close flocks, but straggle about,
hawkins after flies ; first one bird passing, tlien two or three, and a minute or two later
lialf a dozen, and so on for the greater part of the day. So long as the weather continues
warm they journey in this leisurely manner; hut I have known them to continue passing
till April, after all the summer migrants had left us, and these late hirds flow hy with
great speed in small close fiocks, directly north, as if their flight had heon guided by the
magnetic needle. While Hying, tliis speeies eontinually utters sharp twitterings and
grinding and squealing notes of various lengths.”
Whether misled hy Dr. Sclater’s statement as to the habitat of the species, or not,
it is well to observe Mr. Hudson’s belief in the breeding of the species in I’atagonia.
He apparently does not seem to know of its nesting in North America. Our own belief
is that it only visits Soutli America as a winter home, and we should require some very
definite evidence to make us credit tliat it breeds there.
We quote herewitli tlie adrairahle account of the nesting of the present species,
written hy Dr. Elliott Coues, in the ‘ Birds of the Colorado Valley ’
“ It may he rcmem bored in this connection that a happy conjunction of circumstances
is required to satisfy these birds. Not only arc elilfs or tlieir substitutes necessary,
hut these must be situated where clayey mud, possessing some degree ot adhesiveness
and plasticity, can he procured. This conjunction is met at large in the west, along
unnumhored streams, where the birds most do congregate; and their very general
dispersion in the IVest, as compared with their rather sporadic distribution in the East,
is thus readily explained. The great veins of tho IVest—the Jtissouri, the Colunihia,
the Colorado, and most of their venous tributaries, returning tlie humours from tlie
clouds to tlicir home in the sea—are supplied iu profusion with animated congregations
of tho Swallows, often vastly more extensive than tliosc gatherings of the featliercd Sons
of Temperance beneath our caves, where tlic sign of the order—a bottle, nock downward
—is set for onr edification.
“ AU are familiar, doubtless, with the areliitecture of these masons ; if any be. not,
the books will remove tlieir iguoranoe. But tliere aro many interesting details, perliaps
insuffloiently elucidated in our standard treatises. It is generally understood tliat tlio
most perfect nest, tliat is, a nest fully finished and furnished witli a neck, resembling a
decanter tilted over,—tliat sucli a ‘ hottle-nosed ’ or ‘ retort-shaped' nest is tho typical
one, indicating the ])riiuitivo fasliion of building. But I am hy no means satisfied of
tiiis. Remembering that tlie Swallows are all natural hole-hrccdcrs, wo may infer tliat
tlieir early order of architecture was a wall, rampart, or breastwork, wlilch defended and,
perhaps, enlarged a natural cavity ou the face of a olift. Traces of such work are. still
cvideat enough in those frequent instances iu which they take a hole in the wall, such
as one left by a missiug hriok, and cover it iu, either with a regular domed vestibule, or
a mere oup-likc rim ot mud. It was probably not until tney had served a long approii-
ticeship that they acquired tho sufficient skill to stick a nest against a perfectly smootli,
vertical support. Some kind ot domed nest was still requisite, to carry out the idea of
hole-hrceding, a trait so thoroughly ingrained in niruiidiue uatnre, and implying perfect