POOD HABITS OF THE SWALLOWS. 



19 



coleoptera — continued. 



PMlonthus sp 3 



Stenus sp '1 



Trogophlceus sp 1 



Bister subrotundus 2 



Ulster sp 1 



Sapriwus pennsylvanicus — 1 



Conotelus sp 2 



Stelidota sp 4 



Omosita colon 3 



Glischrochilus fasciatus 3 



Monotonia, picipes . — -=■ 1 



Heterocerus undatas 1 



Heterocerus sp 1 



Drasterius elegans 2 



Chaulioffnathus marginatus 1 



Onthophagus hecate 1 



Onthophagus pennsylvanicus 3 



Onthophagus sp 4 



Aphodius ftmetwrius 33 



Aphodius ruricola 1 



Aphodius vittatus 1 



Aphodius inquinatus 27 



Aphodius sp 14 



Dichelonycha sp 2 



Anomala variams 2 



Strigoderma pygmcea 11 



Hcemonia nigricornis 27 



Exema conspersa 1 



Diabrotica sp 1 



Cryptocephalus venustus 1 



Pachybrachys sp 1 



Diaehus auratus 1 



sp 1 



coleoptera — continued. 



Cerotoma trifurcata 4 



Haltica foliacea 1 



Epitrix c'ucumeris 19 



Phyllotreta sinuata 1 



Notoxus alamedw 1 



Notoxus sp 2 



Anthicus sp 5 



Sitona hispidula 12 



Sitona flavescens 2 



Sitona sp 31 



Apion porcatus 2 



Hypera punctata 1 



Phytonomus sp 1 



Anthonomus grandis 6 



Orchestes vittata 1 



Gentrinus sp 1 



Tychius sp 1 



Hylastes sp 1 



Bhinoncus pyrrhopus 1 



Balaninus sp 12 



Tomicus pini 11 



Tomicus sp 2 



DIPTERA. 



Er'istalis tenax 1 



Syrphus sp 10 



HYMENOPTERA. 



Augochlora pura 1 



Haliotus sp 1 



Lojsms sp 1 



Tiphia sp 2 



Ophion sp 1 



VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW. 



Tachycineta thalassina. 



The violet-green swallow (PI. II, lower figure) is found only on the 

 Pacific side of the continent from the eastern slope of the^Eockies 

 to the coast. It extends as far north as Alaska in the summer, but in 

 winter retires south beyond our borders. Its original nesting place 

 was a hollow branch or tree trunk, but holes in cliffs and abandoned 

 woodpecker nests also were used. The big oaks of California almost 

 always furnish sites of this kind in exposed hollows of older branches 

 that have died and broken off. This species has not as yet abandoned 

 its natural nesting 1 site for one of man's construction, although it does 

 not avoid human society and has been known to build in a nook in a 

 building. Also, on sunny afternoons late in summer, when the young 

 have left the nest, hundreds of them may be seen sitting in long rows 

 on telegraph wires preening their feathers and twittering with an air 

 of perfect* comfort. 



For a study of the food of this swallow 110 stomachs were avail- 

 able, collected in Arizona, California, Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, 

 and Alaska, and in all the months from March to September. The 

 violet-green swallow is strictly insectivorous, but bits of vegetable 



