40 NESTS AND EGGS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



the eggs are from four to six in number. The Martin, conspicuous for its 

 striking color and screaming, crackHng noise, breeds throughout its United 

 States range. It originally built in hollow trees, and some of the "old 

 fogies" do yet, but those who find suitable nesting places in eaves and 

 cornices of buildings or in boxes prepared for their use, are thus bred to 

 American ideas and never return to their old log cabins in the air. This 

 jolly fellow who puts life into the quiet streets of country towns, and large 

 cities, also, by his noise and activity, constructs a nest out of anything 

 that is handy, leaves, twigs, straws, bits of string, rags and paper. 



Hab. North America. 



153. Cliff Swallow — petrochelidon lunifrons. White, marked with 

 dots, blotches and points of reddish-brown, chiefly about the larger end, 

 less elongated than, those of the Barn Swallow, but the markings of the 

 two are hardly distinguishable ; on an average, the eggs in size are a trifle 

 larger; four to five and sometimes six in number. The "Republicans," 

 as they are sometimes called, or Eave Swallows, are known to occur nearly 

 throughout North America, and to breed from Pennsylvania to the Arctic and 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific. As the name implies, and as almost every 

 one knows, this bird fixes its queer bottle-shaped nest to the perpendicu- 

 lar faces of rocks and hard embankments, also on the walls of houses and 

 under shelter of the eaves. The nests are not always retort or flask- 

 shaped, some nests have no necks, and the degree of perfection in style 

 depends upon circumstances. The nests are made entirely of mud, tem- 

 pered by the bill of the bird. The nest is well lined with straw, wool and 

 feathers. They are always found in colonies during the breeding season. 



Hab. North America at large. 



154. Barn Swallow — hirundo erythrogastra. White, marked with 

 spots and blotches of bright reddish-brown, chiefly at the larger end; they 

 are three to five or six in number and appear rather narrow for their length; 

 size . 68 to . 78 in length by . 50 to . 56 broad. The well-known nest of pellets 

 of mud, lined with hay and often with feathers, is placed upon the rafters 

 or under the eaVes of a barn or other building. In the nest of this bird 

 "runt" eggs are frequently found, and, as in many other cases of all the 

 more common birds, generally a set of pure white or abnormal eggs is not 

 uncommon. Distributed during the breeding season throughout United 



States and Canada. Hab North America. 



155. White-bellied Swallow — tachycineta bicolor. White, unspot- 

 ted, oblong-oval; the eggs are from four to seven, and occasionally nine, 

 in number and measure from .70 to .78 in length by .50 to .55 in breadth. 

 This Swallow breeds from latitude 38° to high Arctic regions, and is resi- 



