CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 549 



banks and in trees. (Nelson) On several occasions I saw this 

 swallow flitting about the buildings at St. Michael during the 

 months of August and early September. (Turner.) 



Breeding Notes. — The sudden disappearance of a swallow as 

 it alighted on a fence was almost startling until I learned that in 

 some deep hollow decayed out of the heart of an unsplit rail was 

 a very cosy nest of grass and feathers. It was impossible to dis- 

 lodge the birds that were sometimes out of arm's reach, but 

 several nests examined the last week in June contained young. 

 I have never found this species nesting in such a location before. 

 {Dwight.) This species builds its nest generally in holes in trees 

 10 to 30 feet from the ground. The nest is made of fine soft 

 grass, well lined with feathers and down. Eggs 5, pure white. 

 (G. R. White.) From May to July is the nesting time for this 

 species at Scotch Lake, N.B. The nests are placed in hollow 

 fence poles or in old woodpecker nests. The nests are beauti- 

 fully made of feathers and contain from 3 to 6 eggs. When the 

 nest is in a hollow pole the sitting bird has a way of spreading 

 itself so that only dark feathers show, when a person looks in at 

 the nest, so that sometimes a person cannot tell if the bird be on 

 the nest or not. ( W. H. Moore) A nest of grass and feathers 

 built in a deserted woodpecker's nest; it may be in any hole in 

 tree or fence post around Ottawa where they breed in numbers. 

 The four or five eggs are laid in May and June. (Gameau) 



MUSEUM SPECIMENS. 



Thirteen ; two taken at Ottawa in May, 1888, by Prof. Macoun; 

 one taken at Athabasca Landing, Atha., May 24th, 1888, by Mr. 

 J. M. Macoun; two taken at Indian Head, Assa., in May, 1892 ; 

 two at Edmonton, Alta., May loth, 1897, four at Revelstoke, B-C., 

 in May, 1890, one at Agassiz, B.C., May 17th, 1889, and one at 

 Port Moody, B.C., April 29th, 1889, all by Mr. Spreadborough. 



Two sets of eggs; one of six taken at Wolfville, N.S., June 5th, 

 1894, by Mr. H. Tufts ; one set of three eggs taken at Ottawa, by 

 Dr. James Fletcher. 



j615. Violet-green Swallow. 



Tachycineta thalassina lepida (Mearns) A.O.U. Comm. 1902. 



Observed only on one occasion, June 26th, 1874, on the upper 



Missouri, near Quaking Ash River. {Coues.) A common species 



