FOOD HABITS OF THE SWALLOWS. 
19 
coleoptera — continued. 
Philonthus sp 3 
Stenus sp '1 
Trogophlwus sp 1 
Ulster subrotundus 2 
Hister sp 1 
Saprimis pennsylvanicus 1 
Conotelus sp 2 
Stelidota sp 4 
Omosita colon 3 
Glischrochilus fasciatus 3 
Monotonia picipes ^ 1 
Heterocerus undatus 1 
Heterooerus sp : 1 
Drasterius elegans 2 
Chauliognathus marginatum 1 
Onthoph'agus hecate * 1 
Onthophagus pennsylvanicus 3 
Onthophagus sp 4 
Aphodius fimetarius 33 
Aphodius ruricola 1 
Aphodius vittatus 1 
Aphodius inquinatus 27 
Aphodius sp 14 
Dichelonycha sp 2 
Anomala variants 2 
Strigoderma pygmcea 11 
Hwmonia nigricornis 27 
Exema conspersa 1 
Diaorotica sp 1 
Cryptocephalus venustus 1 
Pachybrachys sp 1 
Diachus auratus 1 
Colaspis sp 1 
coleoptera — continued. 
Oerotoma trifurcata 4 
Haltica foliacea 1 
Epitrix c'ucumeris 19 
Phyllotreta sinuata 1 
Notoxus alamedw 1 
Notoxus sp 2 
Anthicus sp 5 
Sitona hispidula 12 
Sitona flavescens 2 
Sitona sp 31 
Apion porcatus - 2 
Hypera' punctata 1 
Phytonomus sp 1 
Anthonomus grandis 6 
Orchestes v'ittata 1 
Gentrinus sp 1 
Tychius sp 1 
Hylastes sp : 1 
Bhinoncus pyrrhopus 1 
Balaninus sp 12 
Tomicus pini 11 
Tomicus sp 2 
DIPTERA. 
Eristalis tenax 1 
Syrphus sp 10 
HTMENOPTERA. 
Augochlora pura 1 
Halictus sp 1 
LasiMS sp 1 
Tiphia sp 2 
Ophion sp 1 
VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW. 
TacJiycineta thalassina. 
The violet-green swallow (PL II, lower figure) is found only on the 
Pacific side of the continent from the eastern slope of the Rockies 
to the coast. It extends as far north as Alaska in the summer, but in 
winter retires south beyond our borders. Its original nesting place 
was a hollow branch or tree trunk, but holes in cliffs and abandoned 
woodpecker nests also were used. The big oaks of California almost 
always furnish sites of this kind in exposed hollows of older branches 
that have died and broken off. This species has not as yet abandoned 
its natural nesting site for one of man's construction, although it does 
not avoid human society and has been known to build in a nook in a 
building. Also, on sunny afternoons late in summer, when the young 
have left the nest, hundreds of them may be seen sitting in long rows 
on telegraph wires preening their feathers and twittering with an air 
of perfect* comfort. 
For a study of the food of this swallow 110 stomachs were avail- 
able, collected in Arizona, California, Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, 
and Alaska, and in all the months from March to September. The 
violet-green swallow is strictly insectivorous, but bits of vegetable 
