BIRDS OF 



HAB. North America at large, from the Fur Countries southward, in 

 winter to the West Indies and Central America. 



Nest, of leaves and grass, lined with down and feathers. 

 Eggs, white, unspotted. 



A common summer resident, arriving early in May and 

 leaving about the middle of September. 



The White-bellied Swallows must at times have had con- 

 siderable trouble in rinding suitable places for their summer 

 residence, but it may be that like people who move often they have 

 come to like the occupation of house hunting. The original nesting 

 place was a hole in a tree or stub near water, but as the birds 

 are incapable of making such an excavation themselves they 

 had to search for a natural aperture, or the deserted hole of a 

 Woodpecker to suit their purpose, the finding of which must 

 have been to some extent accidental. As the country became 

 settled, and the Swallow trees were cleared away, the birds be- 

 took themselves to breeding in boxes, which in the east were put 

 up in great numbers for their accommodation, but on the advent 

 of the English Sparrow many pairs of Swallows were summarily 

 ejected from the boxes, and were obliged to retire to the remote 

 parts of the country and resume their primitive habit of nesting 

 in trees. On this account they are not so common in towns and 

 villages as they were some years ago, but are more generally 

 distributed throughout the country. In Southern Ontario they 

 are seen in greatest numbers during the season of migration. 



GENUS CLIVICOLA FORSTER. 



237. CLIVICOLA RIPARIA (LINN.). 616. 

 Bank Swallow. 



Lustreless gray, with a pectoral band of the same ; other under parts 

 white. Sexes exactly alike. Young similiar, the feathers often skirted with 

 rusty or whitish. Length, 4^-4! ; wing, 3-4 ; tail, 2. 



HAB. Northern Hemisphere ; in America, south to the West Indies 

 Central America and Northern South America. 



Nest, a few bits of straw and some feathers placed at the end of a tunnel, 

 2 to 4 feet deep, dug by the birds in a sand bank. 



Eggs, 5 ; pure white. 



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