HIRUNDINID.E — THE SWALLOWS. 349 



]\Ir. Hepburn states that this Swallow has quite an extensive range along 

 Die Pacific coast, but is restricted as to the localities it inhabits. At the 

 Pulgas Itanche, near San Francisco, it is even more connnon tlian the hicolor, 

 while a few miles from thence not one is to be seen. He has also seen it on 

 the banks of the Fresno, near its junction with the San Joacjuin lliver, and 

 again in the Yosemite Valley, without meeting with a single specimen in the 

 intervening country. About Victoria this was the prevailing species. These 

 Swallows, so far as Mr. Hepburn observed, always l)uild in holes of trees. 

 Their nest, he states, is formed of a few fine dry stems of grass, placed at the 

 bottom of the hole, covered over with a thick mass of feathers. The e^gs, 

 he adds, are pure white, large for the size of the bird, measuring .81 of 

 an inch in length by .50 in breadth. These Swallows have two broods in a 

 season. In 1S64 he noted their arrival in San Mateo County on the 28th of 

 March. 



Mr. Ridgway writes that he first met with tlie Violet-green Swallow in 

 May, on the islands in Pyramid Lake. He there found it very abundant 

 among the cliffs of calcareous tufa of whicli the island was composed. They 

 were seen to enter the fissures of the rock to their nests within, which it was 

 ibund impossible to reacJi. They were again seen in July among tlie lime- 

 stone cliffs along the canons of the East Humboldt Mountains, associated 

 with the White-throated Swift, building like them in the small horizontal 

 crevices or fissures on the face of the precipice. He was not able to get at 

 more tlian two of their nests, the first in a horizontal fissure just wide enough 

 to admit the hand, and about eight inches from the entrance. It contained 

 five young. The nest was similar to that of the Bank Swallow, and was 

 composed of sticks, straws, and feathers. In the other the female was dead 

 on her nest, and the eggs were broken. They were white, like those of the 

 H. hicolor. 



In its flight this bird is said to greatly resemble the White-bellied Swal- 

 low, but is distinguishable by the contrast of the three colors of its upper 

 plumage. These two species are rarely to be seen in the same localities, the 

 hicolor preferring wooded, and this species rocky localities. 



Mr. Lord states that this beautiful Swallow was common from the coast 

 along the entire course of the boundary line, to the summit of the Ptocky 

 Mountains. They were among the earliest visitors at Colville, arriving in 

 small fiocks in March, but in greater numbers in May and June. They build 

 in June, making their nests in holes in dead trees as high as they can get, 

 and lay four or five eggs. The nest is made of feathers and soft hair. They 

 assemble in large flocks before migrating in September. Mr. Lord felt pretty 

 sure their nesting-holes were excavated in the soft wood by themselves, 

 though their soft beak seems iU adapted to perform such labor. 



