230 



Bird Studies. 



birds are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They breed from 

 the middle districts of the United States north to the tree Hmit. They win- 

 ter as far south as Brazil. 



Among the swallows of our region the White-bellied Swallow is notice- 

 able. It is a field or marsh bird in its feeding habits for a large part of the 

 time that it is with us, resorting to open woodlands and 

 Tree Swallow, ^j^g vicinity of houses to nest and breed. In the woods 



Tachycineta bicolor (Vieill.). ■' 1111 



the deserted nests oi woodpeckers and other holes and 

 hollows in trees afford the birds nesting sites. About houses they often use, 

 if allowed by the Wrens, Sparrows, and Bluebirds, the "bird boxes" supplied 

 by human friends for such birds as may choose to make them their temporary 

 homes. 



WHlTE-BELLlED SWALLOW. 



These Swallows are gregarious, and often assemble in great bands or 

 companies. The wires stretched between telegraph poles are favorite rest- 

 ing places, and often they crowd such perches so that it seems impossible for 

 another one to alight. While insects are their chief food, they are well 

 known to feed late in fall on the ripe fruit of the bayberry. 



These birds are a little less than six inches long. Old ones are uniform 

 dark steel blue or green above, and unsullied white below. The tail is very 

 slightly forked. Immature birds are grayish brown above and white below. 



The nests are built in the kind of shelters indicated above. They are 



