Range.--Whole of North America; winters south to South America. This Swallow is the most beautiful and graceful of the family, and is a familiar sight to everyone, skimming over the meadows and ponds in long graceful sweeps, curves and turns, its lengthened outer tail feathers streaming behind. Throughout their range, they nest in barns, sheds or any building where they will not be often disturbed, making their nests of mud and attaching them to the rafters; they are warmly lined with feathers and the outside is rough, caused by the pellets which they place on the exterior. Before the advent of civilized man, they attached their nests to the sides of caves, in crevices among rocks and in hollow trees, as they do now in some localities. Their eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the Cliff Swallow. Data.--Penikese Is., Mass., July 2, 1900. Nest on beam in sheep shed; made of pellets of mud, lined with feathers. 614. TREE SWALLOW; White-bellied Swallow. _Iridoprocne bicolor._ Range.--Whole of temperate North America, breeding from middle United States northward; winters in the Gulf States and along the Mexican border and southward. This vivacious and active species is as well known as the last, and nests about habitations on the outskirts of cities and in the country. [Illustration 375: Barn Swallow.] [Illustration: White.] [Illustration: Tree Swallow.] [Illustration: deco.] [Illustration: right hand margin.] Page 374 They naturally nest in holes in trees or stumps, preferable in the vicinity of water, but large numbers now take up their abode in houses provided for them by man, providing that English Sparrows are kept away. They make their nests of straws and grasses, lined with feathers, and lay four to six plain white eggs; size .75 × .50. Data.--Portage, Mich., May 26, 1897. Nest in a gate post; hole about 6 inches deep, lined with feathers. 615. NORTHERN VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW. _Tachycineta thalassina lepida._ Range.--United States in the Rocky Mountains and west to the Pacific coast, breeding from Mexico to British Columbia; winters south of our borders. This very beautiful species is smaller than the last, but, like it, is white below, but the upper parts are blue, green and purple without gloss. They are common in their range and nest, usually in holes in trees, less often in banks and under eaves; the nests are made of grass and feathers, and the eggs are pure white, four or five in number; size .72 × .50. 615a. SAN LUCAS SWALLOW. _Tachycineta thalassina brachyptera._ Range.--Southern Lower California. Practically the same bird as the last but with the wing very slightly shorter. Nesting habits or eggs will not differ. 615.1. BAHAMAN SWALLOW. _Callichelidon cyaneoviridis._ Range.--Bahamas; casual at Dry Tortugas, Florida. This very beautiful species is similar to the western Violet-green Swallow, as are also its eggs. 616. BANK SWALLOW. _Riparia riparia._