WAXWINGS AND PHAINOPEPLAS 387 



Distribution. — Northern hemisphere ; in America breeding' from the 

 limit of trees south to the central United States ; wintering- from the 

 southern border of the United States south to the West Indies, Central, 

 and northern South America. 



Nest. — In liorizontal holes or burrows, excavated in sand banks, cuts, 

 and banks of streams. Eggs : 8 to 6, white. 



Food. — Insects. 



The colonies of chattering little bank swallows with dull colored 

 backs and dark chest bands seem to require little more than a sand 

 bank and a telegraph wire for complete happiness, and given these, 

 blow the wind east or blow the wind west, they gossip merrily on. 



GENUS STELGIDOPTERYX. 



617. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (vluc?.). Rough-winged Swal- 

 low. 

 Bill small ; tail short and slightly emarginate ; tarsus slightly feath- 

 ered above : lateral claws curved ^^^^^^iiiif - ""' """"''" ^^r^^— .>_ ^ 



^^^^^ and not reaching" , ""^ ^xS^^ ^"^X.^^ ' ^x ^^ ^ 



'^flH^^k beyond the base of ? 

 j^^^^^ the middle claw ; Fig. 478 



w^sSJH^^ outer web of outer primaries saw-toothed in male, roughened 

 ^l^^^r in female. Adults : upper parts dull grayish brown, darker 

 ^.' . on wings and tail, tertials usually margined with grayish; 



'^' * ■ under parts soiled gray, belly and under tail coverts white. 

 Young : like adults, but plumage more or less washed with brown ; wings 

 with broad cinnamon tips and margins. Length: 5.0U-5.75, wing- 4.00- 

 4.70, tail 2.0.VL\:]r). 



Distribution. — Breeds in Sonoran and Transition zones of British Colum- 

 bia. Ontario, the United .States, and Mexico ; migrates to Guatemala. 



Nest. — In lioles, usually in banks, but often in abutments of bridges, 

 Eggs: o to •'». white. 



Food. — Flies and other insects. 



The dingy rough wings are less sociable than the bank swallows 

 during the nesting season, but afterwards assemble in large flocks 

 and are in less of a hurry to start for the south. 



In Nevada, during a shower, Mr. Oberholser once found a flock 

 congregated about a small clifT in a cave. 



FAMILY AMPELID^: WAXWINGS AND PHAINO- 

 PEPLAS. 



KEY TO GENEKA. 



1. Wings pointed Ampelis, p. 387. 



1'. Wings rounded Phainopepla, p. oUO. 



GENUS AMPELIS. 



General Characters. — Head created ; bill short, broad, flat, rather 

 obtuse, plainly notched near tip of each mandible ; wings long and pointed, 

 much longer than tail ; primaries apparently only nine, the first being 



