Violet-green Swallow 421 



The following are some of the recorded localities : Boulder 

 (Henderson), Denver (Henshaw), El Paso co. (Allen), Pueblo (Aiken) 

 along the foothills ; Estes Park (Kellogg), Idaho Springs (Trippe), 

 Twin Lakes (Scott), Wet Mountains (Lowe), on the eastern slope of 

 the mountains, Grand Lake in Middle Park, and Crested Butte (Warren), 

 Mesa CO., abundant, breeding above 6,000 feet (Rockwell), San Juan 

 CO. (Drew), and La Plata co. (Morrison) on the western slope. 



Habits. — This is by far the most brilliantly coloured of 

 our Swallows, and is of a somewhat gregarious nature, as 

 is generally the case with these birds. Morrison states 

 that he has often seen large numbers during a storm, 

 huddled together on a dead limb near their homes, 

 waiting for the weather to moderate, when they once 

 more take to the wing to feed. They are also rather 

 pugnacious birds, fighting with one another for the 

 possession of a suitable nesting-hole. In the natural state 

 they appear to nest indifferently in holes in trees, or 

 in crevices in rocks and sand-banks, but they are com- 

 mencing to make use of crevices and crannies in barns 

 and outbuildings of ranches like the other birds of this 

 family. 



Dennis Gale states that at Gold HiU they are late 

 breeders. He found fresh eggs from June 20th to July 

 10th ; in most cases the nest-holes of Woodpeckers were 

 made use of ; the nests were made of grass, generally 

 retaining some of its green colour, and lined with feathers ; 

 the eggs, five or six in number, are pure white. 



Genus RIP ARIA. 



Rather small Swallows — wing under 4-.'> — -with small slender bills 

 and elongated oval nostrils overhung by an operculum ; tail about 

 half the length of its wing, moderately forked ; tarsus with a tuft of 

 small feathers on its posterior edge near the joint of the hind toe ; claws 

 rather long and slender, that of the hallux exceeding its digit. Sexes 

 alike ; eggs white. 



A widely spread genus, found over the greater part of the world, 

 but with only one American species. 



