BRITISH BIRDS. 73 



vided with a flat stone or a log of wood to sit on, rather 

 than a thin perch, which it seldom makes use of. Length, 

 about 7 inches. 



THE SWIFT. 



Family — CypselidcF, 

 Genus — Cypsebts. C. apns. 



It seems a refinement of difterentiation that is quite 

 superfluous to separate this bird from the swallows, and 

 constitute it a family and genus by itself. But it has 

 pleased certain authorities to do so, and what are we that 

 we should run counter to their decision, and kick against 

 the pricks ? 



Mio-rator\-, like all the British Hir/nidina', the swift 

 ■comes over later than the others — about ^lay — and departs 

 again in August. This is the rule, wrote Morris ; but 

 exceptions to it, as a matter of course, have occurred, do 

 occur, and will occur. 



The legs of this bird are extremely short, and its wings 

 proportionately long, so that it rises with difiiculty from 

 the ground, and never alights upon it of its own free will ; 

 but in the air it never seems to tire, and is comparable with 

 the albatross for its extraordinary power of flight. 



The note or cr}'- of the swift is a harsh scream, *• Kee- 

 skree, skree-kee," uttered frequently while the birds arc 

 gyrating, especially during showery weather, round a 

 church steeple or some other elevated building, where the 

 nest is usually placed in some convenient crevice. The 

 materials are collected by the bird while on the wing, and 

 <are agglutinated together by its saliva, for, unlike the other 

 swallows, it does not pick up mud wherewith to construct 

 a foundation for its nest. 



