338 



THE BANK SWALLOW. 



changeable t\pe, a visible link between Stuniptown-on-vSwinimiish and Flor- 

 ence on the Arno. Birds of ijrecisely this feather are suniniering on the Lena, 

 or else hawking at flies on the sunny Gaudalquivir, or tunneling the sacred 

 banks of the Ji.irdan ; and the flatter\- is not lost uixm us of such as still prefer 

 the Nespileni and the Pilchuck. 



The life of a Swallow is so largely spent a-wing, that our interest in it 



centers even more than 



in the case of other 



birds tipon the time 



when it is bound to 



Taken near tliclau. 



Photo by the Author. 



NESTING SITE OF THE BANK S\\ ALLOW. 



earth bv familv ties. We are scarcely conscious of the presence of the Bank 

 Swallow until one day we see a great company of them fluttering about a sand- 

 bank which overlooks the ri\-er, all busily engaged in digging the tunnels which 

 are to shelter their young for that season. These birds are regularl}- gre- 

 garious, and a nesting colony frequently numbers hundreds. 



The birds usually select a spot well up within a foot or two nf the top of 

 a nearly perpendicular bank of sr)il or sand, and dig a straight, round tunnel 

 three or four feet long. If, h<iwe\er, the soil contains stones, a greater length 

 and many turns may be required to reach a safe spot for the slight enlargement 

 where the nest pmper is placed. The bird appears to loosen the earth with 



