The Rough-winged Swallow 
lower levels of the treeless 
foothills. Yet not over a 
hundredth of these “dry 
creeks” are utilized, for the 
birds are rather dependent 
upon the proximity of water. 
The nesting holes vary 
widely in their consis¬ 
tency. While the birds 
are quite capable of 
excavating for them¬ 
selves, they prefer some 
natural lead,—an old 
Kingfisher’s burrow, a 
hole left by a rotten root 
or a fallen stone, or 
something of the sort. 
One I found near Santa 
Barbara nesting under 
a concrete culvert in a 
small rectangular storm- 
drain too small to admit 
the arm. When exca¬ 
vated by the bird, the 
entrance is quite certain 
to be round and over¬ 
large, as distinguished 
from the lens-shaped 
opening of the Bank 
Swallow’s tunnel. Nest¬ 
ing materials are every¬ 
thing or nothing, but 
loose, open-wrought 
cushions of dried grasses are the rule, where the birds have room enough 
Some nests are excessively large, quite beyond all possible need, as though' 
the birds had not forgotten some ancient tree-nesting habit. 
These Swallows are fairly common throughout the indicated areas of 
Upper and Lower Sonoran belts, and are evidently on the increase. Dr. 
Grinnell found them well established in the Colorado River Valley; and 
they have been noted, as well, in some of the Upper Sonoran “islands” in 
the upper part of the State. But after all is said, the Rough-wings are 
a humble folk; and it would require an ardent specialist to ferret out 
and illuminate all their modest doings. 
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS 
532 
