332 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



The female described was collected, on the Abary River in 

 September 1907. 



Breeding-season. March and April [Beehe). 



Nest. About the eaves of houses and sheds {^QuelcJi); composed 

 of sticks, straws, dried grass, string, cloth, etc. (Beehe). 



Eggs. Undescribed from British Guiana. 



Range in British Guiana. Mazaruni River, Bonasika River, 

 Abary River [McConnell collection) ; Bartica (WJiitely) ; George- 

 town (Quelch) ; Georgetown and Abary Savannas {Beehe). 



Extralimital Range. Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, 

 Peru, Bolivia, Brazil to Central America. 



Hahits. Mr. J. J. Quelch (Timehri (2) v. p. 76, 1891), who ob- 

 served this species in Geoi'getown, remarks: — "Perhaps some of 

 the commonest of our birds are the Swallows. Of these there are 

 four species about the city, one or more of which may always be 

 seen flying about overhead or perching on the roofs of the houses 

 and sheds, about the eaves of which they generally make their 

 nests. The commonest is the white-breasted purple Swallow 

 (Progne chalyhea)." 



Mr. Quelch (Timehri (2) x. p. 262, 1896), writing on the migra- 

 tory birds in British Guiana, says : — " The Purple Martin, on the 

 other hand, appears to be one of our true migrants. In the 

 case of the Swallows, all of them birds of great flight, and many 

 of them preferring the haunts of man, the question becomes a 

 simpler one. In the White-breasted Purple Martin [Pvogne 

 chalybea), and the Common Martin (P. tapera), we know that the 

 birds are constant residents, being abundant throughout the year, 

 and nesting usually under the eaves or on the ledges and supports 

 of the houses." 



The following note has been copied from Beebe (Our Search 

 for a "Wilderness, p. 245) : — " A .pair of Grey-breasted Martins 

 accompanied us, and we found that they were nesting in an angle 

 between two beams of the main deck covering. Young birds 

 were in the nest, so the Martins must have accompauieij the 

 stea,mer on many of the alternate day trips between Georgetown 

 and Bartica." 



The following notes are quoted from Beebe (Tropical "Wild Life 

 in British Guiana, pp. 328-341) : — " In all civilized districts from 

 Rio northwards this is the first bird to greet the traveller. As the 



