442 01J>{IT110I.0GY. 



coiifiiu'd sfiittly to wootled districts or to sottlcmcnts, their distril)iitiou 

 bein<,f nuicli tlie same, except that, in the case of wooded localities, the lonuer 

 was most aljuiidaiit in the river-valleys, while the latter occurred ofteuest 

 (111 the niountaiiis. Among' the cotton-woods of the Lower Truckee, near 

 I'yiaiiiid l.ako, in .Ala}-, the White-bellied Swalluw abounded more than 

 clscwlicre, and every knot-hole or other cavitv among- the trees seemed to 

 hiixii been taken possession of by a jiair. They were then engaged in 

 building their nests, and throughout the day would come to the door- 

 yard of the Reservation-house to pick up the feathers, or bits of rag or 

 ])aper, scattered about the ground, after hurriedly seizing which they would 

 fly with the article selected in a direct line to their nests. As they sat on 

 the ground, they were beautiful little birds, and though they squatted some- 

 what awkwardly, on .Hcoiint ol' tlic sinalliiess of their feet, they raised their 

 heads so proudly, and glanced so sharply, yet timidly, about them, that 

 they seemed graceful in tlnir niotioiis; while each movement caused the 

 sunlight to glance from tin ir buniislicd backs of lustrous steel-blue, witli 

 A\ liicli the snowy white of their breasts contrasted so strikingly. Although 

 the object picked up was most often a feather, it occasionally hap[)ened 

 that one would take hold of a string, or a long shred of cloth, perhaps a 

 yard or more in length, in which case, so conspicuous an object was certain 

 to I^e seized upon by others, as the 'bearer labored to carry it to his nest, 

 thus becoming the subject of quite a struggle, and much twittering. 



The AVhite-bellied Swallow was liy no means contincd to the wooded 

 ri\-ei--valleys, however, but it was e(jii;ill\ abundant among the aspen woods, 

 high up in the Wahsatch Mountains, at an altitude of 8,000 or 9,000 feet; it 

 was also common in tlie Sacramento Valley, but a few feet above sea-level, 

 among the oak trees of the jilain. Neither is it invariably arboreal, for it 

 seems to have become, in certain localities, more "civilized," like its cousin, 

 the Purple Sfartin, and to have taken advantage of the abode of man 

 in localities where there are no trees to accommodate thein. Such was 

 coiispicuously the case at Carson City, where they were quite numerous, 

 and liuilt tliiir nests under the eaves, behind the weather-boarding, or about 

 the porches of dwellings or other buildings, and were (juite familiar. The 

 specimens in the collection were shot on tln' wing; and when (.me was 



