COMMON BIRDS: SECOND SERIES. 
I 2 
White-bellied Swallow, or Tree Swallow. 22. 
[tachycineta bicolor.] 
I'he White-bellied Swallow, or Martin, as it was often called by 
the early settlers, like the Chimney Swift and the Phoebe, quickly 
adjusted itself to the changes made by the white man’s arrival. The 
bird had nested for centuries in woodpeckers’ holes in dead trees, 
but when the early settlers saw its disposition to visit the neighbor¬ 
hood of man, they built boxes in which it immediately took up its 
residence. In many parts of the country the martin box was a 
familiar feature of farm life, and was shared often by the Bluebird 
or the Wren ; now the Martin has disappeared from many of its 
haunts, retreating before the advance of suburban life. It is still a 
very common bird to the northward, and in spring and fall immense 
flocks pass up and back, especially along the seashore. It is fond 
of the bayberries, and thousands may sometimes be seen hovering 
over the bushes or lighting on the telegraph wires near by. When 
the time comes for an onward flight, the fluttering mass rises high 
above the ground, and circles about in apparent confusion, finally 
streaming out to the southward. The White-bellied Swallow is the 
earliest swallow to arrive in spring, reaching New England in early 
April. A few are hardy enough to spend the winter in Florida; the 
vast majority, however, join the other species in the tropics. The 
scarcity of the White-bellied Swallow in many of the old breeding 
places, and its total disappearance in some, is much to be regretted. 
From the morning of their arrival in April the birds enlivened the 
neighborhood with their shrill twitterings and active flight. Not 
even the graceful Barn Swallow can wholly make good the loss. 
Warbling Vireo. 6. 
[VTREO GILVUS.] 
A summer spent in the tops of tall street trees is not one of 
which the public has much knowledge; few, therefore, become 
