SWALLOWS 



89 



neighborhood. Dead tree stubs and rotting up- 

 turned tree roots in flooded areas are the usual 

 homes of the Tree Swallows. In some localities 

 Swallow boxes have been erected and arc readily 

 occupied. English Sparrows are very apt to try 

 to drive the Swallows out of the bnxes. Sometimes 

 they do. but the human proprietor can easily dis- 

 courage the English Sparrows. The Swallows 

 very readilv learn that man is lighting the 

 Sparrows and have been been known to call 

 persistentlv when annoyed by English Sparrows 

 so that the man may hear them and come to the 

 rescue. 



In the summer the Tree Swallows begin col- 

 lecting into enormous flocks feeding in most all 

 northern marshes. In the salt marshes east and 

 west of New York city they are the most com- 

 mon Swallow in .\ugust. In September the 

 large Tree Swallow flocks mix with on-coming 

 flocks of Rank, llarn, anrl Clit't Swallows, but 

 these other species pass on to the South from 

 the northern States early in October, leaving the 

 Tree Swallow to the last. They in turn go 

 south a few hundred at a time leaving a few 

 scattered birds even to the first of November. 

 Sometimes Tree Swallows will be seen north of 

 the Carolinas all winter, but the great bulk of 

 them are spending the winter in Mexico. 



According to Bicknell " the song is hardly 

 more than a chatter. Its ordinary notes are les.^ 

 sharp and rapid than those of the Barn .Swal- 

 low." 



The food of the Tree Swallow, like that of 

 other Swallows, consists almost entirely of 

 M-inged insects. It would seem that when the 

 first flight arrives in the sprin,g that there would 

 not be any of their particular kind of food for 

 them. To the few stone-flies which they find and 

 take on the wing, they add insects which thev 

 pick from the surface of the snow, and from 



twigs, fences, and sifles of buildings. During 

 migrations and in the winter they h;ive a habit 

 of roosting in bayberry and wax m\rtle shrubs 

 and at those jieriods they eat a greni many of the 

 berries. 



by T. G. PcarsMn C.iuitt.^y ,.1 N:it. Assu. Aud. Soc. 

 NESTING PLACE OF TREE SWALLOV/ 

 Heron Island. Mjine 



NORTHERN VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW 

 Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mranis 



A. O. U. .\uml,er .,15 



Other Name. — Violet-green Swallow. 

 General Description. — Length, 5'4 inches. Upper 

 parts, violet-green ; nnder parts, white. Bill, small, 

 weak, and much depressed; tail, less than 1/2 length of 

 wing, forked for about 1/5 of its length, the side 

 feathers broad to near ends, where the inner web is 

 abruptly contracted, the tip blunt- 

 Color. — Ani'LT M.m.e: Crown and hindneck. varying 



from bro)izy-green to purplish-bronze, the lower mar- 

 gin of the hindneck more purplish, often forming a 

 distinct narrow collar; back, shoulders, and lesser wing- 

 coverts, soft bronzy-green, usually tinged with purple 

 or purplish-bronze; center portion of rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts, varying from bluish-.green ( rarely l to rich 

 violet-purple miNed with bhie ; wings (except lesser 

 coverts) and tail, blackisli, faintly glossed with blue; 



