82 THE BIRDS ABOUT Us. 



as warm and sunny weather when the swallows go, 

 somehow the summer goes with them. 



The common White-bellied Swallow is not a gre- 

 garious species. It comes to the Middle States early 

 in April and not uncommonly in March, and keeps 

 closely to the watercourses. It builds in hollow 

 trees, and is evenly distributed over the country. Oc- 

 casionally quite a large number will be found flitting 

 over the marshes and flying very near the tops of 

 the tall grasses, but generally only two or three will 

 be noticed. Nuttall records that 



" On its arrival, like many other species, it seeks out the society 

 of man, and frequently takes possession of the mansion of the Mar- 

 tin. When these advantages are unattainable, it will be content with 

 the eaves of some deserted dwelling." 



They seem, in the valley of the Delaware, to content 

 themselves with hollow trees, and the nests are very 

 scattered. Altogether, it seems to me to be a 

 retiring " country" swallow that cares far more for 

 Nature than any of man's modification of it. The 

 twitter of this swallow is quite musical, and is a 

 pleasing addition to the sounds of the lowlands, 

 where the swamp-sparrows and marsh-wrens hold 

 forth so acceptably. 



There is no school-boy who lives in the country, 

 and no observing man in or out of town, but has 

 seen some time in his life a colony of bank- swallows. 

 Those who have not should hunt them up the first 

 opportunity. A clay- or earth-bank with three hun- 

 dred holes, and each the home of a pair of old birds, 

 is one of the few fine showings of our ornithology, 

 for the days of bird exhibits on a grand scale are 



