XIII. FAMILY HIBUNDINIDZE, (THE SWALLOWS).
Genus Hinted°. Barn swallow. Summer resident, very abundant; insectivorous. Its food consists entirely of inserts. -onie being small coleoptera. The swallows, like the swift. fee I entirely on the wing, and thn devour vast riambers of flying insects, w hick otherwise might annoy ns.—Cliff swallows. Slimmer resident4 now become frequent; gregarious,• insectivorous. Its feeding proclivities are, as ,a general rule, similar to the barn swallow, Its curious, bottle-shaped mud tenements may now be seen beneath the eaves of buildings in several localities.—White-bellied shallow. Summer resident, frequent; insectivorous. Like all other swal-, lows, it feeds on the wing, unceasingly pursuing insects of various kinds. Once the tenant of the forest, it is fast changing its habits, and in some parts has taken posses sion of martin-boxes in preference to hollow trees.
Genus Cote's. Bank swallow. Summer resident, abun dant. gregarious, insectivorous. The hank swallow builds
in boles excavated in the sandy, steep banks of creeks, etc.; hence is more frequent near watercourses, and, con sequently, feeds on such insects as inhabit them. Its food which consists of small insects, of the hymenopterous kind, is taken on the wing.—Rough winged swallow. Summer resident, frequent; insectivo rous. Closely resembling the preceding species, and often associated with it in the same community, until recently the two appear to have been confounded.
Progne. Purple martin. Summer resident, abundant, gregarious and insectivorops. Familiarly i domiciled the martin-box, our bird seems specially commissiimed to rid the neighboring premises of nox ious insects. The food of the martin is usually the larger winged insects, as wasps, bees, large beetles. such as the common Cermekks or goldsmiths, which are swallowed whole. They seldom seize the honey bee.