Swift WESTERN BIRDS 



or on cliffs, this unusual nesting site was most confusing, 

 especially since this was a typical Tree Swallow nest. 

 There was, however, no doubt as to its owners since the 

 birds were seen to go to it many times. They also flew 

 at the intruder, keeping up angry and protesting twit- 

 tering. 



Mr. Edwards was led to wonder, not only why the 

 birds chose this site, but because he saw one Swift carry 

 a piece of grass into the hole, to also wonder if by any 

 chance they had preempted a swallow's nest, and re- 

 modeled it to suit their own taste. He says, "Of one 

 thing I am positive, there was no soft vegetable or 

 gummy matter of any kind in the nest composition (I 

 lifted the nest up expressly to see), such as I have seen 

 mentioned by all writers on the subject before." Surely 

 the ways of the feathered tribe are as unfathomable as 

 are those of man. 



One interesting thing about the finding of this Swift's 

 nest was that five other species of birds also occupied 

 this old stump, living in harmony together and ridding 

 the neighborhood of insect life. 



In a crack five feet above the Swifts a House Wren 

 was raising a family of seven nestlings, while just around 

 the tree from this nest was one containing young of the 

 Cabanis Woodpecker, Eight or nine feet higher (mak- 

 ing it forty-three or forty-four feet from the ground) a 

 hole contained one egg of the Mountain Chickadee. 

 Just around the tree and about nine feet higher up, a 

 pair of Western Bluebirds had a cozy nest in a large 

 cavity which contained two handsome blue eggs. Still 

 climbing up the old tree, this daring explorer found only 

 three feet from the top a hole from which flew a female 

 Western Martin. This tree was, indeed, a treasure trove 

 which any bird-lover would go far to see. 



50 



