372 BULLETIN 17 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



He seemed to think that this swallow is given to wandering about 

 among the islands, or elsewhere, disappearing from some sections at 

 certain times, its movements probably influenced by the abundance 

 or scarcity of its insect food ; he says that it disappeared from New 

 Providence in March and returned again in June. 



The Bahama swallow was added to our fauna by W. E. D. Scott 

 (1890), who collected a specimen, an adult male, on Garden Key, Dry 

 Tortugas, Fla., on April 7, 1890. William Brewster (1897) purchased 

 from Mr. Scott "a young bird in practically unmixed -first plumage 

 but with fully developed wings," which was collected by W. S. Dicken- 

 son at Tarpon Springs, Fla., on September 3, 1890; this bird was 

 supposed by the collector to be a young tree swallow. Both of these 

 specimens are now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology in 

 Cambridge. 



Mr. Maynard (1896) reports two sight records of the Bahama 

 swallow in Florida in winter: "Once I saw quite a flock of them 

 sailing high in air over Key West, and once a single specimen passed 

 within a few feet of my head as I stood on the banks of Indian River. 

 This last bird was in company with White-bellied Swallows, but on 

 both occasions the deeply-forked tail rendered the bird at once 

 distinguishable." 



Outram Bangs (1914) reports that W. Cameron Forbes collected 

 a pair of Bahama swallows at Nipe Bay, Cuba, on March 8, 1914; 

 these specimens are also in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. "Mr. 

 Forbes says that this swallow was exceedingly abundant and generally 

 distributed at Nipe Bay, feeding in the manner of its kind or resting 

 on the telegraph wires. * * * Whether the Bahama swallow is 

 resident in northeastern Cuba or only occurs there as an abundant 

 winter visitor we cannot say." 



Nesting. — We do not know much about the nesting habits of this 

 swallow, and, so far as I know, there are no eggs in American col- 

 lections. Dr. Bryant (1859) says: "I did not succeed in finding their 

 nests, and could not ascertain whether it bred on the island or not. 

 I killed no specimen after the 28th of April; up to this date the 

 genital organs exhibited no appearance of excitement." Mr. May- 

 nard (1896) says that, at Nassau, "they did not become common until 

 June 4th, and on the 10th they were flying about the streets moving 

 quite slowly and heavily as all Swallows move when about to breed. 

 A few days later I saw the Swallows alighting on the ground about 

 the house late in the day picking up strings, feathers, etc., for the 

 nests, and when on the schooner, 'Isle of June,' just before sailing 

 for New York I saw one enter a hole under the eaves of a building 

 which stood on the wharf, so it is highly probable that in breeding 

 habit they resemble the White-bellied." 



