Hab. Middle and Western Provinces of the U. States, north to British Columl)ia and Vancouver 

 Island, east to S.E. Dakota and Western Texas, south in winter to Lower California, and to 

 Guatemala in Central America. 



This is one of the most beautiful of all the Swallows, and is an inhaliitaut of the 

 Western United States, as well as some of the Central Provinces. Professor Elliott 

 Coues, in his ' Birds of the Colorado Valley,' has given a most excellent account of the 

 species, which has been made the foundation of our present article. "We have also 

 studied the notes of Messrs. Baird, Brewer, and Ptidgway in their ' History of Xorth- 

 American Birds,' and those of Messrs. Salvin and Godman in the ' Biologia.' Since these 

 gentlemen wrote, however, many furtlier observations of interest have been recorded in 

 the 'Auk' and other joui'nals, the details of which are given below. The northern- 

 most point in its Avestern distribution to which the Violet-and-Green Swallow extends 

 its range seems to be Vancouver Island, whence we have seen specimens collected Ijy 

 Ml'. A. Forrer. Dr. Robert Brown states that it breeds there, building in knot-holes of 

 trees. The late Mr. J. K. Lord, during the Boundary Commission on the 49th Parallel, 

 noticed this species at Colville, to the Avest of the Rocky Mountains. lie numVjers the 

 species among the earliest visitors, arriving in March in small tlocks, increasing in 

 mmibers in May, and building in June in holes of trees. Mr. Clark P. Streator also 

 found it breeding at Ashcroft, in British Columbia. He writes : — " Ashcroft is located 

 one hundred miles north of the United States Boundary, and two hundred miles east of 

 the western terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railw^ay. This place is almost a desert : 

 only sage-brush, small cactus, and now and then a few stunted trees and plants are to 

 be seen. But the mountains, two thousand feet high, are covered Avith scattering 

 pine-forest." 



Drs. Suckley and Cooper state that in Washington Territory it arrives early in May 

 in Puo-et Sound. Both in the interior of Oregon and of Washington Territory the bird 

 Avas found to be quite abundant, frequenting entirely the high prairies, bordered witli 

 oak and deciduous trees, and breeding in knot-holes or in the deserted holes of Wood- 

 peckers. Professor Coues states that he observed a few individuals on the 2()th of June, 

 1871, on the Upper Missouri, above the uiouth of the Yellowstone, near the Quakiug- 

 Asli River. Tlie species A^^as also collected by Dr. Ilaydeu in the A\'iud Itiver ^lonntains, 

 in Wyoming. Dr. Mearns also states that lie has found Ihe sj)ecies hrccdiiii;- in ihc 

 mineral formation about the hot springs and geysers of the Yellowstone Nalicinal I'mk 

 and in the bluff banks of the Big Horn River in Montana. Mr. Agershorg ri'c.irds il as 

 probably accidental in South-eastern Dakota, but breeding there. 



]\Iany good notices of the range of the species throughout Colorado have been 

 liiddishcd. Mr. Drew states that tlie upper limit of its range in s]irinu- is 7i>iiu led. in 

 summer 11,000 feet, and in autumn D.IOO ; it breeds from .".(HK) to 10. .->()() Cvt. llu- 

 same observer states that he fouiul il " very aliundaul in San .luaii County."" .Mr. .Miuot 

 speaks of it as a common sununcr resident of local abundance. laugiuL;- up to !hi' limlicr 



