Oregon and Washington Territories, especially coastwise, about the cliffs of tho bays
and inlets. Dr. Cooper noted its arrival near the Columbia in May and its departure in
August. In his later work on Californian Birds, the latter i*ecords his first observation
of the bird at Eort Mojave, on the 27th of February, hut adds tliat he has seen them at
San Diego on the 9th of Novemher and 27th of January, ‘ so that if tliey do not winter
within the State, they do not go far beyond it.’ . . . . In higher portions of Arizona, I
found it to be a common summer resident, arriving at Eort Whipple late in April, and
remaining through the greater part of September. Henshaw saw it in numbers in
Southern Colorado during May, and also about tlie puebla of Zuni in New Mexico; it
was still more abundant at Provo, Utah, and otlier points in the same general area,
where also Mr. llidgway attests its presence in great numbers. In some places, says the
last-named, it was the most numerous represeutative of the family next after the Cliff
and White-hellied Swallows; it is generally distributed over the United States, excepting
most of New England, but not much further northward; agreeing in this respect with
the Violet-green Swallow, and beiug, next after this species, more restricted in its habitat
than any other Swallow of North America.”
Om’ account of the Hough-winged Swallow, therefore, aims at supplementing the
excellent summary quoted above, and we trust that it will be found a tolerably exact
record of the observations of Nortb-American naturalists since Professor Elliott Coues
wrote his ‘Birds of the Colorado Valley.’
We are first of all indebted to our friend !Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, for some Canadian
notes as to tbe distribution of the species iu Ontario:—
“ London. Ecgularly distributed and uniformly common all over this section. Also
noted at Hamilton. (For ‘ full details ’ this is very slight on this species, hut
it amply covers the ground.) They breed in any bank suitable, railway-
cuttings, gravel-pits, river-hanks, it makes no difference, generally one, seldom
two, never three pairs breeding close together {W. E. Saunders).
“ Hyde Park. Summer resident {John A. Morden).
“ Toronto. As yet not observed here by anyone.”
The accompanying sketch is also sent by Mr. Thomp.son, who writes :—
‘* The shaded portion would fall within the region of tbe Alleghanian Fauna. This
appears to trend along the north shore of Lake Ontario, and ultimately to run as far
J i t .
northward as Ottawa. This is a region well defined hv relative altitude, as well as by
its geology, botany, &c. Tlirougliout this area I expect we shall ultimately find
tho Hough-winged Swallow.”
In the ‘ Auk ’ for 1887, Mr. Saunders writes ;—
“ ]V[r. Mcllwraith refers to rao as the sole evidence of the occurrence of the Houghwinged
Swallow, and makes the statement that I have found it breeding for the past
year or two ; while in 1882, in the Morden-Saunderslist of the hirds of Western Ontario,
we stated that it ‘ breeds in the same localities as the last (Bank-Swallow),’ and I have
found it common within a radius of twenty-five miles round London in all suitable places.
He follows the reference to me by stating, ‘ nests having been found in crevices of rocks
and on beams under bridges,’ &e., from which one might infer that such are its habits
iu Ontario. This, however, is not the case, as iu the large number of nests I Iiave
examined all were in holes in banks, and I have never seen these Swallows frequenting
bridges at all, but always near sand-hanks ; and we have no rocks.”
Mr. Edgar Mearns, in a paper on several rare birds observed near West Point, New
York, observes :—
“ I have found this Swallow on but one occasion, iu May, 1S72, when a single
pair nested in this neighbourhood, in a hank close to a stable, beside a pond, i
watched this pair while they constructed their nest, duriug which time they were often
seen to alight, close together, on a board-feuce, from which they descended after the rough
materials of which the nest was composed,—hay aud feathers. Late in May I cujituved
the female sitting upon four fresh eggs, I had no difficulty iu doing this, for the hole
was quite largo, and not very deep, so that, by baring my arm, I could easily iutroduco
it to the hack of the hole.”
In the Henshaw collection are several birds, both old and young, obtained hy
Dr. A. K. Eisher near Sing Sing, N.Y. Dr. Berier also states that he shot a specimen
near Utrecht on the 29th of April, 1878.
Mr. J. A. Stannis, writing on the “ Hough-winged Swallow iu Connecticut,” says :—
“ Although not given by Samuels as a bird of New England, aud classed as ‘ a rare
summer visitant’ by C. II. !Mcrriain in his ‘ Birds of Conueclicut,’ the Hough-winged
Swallow breeds regularly in this State. It has nested for the jiast three seasons in tlie
old stone abutments at a road crossing over the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
Hailroad, within eight or ten rods of the dépôt at Green’s Farms, twenty miles west of
New Haven. Half a dozen pairs nested there last season, and perhaps more; but,
judging from the number seen, I should say there were fewer than duriug the season of
1877. I have been unable to account for tlie fact tbat more than thirty trains could
pass within six or eight feet of their nests each day, and not drive them away or apparently
disturb them in the least.”
Quite a large scries, cousisting of old and young birds from the District of Columhi.a,
is contained in the Henshaw collection, the specimens having been obtained there iu
April and May. Mr. llichmond speaks of it as abundant hei*e, and adds :—