SWALLOWS 



385 



tarsus shorter than middle toe 

 and claw; upper part 

 feathered. Adults : under 

 Fig. 474. parts tawny hroirn, darkest 

 on throat ; forehead dark 

 brown, rest of upper parts glossy 

 steel hlue ; wings and tail tinged 

 with purple and green ; tail feath- 

 ers — except middle paii — marked 

 with large whitish spots. Young : 

 fork of tail shorter; upper parts 

 paler, under parts duller, brown of 

 forehead indistinct or wanting ; 

 throat and chest light rusty. 

 Length : 5.T'J-7.T5, wing 4.00-4.90, 

 tail O.70-4. 10, forked in adult male 

 for about 1.85-2.10. 



Distribution. — Breeds from the 

 Arctic Circle south to southern end 

 of Mexican tableland ; migrates 



Barn Swallow. 



through the West Indies and Mexico to Central and South America. 



Nest. — A bowl-shaped wall-pocket, made of pellets of mud mixed with 

 straws and lined with feathers, attached to side oi* roof of a cave or to 

 timbers in barns or other buildings. Eggs : o to 5, white, speckled with 

 brown and lavender. 



Food. — Insects, largely flies. 



The long forked tail of the barn swallow gives it a peculiarly 

 easy, graceful flight, and one of its favorite feats is to catch the 

 insects that accompany a horse and carriage along the road, easily 

 circling around and around them as the horse carries the wagon 

 along at full swing. 



While the other swallows hunt more habitually in the sky, the 

 barn swallow is usually seen beating low over a meadow. When 

 resting on a telegraph wire it sings a bright, squeak}^ little warble. 

 Its call-note is given as a soft tritt, witt, and its alarm-note as a 

 harsh Vrr'r, fr'r'r. 



Though generally associated with barns and meadows, it is often 

 found in towns, and along the line of the Canadian Pacitic is one of 

 the commonest birds seen in the mountain canyons. 



GENUS TACHYCINETA. 



General Characters. — Tail forked for less tlian length of tarsus ; tarsus 

 entirely naked. 



KKY TO .SPKCIKS. 



1. Tpper parts metallic steel hlue or greenish .... bicolor, p. J585. 

 1. I pper parts green and purple lepida, p. 88(5. 



614. Tachycineta bicolor (Vi»ill.). White-keluko Sw.vllow: 

 Tkkk .Sua I, low. 

 Adult male. — U mil r parts pure white ; iipjier l>ar(.s hiiinished .s7r// hlue : 



