SWALLOWS 



TIr' Vaux swift builds a tiny saucer-shaped 

 nest of small twigs plastered together with 

 the sticky saliva, secreted so abundantly by 

 the bird, and is usually fastened to the inside 

 of a hollow tree. Of late years however it 

 has been reported as nesting in chimneys like 

 its cousin of the eastern states. 



FAMILY HIRUNDINIDM: SWALLOWS 



. Cliff swallow, Petrochelidon lunijrons 



lunifrons. 5.50 



Distribution: Nearly the whole of North 

 America. Abundant summer resident on the 

 Pacific Coast. South in winter over Mex- 

 ico, Central America and most of South 

 America. 



The cliff swallow, eave swallow, or mud- 

 dauber, is seen in great numbers in the farm- 

 ing districts, circling about the big red barns, 

 snapping up the flies that are so common 

 there and building its nest under the over- 

 hanging eaves. The nest is a gourd-shaped 

 affair with the neck slanting dow^nwards. It 

 is made of mud and lined with grass and 

 feathers. This swallow formerly cemented 

 its nest to the perpendicular face of cliffs but 

 since the advent of man with his numerous 

 buildings it has changed its habits, and its 

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