The Swifts 



bewildering speed. The collector stands about as much chance 

 of catching specimens with his hands alone possibly assisted 

 by a net as he would if trying to collect birds in such primitive 

 fasnion. The up-to-date collector who is after such specimens, 

 to preserve them, carries a small-bore shot gun and shells loaded 

 with very fine shot. 



This swift seems to be particularly abundant about Tucson, 

 Arizona. A collector sent the following, in a letter to the writer: 



" I have been after those big swifts for some time, but would 

 rather catch rattlers. Not that the latter job is the most pleasant, 

 but the trouble expended is well repaid by the character of the 

 specimens captured. Although these swifts are common enough, 

 there is generally about as much labour and excitement in catching 

 a few as rounding up a bunch of wild steers. If you do get near 

 enough to make a grab, the brute seems determined to make your 

 efforts as fruitless as possible, by twisting off most of its tail, 'i hey 

 can run up the yuccas a great deal faster than a squirrel can get up 

 a tree. I am sending you four all without tails." 



The tailless specimens arrived safely in New York and were 

 placed in a cage at a south window. Here they obtained sun- 

 light for the greater part of the day. On cloudy days, or during 

 the early morning before the sun shone into their cage, they 

 were dull and sluggish, either lying flattened against a log or 

 clinging in the dark corners. As the first few inches of sunshine 

 crept into the cage, they took immediate advantage of it, first 

 basking, so as to thoroughly warm their bodies, then begin- 

 ning to frisk about in the liveliest fashion. Their sombre gray 

 tints of the early morning changed to a rich, greenish hue, or, 

 if one of the males became greatly excited after being chased 

 about the cage by one of his sex, the green gave way to a pro- 

 fuse sprinkling of pale blue over the back and tail, while a broad 

 band of jet-black appeared on each side of the neck as indications 

 of the broad collar to be seen on several of the larger species 

 of swifts. At such times, when the head was raised, the vivid 

 blue patches on the chins of the males were strikingly brilliant. 

 These blotches appeared to vary almost momentarily from the 

 richest emerald green to a light purple, thence to a pale, sky 

 blue. As the sun crept out of the cage again, these creatures 

 of the light once more retired to the log and the dark corners, 

 to flatten, with eyes half closed and colours fading into dull 

 gray hues. Apparently the sun was half their life. They fed 



132 



