. . d, and the cavity is warmly lined with grass andfeathers. Four to seven white eggs are laid. THE VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW* The Violet-green Swallow is one of the most beautiful ofthe Hirundinid^e, or family of swallows. There are abouteighty species of the family, and they are world-wide intheir distribution. These tireless birds seem to pass almostthe entire day on the wing in pursuit of insects, upon whichthey feed almost exclusively. They can outfly the birds ofprey, and the fact that they obtain their food while flyingenables the
. . d, and the cavity is warmly lined with grass andfeathers. Four to seven white eggs are laid. THE VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW* The Violet-green Swallow is one of the most beautiful ofthe Hirundinid^e, or family of swallows. There are abouteighty species of the family, and they are world-wide intheir distribution. These tireless birds seem to pass almostthe entire day on the wing in pursuit of insects, upon whichthey feed almost exclusively. They can outfly the birds ofprey, and the fact that they obtain their food while flyingenables them to pursue their migrations by day and to restat night. The violet-green swallow frequents the Pacific Coastfrom British Columbia on the north, southward in the win-ter to Guatemala and Costa Rica. Its range extends east-ward to the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. Its nest, which is made of dry grass and copiously linedwith a mass of feathers, is variously placed. Sometimes the mf. ^Ui^-- 500 VIOLlST-GREEN SWALLOW. (Tachycineta thalassina) *yi 38 (.i[ielis ?arriilus).About Life-si/e. INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS 365 knot-holes of oaks and other deciduous trees are have also been known to use the deserted homes ofthe cliff swallow. Mr. Allen states that they nest in aban-doned woodpeckers holes, but at the Garden of the Godsand on the divide between Denver and Colorado City, wefound them building in holes in the rocks. This swallowis quite common in western Colorado, where they have beenobserved on the mountain sides at an altitude of eight to overten thousand feet. In The Birds of Colorado, Mr. W. says: A few breed on the plains, but more com-monly from six to ten thousand five hundred feet abovethe level of the sea. He also adds that they begin layinglate in June or early in July, and desert the higher regionsin August and the lower early in September. The notes of this exquisite bird are described by anobserver who says that they consist of a ra
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