Seo. 11.] BIRDS. 193 



off. They cross tkc parallel of 40°, on their northern journey, about the 

 first of May. 



The barn is often tenantless at night, and alive with the twitter of swal- 

 lows the next morning. To talk about their hyhernating iu the mud, or in 

 hollow trees, is simjjly ridicnlous. You might just as well e.xpect wild geese 

 to go down into the mud to winter, as for the swallows to do so. 



Tlic ft>llowing description of some of the rare varieties of the Hh'undo we 

 found iu the C'ountnj Gentleman iiewspa])er, and thought it interesting: 



"The Clifi', or Republican Swallow, Hlrundo lunifrous, or Il.fulva, is a 

 well-known swallow among farmers. Its crown and back are of steel bine, 

 belly white, length five inches, plus, and the stretch of the wings twelve 

 inches, plus. They formerly occujiied the cliffs of the liocky Mountains and 

 the fur countries. One of. the first records of their appearance in the States 

 was at Henderson, and Newport, Ky., on the banks of the Ohio, in 1815. 

 In 1817 they were observed at "Whitehall, N. Y., near Lake Cliamplain. 

 These birds are of social habits, building their nests in clusters, or near each 

 oilier. Yieillot observed one at sea, oil' Novn Scotia, long before this. They 

 have long been known iu that province. In ISIS, it is stated that they began 

 to build at Crawford's, near the base of the White Mountains. General 

 Dearborn saw their nest at AVinthrop, Me., in 1830 ; also in Gardiner. 

 The writer first saw them in "Worcester County, Mass., about 183S. Their 

 nests are arranged frequently along under the eaves of a barn, in the form 

 of a projecting retort, constructed of pellets of earth, with an internal lining 

 of dried grass, in which are laid four eggs. Their note is not a twitter, but, 

 according to Audubon, resembles in sound the rubbing of a moistened cork 

 in the neck of a glass bottle. AYithin a quarter of a century they have be- 

 come tlic favorites of many New England farmers. 



"The Violet-green Swallow, Ilirundo thalassina, tail acutely emarginate; 

 back a soft, velvety green, shaded with purplish violet ; length five inches, 

 and the stretch of the wings twelve inches; is common in the liocky Mount- 

 ain region. They are the associates of the cliff swallow, just described, 

 their note being more like that of the barn swallow. Their nests resemble 

 those of the clifl" swallow, wanting, however, the pendulous neck. They 

 sometimes occupy the deserted nests of their associate species. They are not 

 connnon cast of the Mississippi River. 



" The "White-bellied Swallow, Ilirundo hicolor, is of a glossy, metallic green 

 above, and wliite below ; hence its common name. Its length is si.x inches, 

 and the stretch of the wings is twelve and a half inches. It is not as com- 

 mon as the barn swallow, and is allied somewhat to the purple martin. 

 Their note is a shrill, lively, warbling twitter. They are usually the first 

 swallows that appear in the spring. They breed in some deserted liouse or 

 hollow tree. Tlicy use no mud in building their nests, which are lined with 

 feathers. 



"Tlic Rough-winged Swallow, U'lriindo sern'pcnnis of Audubon, and Coii/le 

 sernpennis of Bonaparte ; color above a light, sooty brown, and beneath 



IS 



