HUMMERS AND CHIMNEY SWEEPS 293 



" Have you got a Hummingbird's nest on your farm, 

 and a S waller chimney ? " Joe asked anxiously. 



" No, not exactly," said Nat, hesitating. " There 

 are some birds in Uncle Roy's chimne}^ but we haven't 

 found a Hummingbird's nest yet, though there are lots 

 of the birds about the garden." 



" Well, tliere's a Hummingbird's nest in our crab- 

 apple tree, and we own the biggest S waller chimney 

 there is in the county ! Pa says so, and he knows," 

 said Joe proudly. '' If you'll come with me and not 

 grab the nest, I'll show it to you. It's a Avidow Hum- 

 mingbird, too. I've never seen her mate since she 

 began to set, but before that he was always flyin' round 

 the honeysuckles and laylocks, so I'm sure he is dead." 



" May I come too ? " asked the Doctor. 



" Pleased to have you, sir," said Joe, making a stiff 

 little bow. '' I'd have asked you, only most men folks 

 don't set much store by birds 'nless they are the kind 

 they go gunnin' for. Only pa does. He likes any 

 kind o' bird, whether it sings or not, and he's powerful 

 fond of the S wallers in our chimney. He says they 

 eat the flies and things that tease the cows down in the 

 pasture, and sence those S wallers came to our chimney 

 we haven't had to put fly-sheets on the oxen when they 

 are in the pasture — ^not once." 



"- Now, children, you see what good the Sky Sweepers 

 do," said the Doctor. 



" Sky Sweepers ! We don't call 'em that ! We call 

 'em Chimney Swallers I " 



Then the cliildren told Joe al)out the Bird Brother- 

 lioods. 



'' Stand on this box," said Joe to Dodo, " and look hard 



