82 THE Brirps Asout Us. 
as warm and sunny weather when the swallows go, 
somehow the summer goes with them. 
The common White-bellied Swallow is not a gre- 
garious species. It comes to the Middle States early 
in April and not uncommonly in March, and keeps 
closely to the watercourses. It builds in hollow 
trees, and is evenly distributed over the country. Oc- 
casionally quite a large number will be found flitting 
over the marshes and flying very near the tops of 
the tall grasses, but generally only two or three will 
be noticed. Nuttall records that 
“On its arrival, like many other species, it seeks out the society 
of man, and frequently takes possession of the mansion of the Mar- 
tin. When these advantages are unattainable, it will be content with 
the eaves of some deserted dwelling.” 
They seem, in the valley of the Delaware, to content 
themselves with hollow trees, and the nests are very 
scattered. Altogether, it seems to me to be a 
retiring “country” swallow that cares far more for 
Nature than any of man’s modification of it. The 
twitter of this swallow is quite musical, and is a 
pleasing addition to the sounds of the lowlands, 
where the swamp-sparrows and marsh-wrens hold 
forth so acceptably. 
There is no school-boy who lives in the country, 
and no observing man in or out of town, but has 
seen some time in his life a colony of bank-swallows. 
Those who have not should hunt them up the first 
opportunity. A clay- or earth-bank with three hun- 
dred holes, and each the home of a pair of old birds, 
is one of the few fine showings of our ornithology, 
for the days of bird exhibits on a grand scale are 
