TREE SWALLOW (lIridoprocne bicolor) 
Length, about 6 inches. The steel blue upper 
parts and pure white under parts are distin- 
guishing characteristics. 
Range: Breeds from northwestern Alaska 
and northern Canada south to southern Cali- 
fornia, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Vir- 
ginia; winters in central California, southern 
Texas and Gulf States, and south to Guate- 
mala. 
In its primitive state the tree swallow used 
to nest in hollow trees, and in some parts of 
the country it still continues to do so. Early 
in the settlement of the country it saw the ad- 
vantage of putting itself under man’s protec- 
tion, and now no bird is quicker to respond to 
an invitation to nest in a box dedicated to its 
use. The bird lover within the range of the 
species may secure an interesting tenant or two 
by the expenditure of a little trouble and labor, 
since the bird is not a bit fastidious as to its 
domicile, providing it is weather tight. Tree 
swallows arrive from the South early in April 
and soon begin to nest. In the fall they gather 
in great flocks preparatory to their departure, 
and may then be seen by hundreds perched on 
telegraph wires. As is the habit with swallows 
generally, tree swallows migrate by day, feed- 
ing as they go, and a flock passing swiftly 
south presents to the casual observer an every- 
day appearance well calculated to deceive. 
Watch the flock as it crosses the road and 
passes from field to field and you will notice 
that while the line of flight has many a twist 
and turn it trends steadily to the south, and 
that no individual takes the back track. 
The tree swallow consumes vast numbers of 
gnats, flying ants, beetles, mosquitoes, and other 
flying insects. It exhibits a rather curious de- 
parture from the traditions of its kind in that 
it appears to be very fond of the berries of 
the bayberry or wax myrtle. It also often 
chooses these bushes for a roosting place at 
night. 
SCARLET TANAGER (Piranga 
erythromelas) 
Length, about 7% inches. The scarlet coat 
and black wings and tail mark this bird out 
from all others. 
Range: Breeds from southern Canada south 
to southern Kansas, northern Arkansas, Ten- 
nessee, northern Georgia, and mountains of 
Virginia and South Carolina; winters from 
Colombia to Bolivia and Peru. 
The tanagers are strictly an American fam- 
ily, and, as their bright colors might seem to 
suggest, they originated in the Tropics to which 
most of the numerous species are confined. In 
fact, the gleam of scarlet from the coat of this 
tanager in our somber woods always seems a 
little out of place, as though the bird were an 
alien. But it is wholly at home with us, and, 
indeed, does not hesitate to make its summer 
residence still farther north in Canada. Curi- 
ously enough, the nearest relatives of the bril- 
liant tanagers in the bird world are the plainly 
colored sparrows. The chirp-churr of the tan- 
ager is a familiar call note in our northern 
woods, while its song is one of the sweetest. 
30 
CLIFF SWALLOW (Petrochelidon 
lunifrons and subspecies) 
Length, about 6 inches. The rufous upper 
tail coverts serve to distinguish this swallow 
from other species. 
Range: Breeds from central Alaska and 
northern Canada south over the United States 
(except Florida) and to Guatemala; winters in 
South America. 
The cliff and the barn swallow are members 
in good standing of the original guild of ma- 
sons, and their clever constructive work in nest 
building with mud pellets will bear the severest 
professional inspection. Through much of the 
West the cliff swallow still attaches its mud 
house to the faces of cliffs as from time imme- 
morial, and it was not until the farmers’ house 
and barn offered a satisfactory substitute for 
granite and sandstone bluffs that the bird be- 
came really numerous in our Eastern States. 
In some localities this swallow is not a wel- 
come guest about the homestead, as its nest is 
apt to contain parasites which the good house- 
keeper fears. Such parasites, however, are not 
to be dreaded, as they will live only on birds. 
The cliff swallow performs invaluable service 
to man, since its food consists wholly of in- 
sects, and among them are many pestiferous 
kinds, such as leaf bugs, leaf-hoppers, and the 
boll weevil. Whoever, then, protects this and 
other species of swallows and encourages their 
presence on their premises does good and pa- 
triotic service and can, moreover, be sure of 
adequate reward. 
WESTERN TANAGER (Piranga 
ludoviciana) 
Length, about 7 inches. The combination of 
orange-red head, black back, and yellow under 
parts is distinctive. 
Range: Breeds from northeastern British 
Columbia, southwestern Mackenzie, and south- 
western South Dakota to the mountains of 
southern California and New Mexico; winters 
from central Mexico to Guatemala. 
Discovered in Idaho by Lewis and Clark in 
1806, this tanager has thus been known more 
than a hundred years, in which time it has be- 
come one of the most familiar of western 
birds. It is a common inhabitant of both the 
western Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Ne- 
vada, and is very much at home among the 
pine woods of which it is the brightest orna- 
ment. In general its habits are like those of 
its scarlet cousin, and it also has a sweet song 
very similar in general effect. In California 
this tanager has acquired an evil reputation by 
attacks on the cherry crop, and there is no 
doubt that when it assembles in large numbers 
in the fruit districts it is the cause of heavy 
loss to small fruit growers. Under ordinary 
circumstances, however, the greater part of its 
food consists of insects, many of them harm- 
ful. Two very harmful families of beetles, 
whose larve are wood borers and do much 
damage to trees and other plants, are repre- 
sented in the food. The planting of berry- 
bearing trees near the orchard would no doubt 
prevent much of the loss occasioned by this 
bird, which by no means occurs every year. 
