/ / ì
(1883) ; B. 0 . U. List Brit. B. p. 15 (1883) ; Sliarpe, Cat. B. in Brit. Hus. x.
p. 173 (1885) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1885, p. 205 ; id. Ibis, 1888, p. 255.
Progne subis, Baird, llcvicvv Amor. B. p. 274! (18G1); Sumiclir. Mem. Bost. Soc.
N. II. i. p. 547 (18G9) ; Lawr. op. cit. ii. p. 271 (1874) ; Baird, Brewer, & llidgw. Hist.
N.-Amer. B. i. p. 329, pi. IG. figs. 7-10 (1874); Hensh. Rep. Expl. 100th Mer.
p. 213 (1875) ; Ridgw. TJ. S. Gcol. Surv. 40th Bar. pt. iii. Orn. p. 439 (1877) ; Merrill,
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. i. p. 125 (1878); Coues, B. Color. Vail. p. 445 (1878); id.
Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 572 (1878) ; Cooper, Proe. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. ii. p. 21-7
(1880, pt.) ; Ridgw. op. cit. iii. p. 175 (1880) ; Stearns, New Engl. Bird-Life, i. p. 18!)
(1881) ; Hoffman, Bull. U. S. GeoL Surv. vi. p. 222 (1881) ; Coues, Key N. Amer. B.
2nd ed. p. 325 (1884) ; Drew, Auk, ii. p. 15 (1885) ; Merriam, t. c. p. 57 ; Agers-
borg, t. c. p. 279 ; Cory, Auk, iii. p. 5G (18SG) ; Brewster, t. c. p. I l l ; Anthony,
t. c. 1). 169; Everm. t. c. p. 183; Box, t. c. p. 317 ; Seton, t. c. p. 321; A. O. U.
Cbeck-1. p. 292 (1886) ; Towns. Proc. H. S. Nat. Mus. x. pp. 221, 23G (1887) ;
Ridgw. Man. N. Amer. B. p. 459 (1887) ; Beckh. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. x. pp. 638,
G10 (1887); Langdon, Auk, iv. p. 131 (1887); Lloyd, t. c. p. 294; Beckh. t. c.
p. 302 ; Richm. Auk, v. p. 23 (1888) ; Scott, t. c. p. 31 ; Eaxon & Allen, t. c.
pp. 150, 152; Chapm. t. c. p. 275; Brewst. t. c. p. 389; Cory, B. IV. Ind. p. 70
(1889) ; Everm. Auk, vi. p. 25 (1889) ; Rives, t. c. p. 53 ; P. H. Allen, t. c.
Pl>. 77, 78 ; Pindar, t. c. p. 315 ; Kimball, t. c. p. 339 ; Loomis, Auk, vii. p. 125
(1890) ; Mcarns, t. c. p. 201 ; Thompson, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. xiii. p. GOS
(1890) ; Brewst. & Chapm. Auk, viii. p. 138 (1891) ; Dwight, Auk, ix. p. 138
(1892) ; Coombs, t. c. p. 205 ; Scott, t. c. p. 213 ; Ridgw. t. c. p. 307 ; Attwater,
t. c. p. 340; Lawr. t. c. p. 356; Hatch, B. Minnesota, p. 350 (1892); llboads,
Auk, X. p. 17 (1893); White, t. c. p. 2 26.
Progne clcgans, ad., Baird, Review Amor. B. p. 275, note (1864).
Progne cryptoleuca, Baird, t. c. p. 277 (1864); Gray, lIand-1. B. i. p. 75, no. S94
(1809) ; Ridgw. Man. N. Amer. B. p. 159 (1887) ; Scott, Auk, ix. p. 213 (1892).
Progne subis, var. cryptoleuca, Baird, Brewer, & Ridgw. Hist. N.-Amer. B. i. p. 332
(1874).
Progne subis cryptoleuca, Ridgw. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. iii. p. 175 (1880), iv. p. 210
(1881); Scott, Auk, vi. p. 325 (1889).
Ceeropis violacea, Boie, Isis, 1S2S, p. 316; Less. Com])!. Buff. viii. p. 498 (1837).
Cecropia subis. Less. Compì. Buff. viii. p. 498 (1837).
P . p u rp u ra s e e u ti-n ig r a ; fasciis albis c e la tis b in is, u n a ad la te r a dorsi, a ite r à acl la te r a liypoeboiidri-
a rum positis.
Hab. in Am e ric à s e p te n tiio n a li oestivaus, in Am e ric a m e rid io u a li liibc riiaus.
A d u it male. G en e ra l c o lo u r above glossy d a rk ])iirplisli blu e , w illi a concealed sp o t o f silk y ivliite on th e
sides of th e lower b a c k ; le sse r a n d m ed ian wiug-covcrts lik e tb e ba ck b u t r a th e r d u lle r ; g re a te r
coverts, bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, externally glossed with dull b lu e ; tail-
feathers also blackish with a dull blue gloss j lores blaekish; sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, and
entire under surface of body dark purplish blue like the back, with a second patch of silky white
feathers on the sides of the flanks ; axillaries and under wing-coverts like the b re a s t; quills ashy
black below, rather lighter along the inner web: “ bill deep brownish black; feet purplish b lac k ; iris
dark brown ” [Audubon). Total length 7 o inches, culmcn 0-55, wing 5-85, tail 3 ’05, tarsus 0‘55.
A d u lt fem a le . Differs from th e male iu not being blue below. General colour above dark purplish blue,
not so brilliant as in the male; the head like the back, the forehead browner, tbe feathei-s slightly
mottled with purplish-blue c en tres; lesser and median wiug-coverts like tbe back ; greater
coverts, bastard-wing, primaiy-coverts, quills, and tail-feathers black, glossed externally with dull
b lu e; lores black ; ear-coverts dull b lu e ; cheeks, throat, and breast light ashy brown, extending
ou to the sides of the neck ; feathers of the throat with narrow dusky shaft-liucs, those of the
fore neck blacker, obscured with hoary whitish tip s ; sides of upper breast witli a few feathers
tipped with purplish blue like the back ; centre of breast and abdomen whitish, the feathers with
more or less distinct dusky shaft-lines j in the centre of the breast a longitudinal spot of dusky
blackish ; sides of body and flanks dark smoky brown, with asby-whitish margins to the feathers;
thighs brown externally, white in tern a lly ; under tail-coverts white, witli dusky centres to the
feathers, becoming darker before the tips ; axillaries aiul under wing-coverts dark sooty brown
or blackisli, the coverts near the edge of the wing glossed with steel-blue and distinctly edged
with white ; quills dusky below, more ashy aloug the inner web. Total length 7'5 inches, culmcn
0-55, wing 5-65, tail 2 85, tarsus 0-55.
Young. Resembles the old female, b u t is browner above, with scarcely any blue gloss, excepting on the
h e a d ; the secondaries uan-owly fringed with white near the ends ; sides of neck brown, with an
ill-defined crescent of ashy wh ite; tliroat, breast, aud under surface of body brown, with hoary
margins to all the feathers; lower breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts pure white, with a few
browu shaft-streaks on the former; under wiug-coverts dark hrown, those near tho edge of the
wing with white edges.
A young bird from Siug Sing shows scarcely any dusky shaft-streaks on the under tail-
coverts. Such a specimen is very difficult to distinguish from P . chalybea, as the dusky centres
to the under tail-coverts of th e immature of P . purpurea are the chief character by which tlie
latter may be distinguished from P . chalybea.
Tlic male in tbe second year still greatly resembles the adult female, but is ivhiter below, with vcrv
distinct shaft-streaks of dark browu ou the breast and abdomen; a few bright blue feathers arc
observable on th e throat and chest; mesial under tail-covcrts streaked with browu, the lateral
ones externally brown.
A male in the second year from Washington, D.C., in the Ilcushaw collection has the dusky
centres to the under tail-coverts well marked, hut has the grey ou the forehead and ou the sides
ot the neck, reminding one of P . hesperia, as we have remarked iu our account of the latter
species.
With regard to P . cryptoleuca, Mr. Ridgway says (Manual, p. 459) th a t it is smaller than P . p u r -
p u r ea , with narrower tail-feathers aud, relatively, a more deeply forked tail. The adult male
is said by him to have the feathers of the ventral region marked, beneath the surface, with a
broad spot, or bar, of white. The adult female aud immature male have the whole under iiortion,
aud the sides of the head and neck, chest, sides, aud flanks, uniform sooty greyish brown, in