Identifier: birdlifeguid00chap (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
e it is known only as a migrant.Tachycineta bicoior. In the wilder part of its range it nests (Frontispiece.) in nonow trees . m the more settled portions it uses bird-boxes. During recent years, as Mr.Brewster has remarked, the always-present House Spar-row has pre-empted the former abodes of the Tree Swal-low, so that it no longer nests about our homes; but asa migrant its numbers are undiminished, and it is prob-ably our most abundant Swallow. Being the only Swallow to winter in the easternUnited States, the Tree Swallow is the first to arrive inthe spring, coming to us from Florida early in April. Itis also the last of its family to leave us in the fall, oftenremaining near New York city until October 20. Immature birds have the upper parts brownish grayinstead of shining steel-blue, as in the adult, but in eitherplumage the bird may be known by its pure white underparts, which have given to it the name of White-belliedSwallow. In the northern United States Martins are very local.
Text Appearing After Image:
Plate LXIII. Page 170. OVEN-BIKD. Length, 6-15 inches. Crown reddish brown, bordered by black; back,wings, and tail olive-green; under parts black and white. CEDAR WAXWING. . 161 They have long since abandoned their habit of building in hollow trees, and now nest only about houses or in lawns where gourds or boxes are erected for Purple Martin, their occupation> To these they return year after year, arriving m the springabout April 25 and remaining until September. Themale is uniform steel-blue, and appears black in the air ;the female is grayish, tinged with steel-blue above; thebreast is gray, the belly white. This is the largest ofour Swallows, measuring eight inches in length. Waxwings. (Family Ampelid^e.) One of the two species of Waxwing is a bird of the far North; the other, our Cedar Waxwing, is found through- Cedar Waxwing, out North America. Waxwings pos- Ampeiis cedrorum. sess in an unusual degree two charac- piate L\ II. teristics which are not supposed to be associated

Note About Images