348 NORTH A^fERICAN BIRDS. 



There is mnrli variation aiiioni,' individuals roi;ardinj^ the distribution of 

 tlie senii-inotallic tints uf the ujjpcr j)aits ; <,aMierally the whoh' thjrsal region 

 is overlaid hy a " dustinL,'," as it were, of soft brownish-purple ; in specimens 

 Cfdored thus, the uj)per tail-eoverts are pure dark-i^'reen, without a tiivj^Q of 

 purple. In other specimens, on the contrary, the dorsal region is nearly 

 pure green, that of the ujtper tail-coverts less golden, and mixed with a very 

 beautiful rich soft violet. 



Winter specimens from fUiatemala and Mexico have the upper secon- 

 daries very sharply and Ijroadly bordered terminally with pure white. 



Hadits. The Violet-green Swallow is a common bird, from the central 

 ]>lains of Xorth America to the Pacific coast, and is found at different sea- 

 sons from Washington Territory to South America. It has Iteen found as far 

 east as Xebraska, and in alnindance at Fort Uridger, in Utah 



As observed, in Washington Territory, by I)rs. Sucklcy and Cooper, it is 

 said to arrive at Puget Sound early in May, and to frequent entirely the high 

 prairies bordered with oak and other deciduous trees, in the knot-holes of 

 which, ' • in deserted Woodpeckers' holes, it breeds. Its song is described as 

 pleasing and varied, but rather weak. They found it to be (piite abundant 

 in the interior of Oregon and of AVashiuLrton Territorv, and in its hal)its and 

 mode of tlight hardly distinguishable from the hico/or. 



In California, acc<n'ding to the observations of Dr. Cooper, it arrives in 

 Santa Clara Valley as early as March !.">, where it chiefly frequents the groves 

 of oaks along the sides of the valleys, across the whole Coast Ilange, excepting 

 in the innnediate neighborhood of the .sea. Their nest, so far as known, is 

 always in the knot-holes of oaks, and they have never been known to breed in 

 the innnediate vicinity of dwellings, excepting ^only when their favorite trees 

 were so situated. It is generally in an inaccessible jdace, and their eggs 

 are not often obtained. These are pure white, resembling tho.se of the 

 hicoJor and the ripnria. Townsend states that he found them nesting in the 

 deserted nests of the //. Iiinifronx, but in this he mav have l)een mistaken. 

 The eggs he gave to Mr. Audubon as tlio.se of this species undoubtedly 

 belonged to the luni/roiis. They leave California for the south in Sep- 

 tember. 



Dr. Cones also found this Swallow in Arizona, where it was the most 

 abundant and characteristic Swallow of the i)ine regions of that Territory. 

 It is a summer resident at Fort Wlii])])le, where it arrives about March 20, 

 and remains until late in Se]>tember. 



In the Province of Ver.i Cruz, Mr. Sumichrast found this Swallow resident, 

 not only in the hot belt of the coast, but also in the temperate regi<»n and 

 throuiihout the plateau, at almost all heights, and was almost evervwhere 

 very common. 



Mr. Salvin also states that early in March great numl)er3 occur near Du- 

 enas, (luatemahi, where thev remain for a short time. During that time thev 

 are to be found Hying over the open land to the south of the Lake of Duenas, 



