ITTRTJXDINIDyK — THE SWAIil-OWS. 347 



rclciiriC'd would at oiicci ily luick to tluiir brood. Tliey build a loose, .soft, and 

 vv-arui lU'st of iiuo soft loaves and hay, aliuudautly lined with down a\id 

 feathers, with wliicli the ei^gs are not unfre(iuei,''ly covered. The addition 

 of st)ft and warm materials is oi'ten made iluring incubation, and the nest 

 is thorouL;hly repaired bel'ore it is used for a second brood, of which they 

 usually have two in a season. 



The eggs are of a unilorni pure white, and are never spotted. They liave 

 a delicate pinkish shade l)efore tiiey are blown. Tliey are of an ol)long-ovid 

 sliajjc, one end more j.-inted than the other, and they vary considerably in 

 size. They vaiy in length from .75 to .875 of an inch, and in breadth from 

 .50 to .5(). 



Mr. Hepburn states that the great mass of tliese birds leave California in 

 August, lint that a few are resident during tlie winter. The |)rincipal acces- 

 sion to their numbers takes place about the end of February, and tiiey l)e- 

 come ([uite abundant by the end of March. In V^ancouver they are a month 

 later. In l.S5;> Mr. Ilepl)urn states that a. pair constructed tiieir nest in a 

 piece of canvass at the end of the yard-arm of a store-ship that lay off the 

 levee at Sacramento. He first noticed them on the 28tii of A]iril, when the 

 nest had already made some jirogress. V,y tlie lOth of j\Iay there were seven 

 eggs in it wliicli were sliglitly incul)ated. The Jiest was a great inass of 

 hay and dried grasses, in the midst of wliich was a cup shajied depression 

 very neatly lined witii feathers, sonu; ol' which bent over, forming a slight 

 dome. 



Hirundo thalassina, Swains. 



VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW. 



Iliriindn thnhisnuin, Swainsdn, IMiil. Miij;. I, 18-27, 3fi,') (^[l•xico). — Arn. — BiiEWF.R, N. 

 A. Oiil. 1, 1857, 102 (tlif lig. pi. V, lij;. Ixxiv of egi; licloiij,'s to nnolluT species). — 

 nAii;i>, lliiils N. Am. IS.'i!*, 311. — I.ohd, I'r. It. A. Inst. Woohvieli, IV, ISiU, U') 

 (Vuiiccmver Isl. ; nests in holes of trees). — ('(>(iri:it& Sii'ki.kv, P. R. K. It'^p. XII, 

 n, 185 (W. T.). — Cooi'Ell, Oi-n. Cal. I, 1870, 107. Chi-Hil,m tlwhiss.'ioi, BoiK, Isis, 

 1844, 171. Ttdlnicincfii thalit,isi)i(i,V\\\. Mus. tleiu. 1850, 48. /finiiiilo [Tuc/ii/ciiu/d) 

 thfilii/ifiui'i, li.Miii), liev. Am. H. 1804, 2!»i). I'd rm-lnUdnu thahissinn, Sclatkh &. Sal- 

 vix. Ibis, 1850, 13 (Ouiitenmk). — In. P. Z. S. 18i)4, 173 (t'ity of M(X.). 



Sp. CllAi!. Tiiil aoiitcly cninrjriiiiitc. Heiiciith pure wiiitc. .Miovc .^ol't velvcty-srrcon, 

 willi a vory t'iiiut slindu <)l'piir]ilisli-vii)let conci'iili-iiicd aw tlie iiiipc into 11 tr!iiisvcr.s(' liiiml. 

 R\inip rallii'i' lining vivid given; tiiil-cnverts slmwiiit;- a jinod dcnl of pin'|ili'. Ciilors (if 

 feniiile iiiiieli more oliseiii'(>. Iipni;tli, 4.7"> ; 1 iiiu:, 4.50; liiil, li.OO. 



IJAii. Western and Middle Pioviiiees of t iiited Sl.ites., smith to (liiiitiMUida, cast to the 

 I'piier Missouri. lireeds on Plntean of Mexieo (SfMteiinAST). 



Young birds are of a dull velvety grayish-brown, not unlike the shade of 

 color of L'Dfjilc riparlii, )»ut may be distinguislied by the absence of the tult 

 of feathers at base of toes, and the gray (not white) bases of tiie feathers of 

 under jiarts. There is only an ashy shiule across the breast, not a pectoral 

 band. 



