458 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



about the larger ends, in others more or less evenly scattered 

 over the surface, and they are to all intents and purposes 

 indistinguishable from the eggs of the Cliff Swallow. Four 

 in my collection measure 0.76 x 0.57, 0.77 x 0.57, 0.74 x 

 0.54, 0.73 X 0.56. 



Genus IRIDOPROCNE Coues. 



/ . . . . 



614. Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieill.). Tree Swallow; White- 

 bellied Swallow; White-breasted Swallow; Little Martin. 



Plumage of adults : iridescent green or steely blue above ; white below ; 

 tail only very slightly forked and fork barely or not at all noticeable. Imma- 

 ture plumage : sooty brown above ; white below with a very faintly indicated 

 sooty collar on throat. Wing 2.40 ; tail 2.40. 



Geog. Dist. — North America, breeding from Labrador and Alaska to New 

 Jersey, Kansas, Colorado and California ; wintering from South Carolina and 

 the Gulf States to the West Indies and Guatemala. 



County Records. — Androscoggin ; tolerably common summer resident, 

 ("Johnson). Aroostook; locally common summer resident, throughout, 

 (Knight). Cumberland; common summer resident, (Mead). Franklin; 

 common summer resident, (Swain). Hancock ; locally common summer resi- 

 dent even on the islands, (Knight). Kennebec; common summer resident, 

 (Gardiner Branch). Knox; summer, (Rackliff). Oxford; common, breeds, 

 (Nash). Penobscot ; common local summer resident, (Knight). Piscataquis; 

 common, breeds, (Homer). Sagadahoc; common summer resident, (Spin- 

 ney). Somerset; common summer resident, (Morrell). Waldo; common 

 summer resident, T Knight). Washington; very abundant summer resident, 

 (Boardman). York; common summer resident, (Adams). 



In general this is the first species of Swallow to arrive, 

 appearing sometimes as early as April first, more generally 

 about the tenth to twelfth, and remaining until the last of 

 August or even rarely as late as September twenty-fifth. 



The species is less distinctly gregarious than the other Swal- 

 lows, nesting more often by scattered pairs, though in favora- 

 ble situations about a pond many are often found within a 

 given territory. They however nest by solitary pairs, taking 

 a natural cavity in a stub or tree, or occupying an old wood- 

 pecker''s hole, and by preference in many cases the stub selected 

 is actually standing in the water, while otherwise it is close to 



