TREE SWALLOW (Iridoprocne bicolor) 



Length, about 6 inches. The steel blue upper 

 parts and pure white under parts are distin- 

 guishing characteristics. 



Range : Breeds from northwestern Alaska 

 and northern Canada south to southern Cali- 

 fornia, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and \'ir- 

 ginia ; winters in central California, southern 

 Texas and Gulf States, and south to (niate- 

 mala. 



In its iirimitive state the tree swallow used 

 to nest in hollow trees, and in some parts of 

 the country it still continues to do so. Early 

 in the settlement of the country it saw the ad- 

 vantage of putting itself under man's protec- 

 tion, and now no bird is quicker to respond to 

 an invitation to nest in a box dedicated to its 

 use. The bird lover within the range of the 

 species may secure an interesting tenant or two 

 by the expenditure of a Httle trouble and labor, 

 since the bird is not a bit fastidious as to its 

 domicile, providing it is weather tight. Tree 

 swallows arrive from the South early in April 

 and soon begin to nest. In the fall they gather 

 in great flocks preparatory to their departure, 

 and may then be seen by hundreds perched on 

 telegraph wires. As is the haljit with swallows 

 generally, tree swallows migrate by day, feed- 

 ing as they go, and a flock passing swiftly 

 south presents to the casual observer an every- 

 day appearance well calculated to deceive. 

 Watch the flock as it crosses the road and 

 passes from field to field and you will notice 

 that while the line of flight has many a twist 

 and turn it trends steadily to the south, and 

 that no individual takes the back track. 



The tree swallow consumes vast numbers of 

 gnats, flying ants, beetles, mosquitoes, and other 

 flying insects. It exhibits a rather curious de- 

 parture from the traditions of its kind in that 

 it appears to be very fond of the berries of 

 the bayberry or wax myrtle. It also often 

 chooses these bushes for a roosting place at 

 night. 



SCARLET TANAGER (Piranga 

 erythromelas) 



Length, about 7V1 inches. The scarlet coat 

 and black wings and tail mark this liird out 

 from all others. 



Range: Breeds from southern Canada south 

 to southern Kansas, northern .Arkansas, Ten- 

 nessee, northern Georgia, and mountains of 

 \'irginia and South Carolina; winters from 

 Colombia to Bolivia and Peru. 



The tanagers are strictly an American fam- 

 ily, and, as their bright colors might seem to 

 suggest, they originated in the Tropics to which 

 most of the numerous species are confined. In 

 fact, the gleam of scarlet from the coat of this 

 tanager in our somber woods always seems a 

 little out of place, as though the bird were an 

 alien. But it is wholly at home with us, and, 

 indeed, does not hesitate to make its summer 

 residence still farther north in Canada. Curi- 

 ously enough, the nearest relatives of the bril- 

 liant tanagers in the bird world are tlie plainly 

 colored sparrows. The chirp-churr of the tan- 

 ager is a familiar call note in our northern 

 woods, while its song is one of the sweetest. 



CLIFF SWALLOW (Petrochelidon 



lunifrons nnd sulispecies) 



Length, about 6 inches. Tiic rufous upper 

 tail coverts serve to distinguish this swallow 

 from other species. 



Range: Pireeds from central .\laska and 

 northern Canada south over the United States 

 (except Florida) and to Guatemala; winters in 

 South America. 



The cliff and tlie ])arn swallow are members 

 in good standing of the original guild of ma- 

 sons, and their clever constructive work in nest 

 building with mud pellets will bear the severest 

 professional inspection. Through much of the 

 West the cliff swallow still attaches its mud 

 house to the faces of cliffs as from time imme- 

 morial, and it was not until the farmers' house 

 and l)arn offered a satisfactory substitute for 

 granite and sandstone bluffs that the bird be- 

 came really numerous in our Eastern States. 

 In some localities this swallow is not a wel- 

 come guest about the homestead, as its nest is 

 apt to contain parasites which the good house- 

 keeper fears. Such parasites, however, are not 

 to l)e dreaded, as they will live only on birds. 

 The cliff swallow performs invaluable service 

 to man, since its food consists wholly of in- 

 sects, and among them are many pestiferous 

 kinds, such as leaf bugs, leaf-hoppers, and the 

 boll weevil. Whoever, then, protects this and 

 otlier species of swallows and encourages their 

 presence on their premises does good and pa- 

 triotic service and can, moreover, be sure of 

 adequate reward. 



WESTERN TANAGER (Piranga 

 ludoviciana) 



Length, about 7 inches. The combination of 

 orange-red head, black back, and yellow under 

 parts is distinctive. 



Range : Breeds from northeastern British 

 Columbia, southwestern Mackenzie, and south- 

 western So'uth Dakota to the mountains of 

 southern California and New Mexico; winters 

 from central Mexico to Guatemala. 



Discovered in Idaho by Lewis and Clark in 

 1806, this tanager has thus been known more 

 than a hundred years, in which time it has be- 

 come one of the most familiar of western 

 birds. It is a common inhaljitant of both the 

 western Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Ne- 

 vada, and is very much at home among the 

 pine woods of which it is the brightest orna- 

 ment. In general its habits are like those of 

 its scarlet cousin, and it also has a sweet song 

 very similar in general effect. In California 

 this tanager has acquired an evil reputation liy 

 attacks on the cherry crop, and there is no 

 doubt that when it assembles in large numbers 

 in the fruit districts it is the cause of heavy 

 loss to small fruit growers. LTnder ordinary 

 circumstances, however, the greater part of its 

 food consists of insects, many of them harm- 

 ful. Two very harmful families of beetles, 

 whose larvae are wood borers and do much 

 damage to trees and other plants, are repre- 

 sented in the food. The planting of berry- 

 bearing trees near the orchard would no doubt 

 prevent much of the loss occasioned by this 

 bird, which bv no means occurs everv vear. 



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