it Lcing Dueñas, nearly 5000 feet above the sea. Mr. R. Owen forwarded the eggs from
San Gerónimo. Capt. Dow procured it at Acajutla in the State of San Salvador, and
Mr. Salvia noticed the species at La Union.
Mr. Dyson forwai’ded specimens from Honduras, where also Mr. G. Whitely met
with it. Air. G. C. Taylor writes from the same country :—“ Swallows were common,
especially at Comayagua and in the neighbourhood of churches. I shot one on the
wiug, while standing in the Plaza, in front of the Cathedral in Comayagua, to the great
astonishment of many of the inhabitants, who had evidently never before seen anything
shot while in motion. It measured 7 iuches in length, and 13-J in extent.” In Costa
Rica it has been sent from San José by Hoffmann, and Von Frantzius states that
it occurs mostly in the towns. Arcó sent specimens from Nicoya, where Air. Nutting
also found it abundant. AI‘Leannan procured it near Liou Hill Station in Panama,
and Arcó on the Volcano of Chiriqui.
In Colombia Air. Wyatt states that he shot immature specimens at Catamucho,
iu the Magdalena valley. Air. Salvin met with it at Remedios, in Antioquia, and
a specimen procured by Air. L. Fraser at Esmeraldas, in Ecuador, is in the Sclater
Collection. We have not seen any examples from Venezuela, though the species
doubtless occurs iu that country, aud a specimen from Trinidad is in the British
Aluseum. Throughout Guiana it is also dispersed, Air. C. Bartlett having procured it
at Albina, in Surinam, and Air. Whitely having sent a considerable series from Bartica
Grove, in British Guiana.
Air. AVallace’s collection contained spécimens from the island of Alexiana and from
Para. Writing from the latter place, Air. E. L. Layard says ;—“ I first saw this large
Swallow on Christmas-day. A little flock of tlicm were flying to and out of a hole in a
hollow tree in the square near my house ; some of them carried dry grass bents, appa-
rently, and portions of soft lichens gathered from trees. On the 28th I shot one, a
female, with the ovaries much distended. No others were about that day ; but I
subsequently procured them in the same locality, and at a farm-house near Para. They
perch readily and habitually on trees.”
Air. Edward Bartlett met with this species in many places in Eastern Peru, viz. at
Xeberos, Urimaguas, Cbyavetas, and Camicuros, and lie says that it “ breeds like a AVood-
pecker, in holes and trunks of trees.”
Prince Alaximilian does not apparently distinguish between the ordinary P. chalybea
aud tlie larger race, P. domestica. He says “ it is the commonest Swallow in Brazil, where
it affects human habitations, after the manner of the lIouse-AIartin and Swallow of
Plurope. Like these, it has a swift and graceful flight, aud they are fond of perching
on lofty buildings and the crosses on the churches, where whole rows of them may be
seen. In the districts away from mankind, and on the remote sea-coast, as, for instance,
between the estuaries of the rivers Doçe and Riacho and other places, where there arc
rocks in the sea, these Swallows doubtless nest in the clefts of some of the ledges ; but
whether they do so iu the holes of the clay-built walls, I cannot affirm for certain.
They are everywhere known by the name of Andurinha, like the rest of the Swallows.”
The remarks made by the author about the changes of plumage show that the Prince
confounded this species and P . piirpui'ca together, as he speaks of the full-plumaged
liirds as being entirely blue.
The localities given by IIerr von Pelzeln for tho Swallows collected by Natterer
show that he also did not regard P. domestica as a distinct race. The specimens obtiiincd
by Natterer at Cai?ara were probably P. chalybea, while those from Ypanema and Rio
de Janeiro were in all likelihood P . domestica. One specimen collected by Air. Bridges
in Bolivia is in the British Aluseum.
The eggs of this species sent from Guatemala by Air. R. Owen were white and
measured : axis *85, diam. *65 inch.
Tlie description of the plumage is taken from the series in the National Collectiou,
while the figures are drawn from specimens in the Salvin-Godman Collection.