igo2] Moore What the Swallows Did. 121 



WHAT THE SWALLOWS DID. 



ByW. H. Moore, Scotch Lake, N.B. 



During" the summer of igoi there were two pairs of swallows 

 nested at our barn a pair of Cliff Swallows outside and a pair of 

 Barn Swallows inside. The Cliff Swallows were late in coming 

 and were probably driven from some other barn by having- their 

 nest destroyed. They repaired the remains of a nest built the 

 summer before, but left the entrance or door much larg^er than is 

 usual for that species, it being fully four inches by one and one 

 half, the ordinary way being to leave the door about 1^ inches in 

 diameter; At the time, we wondered why they did not finish 

 building. 



The eggs were duly laid, sat upon for about twelve days and 

 hatched. The weather during this time had been warm, and some 

 days were extremely so. The young were well supplied with 

 food ; and, not until they were able to meet the old birds at the 

 door when they came with food, was the door closed to the usual 

 size. 



Then the question to us was. Why did they not make the 

 doorway of the usual size, when the nest was first built ? Why 

 did they change it after the young were nearly fledged ? After 

 some consideration, we concluded, first, that the nest was cooler 

 and better ventilated by having the large doorway, and, secondly, 

 that less work was required to build it thus ; we accordingly con- 

 gratulated ourselves on having such an intelligent pair of swallows 



When we had solved, this question to our own satisfaction, 

 they began to build another nest which was left unfinished. Now 

 we thought our answer to the first question was surely wrong. It 

 could not be to save work that the doorway was left large, for 

 here they were making another nest. 



The days were still very warm, and we found that the old 

 birds, when resting from feeding the young, used this other nest 

 to sit on in the shade of the eave of the barn Instead of sitting on 

 the roof as other people's Swallows are wont to do, or else are 

 crowded in the nest with the young. 



