HIRUNDINID.E — THE SWALLOWS. 349 



Mr. Hepburn states that this Swallow has quite an extensive range along 

 the Pacific coast, but is restricted as to the localities it inhabits. At the 

 Pulgas Kanciie, near San Francisco, it is even more common than the bico/or, 

 while a I'cw luiles fioiu thence not one is to be seen. He has also seen it on 

 the banks of the Fresno, near its junction with the San Joaquin River, and 

 again in tlie Yosemite Valley, without meeting with a single specimen in the 

 intervening country. About Victoria tins was the prevailing species. These 

 Swallows, so far as Mr. Hepburn observed, always build in holes of trees. 

 Their nest, he states, is formed of a few fine dry stems of grass, placed at the 

 Viottom of tlie hole, covered over with a thick mass of feathers. The e""S. 

 he adds, are pure white, large for the size of the bird, measuring .81 of 

 an inch in length by .50 in breadth. Tliese Swallows have two broods in a 

 season. In 1864 he noted their arrival in San Mateo County on the 28th of 

 Alarch. 



Mr. Ridgway writes that he first met witli the Violet-green Swallow in 

 Alay, on the islands in Pyramid Lake. He there found it very abundant 

 among tlie cliffs of calcareous tufa of which the island was comjiosed. They 

 were seen to enter the fissures of the rock to their nests within, wdiich it was 

 found impossible to reach. They were again seen in July among the lime- 

 stone elitfs along the canons of the East Hundjoldt Mountains, associated 

 with the White-throated Swift, building like them in the small horizontal 

 crevices or fissures on the face of the precipice. He was not able to get at 

 more than two of their nests, the first in a horizontal fissure just wide enough 

 to admit the hand, and about eight inches from the entrance. It contained 

 five young. The nest was similar to that of the Bank Swallow, and was 

 composed of sticks, straws, and feathers. In the other the female was dead 

 on her nest, and the eggs were broken. They were white, like those of the 

 H. hicolor. 



In its flight this bird is said to greatly resemble the Wjiite-bellied Swal- 

 low, but is distinguishable by the contrast of the three colors of its upper 

 plumage. Tliese two species are rarely to be seen in tlie same localities, the 

 hicolor preferring wooded, and this species rocky localities. 



Mr. Lord states that this beautiful Swallow was common from the coast 

 along the entire course of the boundary line, to the summit of the Rocky 

 Mountains. They were among the earliest visitors at Colville, arriving in 

 small flocks in March, but in greater numbers in May and June. They build 

 in Jiuie, making their nests in holes in dead trees as high as they can get, 

 and lay four or five eggs. The nest is made of feathers and soft hair. They 

 assemble in large flocks before migrating in September. Mr Lord felt pretty 

 sure their nesting-holes were excavated in the soft wood by themselves, 

 though their soft beak seems iU adapted to perforin such labor. 



