Ju te -tlu -o a te d Sw ift (P a m jp t i la sa xa tiU s ) a n d C liff-Sw allow {P e tro o h e lid o ti Im if r o n s ) .
T iio ir n e s ts w e re in a im o s t e v e ry c a se o u t o t re a c li, o n ly tw o o f th o s e t h a t w e re fo u n d
b e iii" a c ee ssih io . B o th w e re in h o r iz o n ta l Assures, s c a rc e ly la rg o e n o u g h to a dm it tlie
h a n d , th e n e s t c o n s is tin g o f a fl.atto n cd m a s s o f s tic k s a n d s traw s , lin e d w ith fe a tlie rs ,
lik e th o s e o f th e B a n k -Sw a llow s [C o tile a n d S t e lg id o p t e r y x ) ; o n e o f th em e o n ta in e d iive
y o u n g b ird s , h u t t h e o th e r h a d a p p a r e n t ly b e e n tam p e r e d w i th iu som e w a y , sin c e th e
p a r e n t wa s d e a d a n d h e r th r e e e g g s b ro k e n . T h e l a t t e r , l ik e th o s e o f T . Mcolor a n d th e
tw o sp e c ie s a b o v e -m e n tio n e d , w e re p u r e w liite , w i th o u t m a rk in g s .
“ -A-lthough o th e r o b s e rv e rs , w h o se s t a tem e n ts w e do n o t in th e le a s t d o u h t, h a v e
d e sc rib e d th o h a b its o f th i s b ird a s a rb o re a l, lik e th o s e o f th e JV h ite -b e llie d Sw allow
(T . hicolor) a n d th e P u r p l e J I a r t in , we n e v e r fo u n d i t so in a n y lo c a lity d u r iu g o u r t r ip ,
i t b e in g e v e ryw h e re a s tr i c t ly s a x ic o lin e sp e c ie s , a n d a n a s so c ia te o t P a n y p t i la sa x a tU k ,
P e tr o c h e lid o n In n ifr o n s , a n d R i r u u d o h o r r e o rum r a th e r th a n o f th e sp e c ie s n am e d , a n d
to b e fo u n d o n ly w h e re p r e c ip ito u s ro c k s , a f fo rd in g s u ita b le fissu re s, o o o u rred . 'W h e n on
t h e w in g th e a p p e a r a n c e o f th i s lo v e ly Sw a llow is v e r y s t r ik in g , a n d so u n l ik e t h a t o t a n y
o th e r t h a t i t m a y h e im m e d ia te ly d is tin g u is h e d . N o o th e r sp e c ie s r e s em b le s i t e x c e p t
th e T . bicolor, wdiich is s om ew h a t s im ila r o n a c c o u n t o f th e p u r e w h i t e low e r p a r t s ; h u t
a m o re a t t e n t iv e e x am in a tio n d isco v e rs th e g r e a t e r am o u n t o f w h ite o n th e sid e o t th e
h e a d , a n d i f th e b ird is v iew e d f r om a b o v e t h e p lum a g e is se e n to b e t r ic o lo u r c d— th e
r um p r ic h in te n s e v io le t, a n d t h e h a c k lu s tr o u s g re e n , th e tw o c o lo u rs b e in g s e p a ra te d
b y a v e r y c o n sp ic u o u s b ro a d a n d a p p a r e n t ly c o n tin u o u s b a n d o l s n ow y w h ite a c ro s s th e
u p p e r jr a r t o f th e rum p , c a u s e d b y th e c lo se a p p r o x im a tio n o f th e tw'o iv h ito fla n k -
p a tc h e s .
“ T h is Sw a llow a p p e a re d to b e a v e r y s ile n t sp ec ie s, b u t a few n o te s we re h e iird ,
w h ic h c a lle d to m iu d th e c h i rp in g o f y o u n g P u r p l e M a r tin s , a s h e a rd in ra in y
w e a th e r .”
“ T h is is e n o u g h ,” a d d s Pi-ofessor C o u es, “ to s e t t l e th e q u e s tio n w e a s k e d e a c h o th e r
fo r som e y(*ars, W h e r e do es th e V io le t-g r e e n b r e e d ? IV e h a v e h e r e s im p ly a ho le-b re ed e r,
in d iffe re n t w h e th e r t h e c a v ity i t o c c u p ie s b e t r e e o r r o e k ; a n d w e n e e d n o t b e su rp r is e d to
l e a r n a n y d a y t h a t i t h a s b e e n f o u n d n e s tlin g in a b a n k o f e a r tb , in a n a tu r a l e x c a v a tio n , o r
e v e n in a K in g f is h e r ’s o r B a n k o r K o u g h -w in g e d SwalloAv’s h o le . O u e th in g , h o w e v e r : it
h a s n e v e r le a rn e d t h e id a s t e r c r ’s tr a d e , a t w h ic h th e Cliff a n d B a rn Sw a llow s a r c s u c h cle v e r
a r t i s a n s ; a n d y e t i t h a s b e e n s t a t e d b y m e , in th e ‘ B ird s o f th e N o r thw e s t,’ p . 8 8 , o n th e
a u th o r i ty o f M r. T. i f . T rip p e , to h a v e b e e n fo u n d ‘ n e s tin g u n d e r th e ea v es o f houses, lik e
th e C liff-Sw a llow ,’ t h e f a c t b e in g a d d u c e d to sh ow th a t , lik e m o s t o th e rs o f i t s tr ib e , th is
h i r d h a d a t l e n g th p a id i t s c om p lim e n ts to h um a n c iv iliz a tio n . T h e d e ta ils o f th e c irc um s
ta n c e h a d n o t b e e n c om m u u ie a tc d to m e iu 187--1; b u t M r. T rip p e y e s te r d a y (M a rc h 17,
1 8 7 8 ) v is ite d m y s tu d y , a n d wo h a d som e c o n v e rs a tio n o n tb e s u b je c t. U e d e s c rib e d tb e
n e s ts , in Avbich V io le t-g r e e n Swallows c e r ta in ly lia d th e i r eg g s , a s b u lk y s t r u c tu r e s of
m u d , a u d lik e th o s e o f Cliff-Sivallows. B e in g p e r f e c tly f am i l i a r w ith th e b ird s , h e co u ld
n o t h a v e b e e n m is ta k e n in id e n tify in g t h e sp e c ie s ; a n d h e a g re e d iv ith m e t h a t th o h ird s
> 1 9
m u s t h a v e o c c u p ied in th e s e in s ta n c e s th e d e s e rte d n e s ts o f o th e r Sw a llow s. T h is b rin g s
u p N u t t a l l ’s e a rly te s tim o n y to th e sam e effect, a n d m a k e s i t s e em m u c h m o re p ro b a b le—
if i t m a y n o t in d e e d b e re g a rd e d a s c o n firm a to ry— th o u g h ho o r T ow n s e n d c e r ta in ly g o t
h o ld o f th e w ro n g eg g , a d raw in g o f w h ic h s u b s e q u e n tly c am e in to D r . B row e r’s p o sse ss
io n th r o u g h A u d u b o n . T o sh o u ld e x p e c t t h e V io le t-g re e n s , o n y ie ld in g to c iv iliz a tio n ,
to c om e to t e rm s in th o s am e w a y th e M a r tin s a n d W h ite -h c llio s h a v e , b y o c c u p y in g
b o x e s s e t u p fo r th o ir u s e , o r e lse to e n t e r k n o t-h o le s o r th e c re v ic e s b e h in d w e a th e r b
o a rd s , a s th e W r e n s ; b u t t h a t t h e i r h a b its w ill h e m o d ified in som e w a y , a n d a t no
d is ta n t d ay , th e r e is n o re a so n a b le d o u b t. W i th w h ic h u n d e r s ta n d in g , I le a v e th e wdlful
a n d c a p ric io u s l i tt l e c r e a tu r e s to en jo y th e i r h e rm ita g e s , w h e th e r o f t r e e o r ro e k , os lo n g
a s th e y p le a se .”
T lie d e s c rip tio n s h a v e b e e n d r aw n u p fr om th e se rie s in th e B r i t is h M u s e um , a n d
tlie iiifu re s h a v o b e e n d raw n b y M r. IV y a t t from sp e c im e n s in th e S a lvin-Godman.
co lle c tio n .
' i