t -
SwalioAA- th a t I have Qver seen in F lo rid a d u rin g w inter. They a re q u ite a b u n d an t there,
h u t as soon as th ey move across th e co untry in large strag g lin g flocks, a re n o t often seen
ill one locality for m any days in succession. AVhile in th is State th ey do n o t u tte r a note,
h u t skim silently over th e large in lan d lakes or sail aboA'C th e almost limitless pine-
woods. In early sp rin g th ey leave fo r th e n o rth .”
Air. Chapman, w ritin g from Gainesville, Florida, s tates th a t th e species Avas a b u n d an t
up to th e da te of its d ep a rtu re , Alay 0th. Air. AVyatt only m et Avith th e species on two
occasions d u rin g his th re e m o n th s’ stay in Floidda. A good many AA'ere flying over Hike
Alonroe early one morning, h u t in th e afternoon they had disappeared. I n J a n u a ry he
observed a fcAv on In d ia n lliv e r, flying OA'cr th e p a lm e tta -se ru b on th o hanks of the
river.
I n liis in te res tin g rep o rt on Bird Aligration in th e Alississippi A'alley iu th e years
1884 and 1885, Air. AAU AV. Cooke A A ritc s as follows:—
“ Breeds ab u n d an tly iu Alanitoba an d most p a rts of th e Alississippi Valley. This is
tbo only SwalloAv AA'hich Avintcrs reg u la rly and ab u n d an tly iu th e Un ited States. From
its Avinter-quarters in th e Southern States i t spreads n o rth , th e earliest of its tribe.
In d eed , so early is its migration, th a t i t is often overtaken by snoAv-storms, before wliich
i t usu ally retrea ts, th o u g h sometimes it i*emains to brave the elements. A t Gainesville,
Tex., in the spring of 1884 i t did uot arriA'e u n til April 30, th o u g h in fo rm er years i t has
been known to come by Alarch 3. Nearer th e Alississippi River, m igration m u st have
s ta rted ea rly in Alarch, probably Avhen th e Avarm AA-ave set in, Alarch 8 and Alarch I).
A single h ird was seen a t B u rlin g to n , loAva, Alarch 10, b u t th e reg u la r advance
occurred ab o u t tAvo Aveeks late r. I f records of iirs t arrivals a rc to be relied upo n they
show th a t th e m ig ra tio n of th is SwalloAV took place m uch earlier east of th e Alississippi
th an AA'est of it. In Illinois, 111., Alarch 24 and 20 ; a t L ak e Alills, AA'is., April 4 ; and
a t AA’est De P e re and Green Bay, AA’is., April G. AA’est of th e Alississippi th e first was
rep o rted from Coralvillc, Iowa, April 19th, and Lanesboro, Alinn., April 27. Two days late r
th e first came in hu n d red s to He ro n Lake, Alinn., Avhen th e su n shone in th e afternoon
a fte r a cold rain y forenoon. The first reached Pin e Bend, Alinn., Alay 2, and F ra ze r
City, Aliuii., Alay 2G. Still fuvtlier Avcst m igration aa'us earlier th a u aloug th e cen tral
line. A t Argusvilie, Dak., it aa'us seen Alay 5 ; aud a t Oak Point, Manitoba, Alay 3.
“ I n th e sp rin g of 1885 th e same Avarm avuvo Avliich b ro u g h t tiie Alartins to the
U p p e r Alississippi A'alley induced m any AVhite-beliied Swallows to visit Alissouri and
Illinois.
“ D u rin g tb e la s t tAA'O days of Alareh and th e 1st day of April tiiey appeared at
S a in t Louis, AIo., Paris, 111,, an d Pernvvood, 111.; April 4, they Avcro seen a t Alilwaukce,
AMs.; April o a t Green Bay, AVis.; April 7 a t Lanesboro, A liim .; April 11 a t Aliunea-
polis, A liu ii.; an d Ap ril 28 a t Oak Point, Alanitoba. A t Sa in t Louis, AIo., th e last one
was seen Ap ril 29 ; a t Alount Carmel, AIo., Alay 2 ; and a t Dcs Aloiiies, Iowa, Alay 8 .
Some very late birds Avcre recorded a t Bonham, Tex., Alay G, and a t Gainesville, Tex.,
Alav 12.
i J i i -
“ I n the W1 of 1885, a t Saint Louis, J Io ., th e first retu rn ed September 8 ; m any
passed Oelolicr 5 ; they avcro most n um ero u s October 9, and left October 28. They bad
left Grinnell, loAva, September IG ”
Dr, E llio tt Cones states th a t th e p resen t species appears to be ra re r in tbe
Missouri region tlian tho o th er Sivalloivs are, or th a u it is in most otlier p a rts of the
Un ited States, much of th e country being n o t avell suited to its avants. I t is occasionally
seen in th e Southern States in mid-aviiitor. Mr. M’. E. D. Scott says th a t m M estern
Missouri it avas common and m ig rato ry , b eing first n oted on th e 3rd of April. Mr. E. 11,
K in g records its occurrence on his jo u rn ey east from tlie Roek River, nortli ot Jetlersoii,
file ro u te ly in g a lte rn a te ly tlirougli pieces of heavy tim b er and across d ry cultivated
fields.A
udubon mentions its oceiuTence near New Orleans, Avhere he saAv it in numbers
every day d u rin g th e avliole avinter. I n tlie eveuing many so u g h t th e shelter of the
houses, avhere th ey roosted in holes, b u t th e majo rity frequented th e lakes and roosted
among th e b ran d ie s of tlie oandleborry myrtle. Mr. Beckham states th a t ho first
observed tlie species a t Bayou Sara, In Louisiana, on th e 9 tb of April, and a consideralile
imniber v e re seen th ere on tb e 23rd of tb e same montli.
I n S outhe rn Texas Mr. J . C. Merrill found th is Savallov common d u rin g migrations,
a n d ho liclieves th a t some of tliem must pass tlic v in te r a t no g re a t distance, as lie lias
freqneutly seen small flocks in November, Decomber, and Jan u a ry , a fte r a few warm
davs. Mr. N cb rliu g says th a t he lias met w ith a few examples d u rin g summer on tlie
liorders of woods. Mr. Semiett considers it a win ter bird, and it m u st certain ly breed in
a few isolated localities only. H e writes “ Num bers were seen on our way down the
coast from In dianola to P d n t Isabel. Tliey were also seen about th e lagoons in the
vicinity o f Brownvillo u p to aliout April IS tli, afte r wliich tim e none w ere observed."
Mr. Ilcn sb aw , iu his report on oxploratious on th e 100th parallel, writes :—
“ Eoimd a t Eairfield, Utali, early in Aug u st, and a t Provo in same montli. Ratlier
common. I n S outhern Colorado, th e species was not uncommon, tho u g li perliaps the
rare s t of tlic Swallows. Hero, instead of being found near tlic h ab ita tio n s of man, it
appeared to seek tb e solitude of tb o wild districts, and, in company witli Tachycineta
thalussitius, to find a home iu the hollows o t trees and deserted Woodpeckers’ lioles. I ts
presence was n o t detected a t a h ig h er elevation th a n 8000 feet. Cap tain Bcndire
informs me tlia t this speeies occurs ab o u t Tucson as a summer visitor, and lirecds.”
Mr. Ridaway obtained specimens a t Carson City in Nevada, in Marcii, and a t
Truckee B o ttom s 'in M a y ; again, a t Salt Lake City in May, and a t Parley ’s P ark ,
AValisatch Moiiutahis, Utali, in Ju ly . H e gives th e following account of th e species
“ Tliis species and tho P u rp le M a rtin were th e only Swallows wliich were confiaed to
wooded d istricts or to settlements, th e ir d istrih u tio n being mucli th o same, except th at,
iu tlio case ot wooded localities, th e former was most a b u n d an t iu tb e river-valleys, while
th e la tte r occurred oftenost ou th e mountains. Among th e cottoii-woods o f tho Lower
Truckee, ne ar Pyramid Lake, in May, the IVhite-bellied SwaUow abounded more tlian