tloQ HIKDS OF ONTARIO. 



• juickh', with a few 1)<»1(1 stiokes of tlieii' l()n<,^ pointed wiii<ifs, they will 

 rise to the former hei<flit. aiul dasli hither uiul thither as l)efore. 



Poets, in all ages, have sung the j)raises of their favorite birds, 

 iind even to-day, from the unromantic plains of Chatham come the 

 following lines on the liahit of the Nighthawk, just described : 



" With lialf closed wings and quivering Ijooni, 

 Descending through tlie dee))ening gloom. 

 Like plummet falling from the sky, 

 Wheie some poor moth may vainly try 



A gf)al to win— 

 He holds him with his glittei-ing eye 



And scoops him in." 



TowHi'ds the end of August, when the first frosts begin to cut off 

 their supply of insect food, large gatherings of Nighthawks maj-^ be 

 .seen in the evenings moving toward the south-west, not in regular 

 order like ducks oi- ])igeoiis, but skinmiing. darting and ci'ossing 

 •each other in evei-y iniaginal)Ie direction, and still with a general 

 tendencv towar<l the south, till dai'kness hides them from our view. 



SuHouDKH CY PS-ELI. Swifts. 



Familv MlCnOF()])\])JE. Swifts. 



SiiJK.wiii.v CHiETnilNyT']. Simnic t.mi.kd Swikis. 



Geni.s CH^TUJ'vA Stki'iikns. 



CH^TlMiA PELA(;iCA (Linn.). 



]^2. Chimney Swift, (i-2:)) 



Sooty brown with faint greeni.sh gloss ahove ; Ijelow, paler, becoming gray 

 <m the throat ; wings, Idack. Length, about .') ; wing, the same ; tail, 2 or less. 



H.\B.— Eastern North Amei-ica, north to Labiador and the Fur ("ountries, 

 west to the Plains, and passing south of the United States in winter. 



Nest, a basket of twigs glued together, and to the side of the chimney or 

 ■other support by the saliva of the bird. 



Kggs. four oi- five, pure wiiite. 



The Swift is a kite compi-, and while here .seems ever anxious to 

 make up for lost time, being constantly on the wing, darting about 

 with gieat rapidity, .s(»metimes high overhead, sometimes skimming 

 the surface of the pond, often .so cktsely as to be able to sip from the 

 water as it passes over it, oi- snap up the insects which hover on the 

 -suiface. 



