Swallow, Tree or White-Bellied 



Their white breasts flash in the sunlight, and it is only 

 when they dart near you, and skim close along the surface 

 of the water, that you discover their backs to be not black, 

 but rich dark green, glossy to iridescence. 



NELTJE BLANCH AN. Bird Neighbors. 23 



They are more quarrelsome and less sociable in the 

 breeding season than the barn swallow. In the spring 

 their protracted, angry contentions and rapid chatter are 

 often heard in the air. 



Nuttall's Ornithology. 26 



Unlike most swallows, they vary their insect diet with 

 berries, being especially fond of bay-berries. 



FLORENCE A. MERRIAM. Birds of Village and Field. 1 



The tree swallows are passing through a transition 

 period in their history. Some accept the houses or boxes 

 erected by man as substitutes for the holes in trees or 

 stumps which others still use. 



CHAPMAN. Handbook of Birds. 21 

 SWIFT, CHIMNEY 



No one ever saw him sitting on a perch or walking on 

 the ground. In fact, his wings are so long, and his legs 

 so short and weak, that if he were to alight on the ground, 

 he would probably never be able to rise in the air again. 



TORREY. Every Day Birds. 18 

 150 



