

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 339 



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

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



Commonly four or five eggs are laid, rarely six. They are pure, 

 glossy white, oval-oblong, pointed at one end, and average .98 x .73. 

 Six specimens measure .94 x .69, .95 x .70, .95 x .69, .98 x .75, i.oo x 

 .75, .99 x .69. 



612. Petrochelidon lunifrons (SAY.) [153,] 



Cliff Swallow- 



Hab. North America in general; in winter south to Central and portions of South America. 



The a Republicans," as they are sometimes called, or Have Swal- 

 lows, are known to occur and breed throughout the whole of North 

 America. As the name implies, and as almost every one knows, this 

 bird fixes its queer bottle-shaped nest to the perpendicular 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 have no necks, and the degree of perfection in style depends 

 upon circumstances. They are made entirely of mud, tempered by 

 the bill of the bird and are well lined with straw, wool and feathers. 

 The birds are always found in colonies during the breeding season, 

 which extends all through the summer months. 



The eggs are white,marked with dots,blotches and points of reddish- 

 brown, chiefly about the larger end ; they are less elongated than those 

 of the Barn Swallow, but the markings of the two are hardly distin- 

 guishable. The eggs of the Cliff Swallow average a trifle larger ; they 

 are four to five and sometimes six in number ; .82 x .56. 



613. Chelidon erythrogaster (BODD.) [154.] 



Barn Swallow. 



Hab. Whole of North America; south in winter to Central America, West Indies, and various por- 

 tions of South America. 



Nearly everyone knows this beautiful, deeply forked-tailed Swal- 

 low which builds its nest in barns and under the eaves of other out- 

 buildings. The female bird of this species, however, does not possess 

 as deeply a forked tail as is common in the male bird. The nest is a 

 bowl-shaped structure, entirely open above, composed of pellets of mud, 

 mixed with straws, and warmly lined with soft feathers. It is attached 

 by one side to the rafters within barns, on the sides of caves, etc. From 

 three to five or six eggs are deposited; they are white, marked with 

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

 The eggs appear rather narrow for their length ; sizes range from .68 

 to .78 in length by .50 to .56 broad ; average size, .75 x .55. 



